About the symposium
Different traditions, one question about cause
Causal inference sits at the heart of health science — yet each discipline has learned to answer it in its own language.
Causal inference guides decisions about which interventions to implement, which risk factors to address, and how to allocate limited resources. Yet despite this shared goal, researchers from different disciplines — epidemiology and statistics, economics, clinical research, and health sociology — have developed distinct methodological traditions that often do not overlap. Epidemiologists and statisticians rely on directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) to make causal structures and confounding explicit. Economists favour design-based approaches such as difference-in-differences and regression discontinuity. Clinical trialists prioritise randomisation and regulatory standards. Each tradition brings valuable insights, and each carries its own, often implicit, assumptions about what counts as credible causal evidence.
This fragmentation has consequences. Training tends to happen within a single domain, which makes it hard to judge causal claims built on unfamiliar approaches; assumptions are frequently left implicit rather than stated and examined; and methodological innovations struggle to cross disciplinary lines. This symposium creates space for critical exchange — not to force consensus or crown one approach, but to sharpen our shared understanding of what different methods can, and cannot, tell us about causation. Sessions are designed to be accessible across levels of expertise, from students to established scientists.
Objectives
What we hope to achieve
Foster critical examination of causal approaches across methodological traditions, encountering and challenging alternative frameworks for causal inference.
Build an interdisciplinary community committed to transparent causal reasoning that transcends disciplinary boundaries.
Provide an accessible forum for education, networking, and mentorship — connecting trainees with established researchers across fields.
Who should attend
A room built for crossing lines
Epidemiologists, health economists, biostatisticians, clinical and pharmaceutical researchers, and social scientists — from doctoral students and early-career researchers to established investigators — with an interest in the foundations of causal inference. No single-discipline background is assumed; the programme is designed to be accessible across levels of methodological training.
Programme
The afternoon at a glance
Three sessions, four disciplinary perspectives, and a stage for early-career work — closing with an apéro dinatoire.
Session 1 — Exposing different causal worldviews
Welcome & opening provocation — Tracy Glass & Cristian Carmeli: why do different disciplines approach causality so differently?
Comparative presentations — four perspectives:
- Dr. Elise Dumas (University of Zurich)
- Prof. Armando Meier (University of Basel)
- Dr. Marcel Wolbers & Dr. Alex Ocampo (Roche)
- Prof. Stéphanie Baggio (University of Lausanne)
Coffee break
Round-table discussion and structured debate
- Are all causal assumptions equally credible?
- What makes a “good” causal assumption?
- Are different methods answering the same causal question?
- What would convince you of causation?
Session 2 — Case studies from early-career researchers
Five pre-selected short talks (7 min each + 5 min for questions and feedback), showcasing work and approaches from trainees and early-career researchers. Submit an abstract →
Session 3 — Apéro dinatoire & networking
Continue the conversation over food and drinks.
Session timings are indicative and may be adjusted.
Invited speakers
Four perspectives on one problem
Call for early-career presentations
Present your work in Session 2
We invite junior researchers to submit an abstract to present their own work or methodological approaches. Five presentations will be selected for short talks (7 min + 5 min discussion).
Send your abstract by email to cristian.carmeli@unifr.ch, including:
- Presentation title
- Author(s) and affiliation(s)
- An abstract of approximately 250 words
- A short note on your career stage
- Submission deadline
- 10 December 2026
- Notification
- 18 December 2026
Registration
Reserve your place
Attendance is free, but registration is required. In-person places are limited to 40 participants.
- Registration link
- Registration form
- Deadline
- 11 January 2027
- In-person capacity
- 40 participants
Practical information
Getting there
Venue
Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH)
Kreuzstrasse 2, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
Seminar room 4
Travel
From Basel SBB railway station
Take bus no. 48 in the direction of 'Basel, Bachgraben' and get off at the 'Allschwil, Kreuzstrasse' stop.
From Basel Euro Airport
Take bus no. 50 in the direction of 'Basel SBB', change at 'Basel, Kannenfeldplatz' to bus no. 38 in the direction of 'Basel, Bachgraben' and get off at 'Allschwil, Kreuzstrasse'.
By bike
There are several parking facilities around the Swiss TPH building.
By car
There are public parking spaces in Hegenheimermattweg within walking distance of Swiss TPH. There is also a public car park at Kreuzstrasse 4.
Organisers