Skills for Health and Research Professionals (SHARP) Training

Registration is open for winter trainings! Check out this year's topics below.

Our SHARP Program consists of short, intensive boot camps led by field experts to teach in-demand research skills and methods to investigators at all career levels and from any organization. Check back soon for the official flyer with all 2024 topics.

Join Our Email List for Program Updates

Locations

SHARP trainings will be offered in-person, livestream virtual, or hybrid (in-person and livestream virtual). The format of each training is different, and specific workshop location details can be found on each respective training page. All trainings regardless of location are live, and are not self-paced, pre-recorded courses. Additional details about training formats, locations, transportation, and hotels are provided on our Location Details page.

Scholarships

Several scholarships are available for our summer trainings! The submission period for 2024 scholarships is now open, and the application deadline is February 29, 2024 at 11:59pm ET.

SHARP Trainings

Join the Columbia SHARP Training Program's email list to be the first to hear about new trainings, registration opening, and scholarship deadlines! Share your suggestions for future trainings.

New Training Topics Coming in 2024

NIH Grant Writing Boot Camp: Building a Strong Foundation for Funding Success

July 8-9, 2024 | Livestream, virtual training

In this training, researchers will learn how to select the right funding opportunities, time their application, write grant proposals, tailor them to reviewers, and navigate academic funding.

Single Cell Analysis Boot Camp: Systems Biology Methods for Analysis of Single Cell RNA-Seq

December 14-15, 2023 | Livestream, virtual

Researchers will learn scRNASeq data analysis methods (gene expression, cluster, regulatory network, master regulator) used in health studies, emphasizing single cell data collection and analysis.

PI Crash Course: Skills for Future or New Lab Leaders

January 8-9, 2024 | Livestream, virtual

Doctoral students, postdocs and new PIs will learn about negotiating, staffing, leading, mentoring, networking and managing people, time and projects in order to run a successful lab.

Multi-omics Boot Camp: Analysis of Omics Data for Research Studies

June 12-14, 2024 | Livestream, virtual

In this training, researchers will learn to analyze omics data integrating germline genetic, gene expression, and exposomic data, gene-environment interaction, mediation, and polygenetic risk scores.

SQL Boot Camp: Building and Querying Databases

June 26-28, 2024 | Hybrid training

Researchers will learn to transition data storage from spreadsheets to databases in MySQL, including maintaining data integrity, building databases and querying data using SQL.

Google Earth Engine Boot Camp: Methods for Using Satellite and Geospatial Data for Environmental Exposure Science

May 20-21, 2024 | Livestream, virtual

Researchers will learn to use Google Earth Engine to estimate environmental exposures like air pollution, green space, temperature, climate, drought, flooding and forest change for health research.

Quantitative Genomics Training: Methods and tools for whole-genome and transcriptome analyses

June 24-25, 2024 | Livestream, virtual

Researchers will learn techniques like Mendelian Randomization and Colocalization to analyze whole-genome sequencing and transcriptome data in human health studies.

GIS Workshop: Visualizing and Analyzing Health Data

May 30-31, 2024 | Livestream, virtual

Environmental health researchers will learn to use GIS programs and demographic data for health data visualization, geo-processing, cluster analysis and relationship identification in this training.

Statistical Analysis with Missing Data Workshop: Methods and Applications in Health Studies

Summer 2024 (Dates TBD) | In-person training

Researchers will learn statistical methods to deal with missing data in health studies to achieve valid statistical inference, including weighting, maximum likelihood, Bayes, etc.

Machine Learning Boot Camp: Analyzing Biomedical and Health Data

Summer 2024 (Dates TBD) | Hybrid training

In this training, researchers will learn models and R data analysis with machine learning and deep learning methodology with applications in biomedical research.

Microbiome Data Analytics Boot Camp: Planning, generating, and analyzing 16S rRNA gene sequencing surveys

June 20-21, 2024 | Livestream, virtual

Researchers will learn about 16S rRNA gene sequencing surveys, and the methodology of the design and analysis of Amplicon Sequence Variant (ASV) based investigations of microbial communities.

Climate Change and Health Boot Camp: Building Skills and Knowledge for Effective Engagement

June 12-14, 2024 | Livestream, virtual

Clinicians and researchers will learn to improve clinical care and public health practice, prepare for climate change impacts, and integrate case studies into research or management decision-making.

Epigenetics Boot Camp: Planning and Analyzing DNA Methylation Studies for Human Populations

July 29-30, 2024 | Hybrid training

Researchers will learn concepts of epigenetics and the effects of risk factors on the epigenome as they design and execute DNA methylation studies.

Creating Compelling Research Narrative Workshop: Strategies for Effectively Presenting Your Science

July 11, 2024 | Livestream, virtual

Researchers will learn narrative concepts, identify those concepts in pieces of scientific writing, and put concepts into practice to write more effective grant proposals and research manuscripts.

Indigenous Environmental Health Research Workshop: Methods, Ethics and Practice to Collaborate with Communities

July 11-12, 2024 | Livestream, virtual

Environmental health researchers will learn community-driven methods, Indigenous ways of knowing, the IRB process, data sovereignty and their application to Indigenous Environmental Health Research.

The PI's Business of Research Boot Camp: Ins and Outs of Budgets, Personnel and Project Management

July 15-16, 2024 | Livestream, virtual training

Trainees will learn about personnel, project, time, and budget (NIH, NSF, DOD) management for effective research programs and efficient teamwork to maximize your impact.

The Exposome Boot Camp: Measuring Exposures on an Omic Scale

July 18-19, 2024 | In-person training

Researchers will learn to measure environmental exposures on an omic scale, which captures all chemical species detectable in human plasma over the life course, using the exposome framework.

Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) Training

July 19-21 and July 26-28, 2024 | In-person training

Become a Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) and learn to implement a radiation protection program by taking this training requirement for a Nuclear Regulatory Commission type C license.

Python Data Wrangling Boot Camp: Introduction to Data Wrangling, Cleaning and Manipulation with the Python Programming Language

June 6-7, 2024 | In-person training

Researchers will learn to analyze biomedical data with Python using data visualizations and machine learning models, and will leave with functioning code.

Environmental Mixtures Workshop: Applications in Environmental Health Studies

July 22-23, 2024 | In-person training

Environmental health researchers will learn various techniques (Bayesian Kernel, Principal Component Analysis) to analyze exposure to mixtures, or multiple pollutants at once, in environmental health.

Code Rigor and Reproducibility with R Boot Camp

July 1-2, 2024 | In-person training

Health researchers will learn techniques to prepare data, code using RStudio and make R code more rigorous and reproducible for research projects.

Exposure Modeling Boot Camp: Traditional and Machine Learning Methods in Environmental Epidemiology

August 8-9, 2024 | In-person training

Researchers will learn to apply traditional and machine learning methods (random forest, neural networks) to predict variations in environmental exposures (air pollution, temperature, noise).

Mendelian Randomization Boot Camp: A Practical Guide to Study Design and Implementation

August 5-6, 2024 | Hybrid training

Researchers will learn the steps for Mendelian randomization analysis: identifying data sources, data extraction, data alignment, genetic considerations, assumption checking and sensitivity analysis.

Bayesian Modeling for Environmental Health Workshop: Concepts and Computational Tools for Spatial, Temporal, and Spatiotemporal Modeling Relevant to Public Health

August 21-22, 2024 | In-person training

This Bayesian modeling training provides researchers with ideas of Bayesian inference using data structures and analysis in the context of Environmental Health.

Environmental Justice Boot Camp: Theory and Methods to Study Environmental Health Disparities

Summer 2024 | Hybrid training at Harvard Chan School in Boston

Environmental health scientists will learn to conduct environmental justice and disparities research using real-world datasets, exposure assessment, epidemiologic methods and analytic approaches.

Electronic Medical Records Boot Camp: Biostatistical methods for analyzing EMR data

August 22-23, 2024 | Livestream, virtual

Researchers will go over opportunities, potentials, statistical challenges and pitfalls of Electronic Medical Records (EMR)/Electronic Health Records (EHR) for health and medical studies.

Life Cycle Assessment Boot Camp: LCA for the Health Sector

March 11-12 and April 22-23, 2024 | Livestream, virtual training

Professionals interested in healthcare sustainability will learn to complete a life cycle assessment (LCA) to quantify the environmental emissions from medical devices and procedures.

Causal Mediation Analysis Training: Methods and Applications Using Health Data

July 29-31, 2024 | Livestream, virtual

Researchers will learn to use mediation analysis, an emerging field in causal inference relevant, for comparative effectiveness research in this training.