PhD student: Karl ABOU CHACRA
Title: role of target trial emulations for decision-making
Supervisors: Isabelle BOUTRON, Sally YAACOUB
Doctoral school: Ecole Doctorale Pierre Louis De Sante Publique A Paris
Promotion: 2025
Funding: Contrat Doctoral ED393
Thesis abstract:
Over the past decade, there has been growing interest in methods that strengthen causal inference from observational data. Among these, target trial emulations have emerged as a promising approach to estimate causal effects when randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are infeasible. By explicitly emulating the design of a hypothetical target trial, target trial emulations aim to reduce bias and improve the evidence derived from observational studies. While the literature offers a theoretical framework for target trial emulations, their practical application across medical fields remains unclear. In order to assess this role in clinical practice, the following research questions will be explored: 1. What are the general and reporting characteristics of target trial emulations? (Project 1) 2. How do the characteristics and effect estimates of target trial emulations compare to those of their corresponding randomized controlled trials? (Project 2) 3. To what extent are core outcome sets (COSs) assessed in target trial emulations? (Project 3)
