IRPPS, together with CNR, adheres to Scholars at Risk, an international network that promotes protection activities for scholars in danger, advocacy, and training for academic freedom. A course on “Guidelines for the reception of scholars at risk,” necessary for those wishing to actively participate in the network, is scheduled.

October 9, 2023 – h. 10.00

Sala Europa, IRPPS via Palestro 32 – Rome

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming people’s life in unprecedented ways. AI models have human or superhuman abilities in multiple tasks, e.g., gaming, driving, conversation, and content organization. In biomedical research, however, AI demonstrated as much promise, e.g., in molecular drug design, as much disappointment, e.g., in clinical drug repurposing or public health intervention. One of the reasons is that the datasets AI feeds on –sourced from real world databases such electronic health records (EHR)– are often littered with bias. Such bias might be irrelevant to predict the happening of health conditions, but it influences any strategy to prevent such conditions from happening. In this talk, we will take a dive into the promises and perils of AI in healthcare, and its troubled relationship with data, bias, and causality. We will explore novel causal AI methodologies able to both provide accurate individual health predictions as well as interventions. Finally, we will present use cases of causal AI on large, integrated EHR data, and an eagle’s view of EHR consortia in the USA.

Short biographies

Mattia Prosperi, PhD, FAMIA, is Professor in the Department of Epidemiology, and Associate Dean of AI and Innovation in the College of Public Health and Health Profession at University of Florida. His background is in computer science engineering, with expertise in machine learning, bio-health informatics, and epidemiology. His research leverages technology and data intelligence to develop prediction and intervention models for improving future health and lives. In his administrative role, his mission is to expand AI infrastructure, training, research and expertise capacity in public health and health professions.

Yi Guo, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Department of Health Outcomes, Policy and Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, University of Florida. He has a multi-disciplinary background in the analysis of real-world data, including electronic health records and administrative claims, experimental and observational study design, predictive modeling (e.g., statistical and machine learning), causal modeling, and analysis of patient-reported outcomes in clinical and public health applications, and among various populations, especially vulnerable populations.

In September, the research group involved in the VIVA project (Evaluation and Analysis of interventions for the prevention and combating of violence against women) participated in important opportunities for discussion with the scientific community, sharing perspectives and results as a starting point for upcoming qualitative investigations on the empowerment of women victims of violence and on Centers for perpetrators of violence.

Two posters were presented at the European Conference on Domestic Violence (ECDV) in Reykjavik.

The first – Networking to prevent and combat male violence against women by Francesca Proia, Maria Dentale, Pietro Demurtas, Alice Mauri – presents data relating to the analysis of the Italian anti-violence system as a complex and diversified universe.

Fig. 1 The poster Networking to prevent and combat male violence against women

The second – Defining the effectiveness of perpetrator programs from a practice-based perspective by Pietro Demurtas and Caterina Peroni – shows some of the results of the recently completed survey on Centers for Male Perpetrators of Violence (CUAV).

Fig. 2 The poster Defining the effectiveness of perpetrator programs from a practice-based perspective

Within the framework of the XVI ESPAnet Italia Conference, Beatrice Busi and Angela Toffanin also presented a contribution on conditionality in economic, employment, and social empowerment measures in anti-violence policies.

Visit the VIVA project website.

Edited by Monia Torre, with scientific support from Pietro Demurtas, Alice Mauri, Angela Toffanin.

The journal Welfare&Ergonomia (Class A, Anvur, published by Franco Angeli) has opened the call for papers No. 1, 2024, “Labor exploitation, rights and health in contemporary society,” edited by Marco Omizzolo.

This issue of W&E will investigate the organization, dissemination, and evolution of the labor exploitation system and its effects on psycho-physical health and the welfare system in Italy. Proposals may be either theoretical or empirical.

For submission, an abstract of approximately 3,000 characters (including spaces) must be sent by October 13, 2023, to omizzolomarco@gmail.com; welfarergonomia.rel@irpps.cnr.it.

Call for abstracts (pdf)
Call for abstracts EN (pdf)

The preliminary results of the second survey on Centers for Men who Perpetrate Violence—conducted as part of the VIVA project—were presented to the Observatory on the Phenomenon of Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence.

Within the framework of the FOSSR project – Fostering Open Science in Social Science Research (PNRR-IR 0000008) and the DASSI/CESSDA Joint Research Unit, IRPPS contributes to:

• 2 (two) scholarships for attendance of the PhD program in “Social and Statistical Sciences” – XXXIX CYCLE – University of Naples Federico II for conducting research activities on the following research topic: “Improvement of open cloud services envisaged by the FOSSR project and DASSI databases, the Italian node of CESSDA”.
  Deadline August 2, 2023 Call for applications (pdf), how to apply.
  
• 1 scholarship for attendance of the PhD program in “Economic Sociology, Organization and Labor (ESOL)” – XXXIX CYCLE – University of Milan for conducting research activities: “computational social science methods for population-based research on relevant socio-economic phenomena”.
  Deadline July 26, 2023 Call for applications (pdf), how to apply.

On the occasion of World Population Day, we gathered three different perspectives on population studies at our Institute.

With Angela Paparusso, a demographer in the Population and Migration group, we discussed demographic aging, family models, and migration.
With Patrizia Grifoni, an engineer in the Social Informatics and Technology Assessment group, we focused on the various social implications of the spread of information and communication technologies (ICT).
We asked Daniele Archibugi, an economist in the Globalization, Research and Innovation group, about the current relationship between demographic dynamics and the economy.