Frances Albers

Implementing causal inference methods to study physical activity and cancer

Primary Supervisor: A/Prof Brigid Lynch

Co-Supervisors: Prof Dallas English; Prof Roger Milne; Dr S Ghazaleh Dashti

Physical activity is inversely associated with cancer risk and positively associated with survival following a cancer diagnosis. Most epidemiological evidence comes from observational research, in which causal effects are difficult to demonstrate due to confounding, selection bias and measurement error. Accurate effect estimates are essential for understanding the impact of physical activity on cancer prevention and prognosis. My doctoral research aims to take advantage of recent advancements in causal inference methods – including the target trial framework, interventional causal mediation analysis, inverse probability weighting, and quantitative bias analysis – to improve causal inference in observational studies of physical activity and cancer risk and survival after diagnosis.

PhD Scholarship/Funding: Research Training Program Scholarship (Fee Offset), Research Training Program Scholarship (Stipend)