Ethnographic decision-tree modeling (EDM) is a powerful tool for exploring and testing how people make choices. As a methodological approach, EDM includes multiple data collection and analysis steps that allow researchers to build a model from scratch and systematically test its accuracy. The rule-based models are often displayed as decision trees or flow charts and can be useful for identifying potential interventions in the decision process.
Drawing on examples from multiple topic areas, this hands-on workshop will cover how to: (a) elicit and analyze people’s decision criteria; (b) collect data that can be used to build preliminary ethnographic models; and (c) formally test the models and assess their accuracy.
Dr. Gery Ryan is a professor in the Department of Health Systems Science at the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine (KPSOM). Prior to joining KPSOM, he was a Senior Behavioral Scientist at the RAND Corporation and served as Assistant Dean of Academics at the Pardee RAND Graduate School in Policy Analysis. Trained as a medical anthropologist and methodologist, he has conducted research on decision-making processes, ethnographies of health care and education systems, and complex evaluations of implementation projects. His research spans mental and physical health and includes work on HIV/AIDS, homelessness, depression, serious mental illness, childhood illnesses, obesity, social networks, human trafficking, and complementary and alternative medicine. He also has spent extensive time in Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East addressing health and education-related problems. As a methodologist and evaluator, he specializes in the integration of qualitative and quantitative methodologies; designing, implementing, and assessing complex system interventions; and quality-improvement projects. Dr. Ryan has taught graduate courses and mentored clinical researchers in advanced ethnographic methods; run qualitative workshops sponsored by NSF, NIH, CDC and WHO; and co-authored a comprehensive textbook on text analysis.
This workshop is limited to 20 participants
Instructor: Dr. Gery W. Ryan
Registration Fee: $50
Date: October 27th, 2023
Time: 9:30am - 4:00pm
Location: Coor Hall, Room 5536
Lunch will be provided for all participants