Using Secondary Data
A webinar series for U-M mental health researchers.
Webinar Series: Building a Research Career Using Secondary Data
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Are you interested in using secondary (existing or archived) data to build your career in mental health research? You likely know that collecting original research data is a lengthy and expensive process, but you might not know that secondary data is a valuable alternative.
We've gathered experts who will provide valuable insights, experience, tips and tricks for anyone interested in using secondary data in mental health research. Each session features an expert(s) who will discuss optimizing secondary data across the research lifecycle stages.
This three-part live webinar series is presented by the Eisenberg Family Depression Center Data & Design Core and is open to all U-M faculty, trainees, staff and learners. Please sign up below to get the Zoom link for each session. It's free to attend!
Session 1: Getting Started
Wednesday, January 29, 2025 | 12 to 1 p.m.
Are you looking to leverage secondary data for mental health research but unsure how to get started? Matt Davis, Ph.D., associate professor in the U-M School of Nursing, will provide an overview of the strengths and drawbacks of several types of secondary data sources (including surveys, electronic health records and medical claims data), highlight valuable data options for mental health research, and provide several practical examples to help you get started.
Session 2: Strategies for Grant Writing
Wednesday, February 26, 2025 | 12 to 1 p.m.
Did you know that secondary data projects are a growing priority for many funders? This session will walk you through how to get a grant without collecting a single data point. Briana Mezuk, Ph.D., professor of epidemiology, and Data & Design Core faculty co-lead, and Eric Simon, Ph.D., senior technical writer at the Depression Center, will discuss strategies for writing compelling and successful grant proposals using secondary data, including novel approaches to data analysis, writing a budget and working with a grant writer. They will also review successful examples and common mistakes and point to available opportunities.
Session 3: Advanced Analytic Approaches
Wednesday, March 12, 2025 | 12 to 1 p.m.
Ready to dig into your data but overwhelmed by where to start? Join Emily Urban-Wojcik, Ph.D., lead statistician at the Depression Center, as she breaks down how to prepare and clean data and approach modeling secondary data, including complex survey data, longitudinal data and electronic health records. Examples will be drawn from the Health and Retirement Study and Michigan Medicine’s DataDirect.