Resources Repository
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Lesson/ModuleWeb Portal, Teaching Resource 2016Scientific Evidence of Factual Causation
This module examines three scientific areas that provide evidence bearing on causation in the “toxic …
This module examines three scientific areas that provide evidence bearing on causation in the “toxic tort” or environmental disease context: epidemiology, toxicology, and genetics. These scientific disciplines are used in civil lawsuits and in regulatory proceedings in which causation or risk is an issue. The module is appropriate for non-scientist law students as well as others interested in learning the science of toxic tort causation, including practicing attorneys, judges, and public policy and public health…
Evidence Synthesis | Risk Analysis | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Environmental Health | Policy/Regulation | Climate/Environment | Food/Agriculture | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | Global | North America | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Professional | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Quantitative Literacy -
Lesson/ModuleWeb Portal, Teaching Resource 2016Educational Module: Models and Practice
This module is an introduction to models and to their role in regulatory decision-making, and …
This module is an introduction to models and to their role in regulatory decision-making, and is intended for non-scientists from a variety of different backgrounds including law, journalism, public policy, and business. The module covers three main themes: (1) Core lessons on using models for policy making; (2) Key questions on the art and science of modeling including how models differ from other scientific techniques; and (3) Key ideas on using models in policy-making including how…
Priority Setting/Ethics | Mathematical Models | Environmental Health | Policy/Regulation | Business/Industry | Climate/Environment | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | Global | North America | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Conceptual Mapping | Decision Making/Leadership -
Lesson/ModuleWeb Portal, Teaching Resource 2016Educational Module: Shale Gas Development
This module has been developed around the topic of the extraction of natural gas from …
This module has been developed around the topic of the extraction of natural gas from shale. This practice, commonly referred to as fracking, involves several practices that have complex and uncertain consequences. In the module, three scientific concepts are explored in order to elucidate how science is applied toward addressing real-world problems. The scientific concepts are: (1) correlation is not the same as causation, (2) hazard is not the same as risk, and (3) risk…
Probability/Bayes | Risk Analysis | Environmental Health | Policy/Regulation | Business/Industry | Climate/Environment | Energy/Engineering | Government/Law | Science/Technology | Global | North America | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Decision Making/Leadership -
Tutorial/PrimerPublication, Teaching Resource 2015White Paper: Retrospective Benefit-Cost Analysis
In this article the authors consider how benefit-cost analysis can be used retrospectively to promote …
In this article the authors consider how benefit-cost analysis can be used retrospectively to promote understanding of the impacts after a policy is implemented. Serving as a brief primer, the authors propose that analysis can be useful for identifying needed reforms as well as in improving the conduct of future prospective analyses. The major challenges relate to estimating what would have occurred in the absence of the policy and separating the effects of the policy…
Priority Setting/Ethics | Benefit-Cost Analysis | Social Determinants | Environmental Health | Policy/Regulation | Culture/Society | Economics/Finance | Government/Law | North America | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Policy Translation -
Lesson/ModulePublication, Teaching Resource 2015CDC Science Ambassador Workshop 2015 Lesson Plan: Seasonal Flu Costs How Much?!
This lesson plan from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was curated to …
This lesson plan from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was curated to teach high school students, grades 9-10, to explore decision-making about the seasonal influenza (flu) vaccination. The lesson looks at financial decisions around vaccinations, based on a case study exploring the experiences of 282 children from cities around the United States. It looks at a wide range of factors including treatment for children with the flu and the cost of parents…
Costing Methods | Decision Analysis | Infectious Diseases | Social Determinants | Clinical Care | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | North America | High School | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Decision Making/Leadership | Quantitative Literacy -
Lesson/ModulePublication, Teaching Resource 2014Scientific Decision-Making: Teacher's Guide
This guide provides high-school level activities and readings on how decision-making can affect our health, …
This guide provides high-school level activities and readings on how decision-making can affect our health, focusing on cardiovascular health. Exercises include: Decisions and Risks Smarter Choices Introduction to Personal Stories Heart: Basic Measurements Calculating Coronary Artery Disease Risk Team Diagnosis of Three Cases Comparative Effectiveness Decision-Making Tools These exercises explore the biology of the heart, a coronary disease model, risk factors for heart disease, and a wider range of activities around health decision-making.
Decision Theory | Decision Analysis | Chronic Disease/Risk | Social Determinants | Health/Medicine | High School | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Decision Making/Leadership | Quantitative Literacy -
ArticlePublication 2013Using Occupational Injury Data to Estimate VSL
This article discusses the use of occupational fatality rate data to estimate the additional pay …
This article discusses the use of occupational fatality rate data to estimate the additional pay workers receive for bearing greater risks, while controlling for other aspects of the job and characteristics of the worker. This tradeoff rate is typically referenced as the value of a statistical life (VSL). The extensive U.S. labor market literature generating VSL estimates has utilized several fatality rate measures which are typically matched to employment information on workers from large datasets.…
Preferences/Values | Benefit-Cost Analysis | Policy/Regulation | College | Graduate | Critical Thinking/Analysis -
ArticlePublication 2013Valuing Health Risk Reductions
In this article, the authors discuss how to value risk reductions in the context of …
In this article, the authors discuss how to value risk reductions in the context of benefit-cost analysis. Many public policies and private actions affect the risk of injury, illness, or death, yet changes in these risks are not easily valued using market prices. The authors begin with a pragmatic focus, describing the analytic framework and the approaches currently used for valuation, including estimates of willingness to pay (WTP), cost of illness (COI), and monetized quality-adjusted…
Preferences/Values | Benefit-Cost Analysis | Policy/Regulation | College | Graduate | Critical Thinking/Analysis -
ArticlePublication 2012Expert Elicitation of VSL
This article uses expert elicitation to address the monetary value of avoided premature mortality, which …
This article uses expert elicitation to address the monetary value of avoided premature mortality, which typically dominates the quantified benefits of air pollution regulations. Formal expert elicitation methods are one means of characterizing associated uncertainties. The authors undertake a pilot study that elicits quantitative probabilistic judgments of uncertainties in value per statistical life (VSL) estimates for use in an air pollution context. The two-stage elicitation addresses uncertainties in both a base case VSL for a…
Preferences/Values | Benefit-Cost Analysis | Policy/Regulation | Climate/Environment | College | Graduate | Critical Thinking/Analysis