2024 JNIL Third Nutrition Research Designs and Methods Workshop

The overall goal of the workshop is to train upcoming Jordanian scientists on the rigor of research methodology and enhance skills in conceptualization, development and implementation and analysis of robustly designed quantitative research protocols.

The specific objectives of the workshop are to:

• Identify the basic concepts of research processes and components.
• Learn to critically read and search the literature in order to identify research gaps in scientific knowledge.
• Gain substantive knowledge in the developmental and structural processes in preparing a research protocol.
• Learn to write a research question that is specific and measurable using quantitative methods
• Select and develop appropriate research design, sample, data collection and analysis methods.
• Develop a Letter of Intent and Research Plan on a specific topic that will be presented in a written and oral form.
   

Participants will be exposed to the theory of designing nutrition research studies with hands-on experience in developing a letter of intent and analysis plan for the research.  Topic areas include the development of a research question that answers a gap in current scientific knowledge in Jordan, defining specific aims and outcomes of interest, and determining appropriate study designs, research methodology and assessment methods.  Participants will work in pairs to develop and present a letter of intent and an research plan, interacting with faculty mentors through the workshop period.

Potential participants should be master’s students trained in nutrition and/or public health nutrition and doctoral students. We will also consider mid-career professionals who may be researchers, policy specialists and/or technical officers in governmental and local non governmental organizations who would benefit from exposure to public health nutrition research methodology. Applicants typically are from the following fields: nutrition science, nutrition policy, public health, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and other allied health sciences. Potential participants should demonstrate a strong interest in working in community/public health nutrition research and practice.

There is no fee for participants to attend the workshop. Participants will be selected through a competitive selection process. The first part of the workshop will be totally online from June 30 through July 25. Participants will be provided a research methods book and access to a Learning Management System called "Canvas" on which relevant reading materials will be posted, including peer reviewed publications, YouTube videos, and website URLs.

A key element of success of this workshop is that the participants will work in groups of three, called a triad, through the period of the training. The triad assignments will be determined before the second online week. Each triad will be assigned a research question and carry out a literature review to identify relevant papers to support their proposed research question. With this preparation, they will then be ready to participate in an in-person workshop to be held from August 3 - August 8, 2024 (arrival the night of August 2).

The workshop will be held in a hotel in Aqaba, Jordan from August 3 - 8, 2024. The Jordan Nutrition Innovation Lab will plan and manage all lodging and boarding arrangements. As this is an intensive workshop, participants are required to spend six days and nights at the workshop location (beginning August 2).

Participants should have had foundation courses in chemistry, biology, biochemistry, physiology, nutrition, public health, and biostatistics/statistics.

The workshop is a mix of preparatory online work and then an in-person comprehensive workshop covering substantive theoretical lectures, application sessions, and guided practical work sessions with mentors. Please be prepared for long but productive days during this workshop.  

Each workshop day will begin at 8 am and include coffee breaks throughout the day and lunch. After dinner, each group may need to work towards accomplishing their assignment on a daily basis. The final deliverable for this workshop at the closing session will be a PowerPoint (or other visual media) presentation of their project to the members of the workshop and an accompanying written Research Plan (per triad).

During this online and in-person workshop, participants will learn in a theoretical and applied manner, the designs and methods used in nutrition research. Participants will be able to:

1.  Describe the concepts and theory of research design, articulate policy-relevant research questions, develop specific aims and outcomes, identify an appropriate study design and methodology.
2.  Utilize appropriate tools to undertake complex nutrition studies. Examples include:
   1. Organizing a literature search; identifying relevant search terms and which literature bases to search for defining or fine-tuning research questions; establishing parameters for the review regarding what it will and won’t cover; extracting relevant information from appropriate studies in a systematic manner (with summary tables and figures).
   2. Theoretical knowledge on different types of study designs and research methodologies.
   3. Statistical tools for the calculation of sample size, definition of sampling strategy and data analysis.
   4. Data collection methods and management and quality assurance, ethical considerations.
3. Write a Letter of Intent (LOI), followed by a Research Plan for study implementation (if selected), and present their plan to the assembled group at the closing session
4. Describe the challenges in developing a research plan
5. Work in a triad, defining roles and responsibilities for each member of the team

Have any questions about the application or the workshop overall? Feel free to email us at jnilworkshop@gmail.com and we will get back to you shortly.