TB Research Methods | June 8-12, 2026 

“The shift between in-person and online speakers was perfectly done and it was an amazing course! The coming together of people that are interested in TB from all over the world (due to the course hybrid nature). The great discussions in the small groups and after each session. The great venue of the course. The nature of the course--it felt like a  scientific TB conference discussing up to date research.”

-TB Research Methods participant

COURSE FORMAT

Hybrid. Course will be live to both in-person and online participants approximately 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM (Montreal time) each day June 8–12, 2026 and content presented will be recorded and available until July 1, 2026. In the afternoons, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM (Montreal time), small group sessions will take place focus on randomized controlled trials (RCTs), costing/health economics, operational research, and systematic reviews. These sessions will be available exclusively to in-person attendees, who can select one of the four topics. On the final day, each small group will present their work to all participants. Please note, small group sessions will not be recorded.

DESCRIPTION

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major public health challenge globally and continues to pose important research, policy, and implementation questions within Canada and North America, particularly among priority and underserved populations. This course introduces participants to key research methods used in TB prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and program evaluation across diverse settings.

An intensive course on methods of operational research, randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, qualitative / community-based research, decision analyses, and modeling. Format will include lectures, debates, panel discussions, and small group work.

COURSE DIRECTOR

Jonathon Campbell, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, McGill University
Associate Director, McGill International TB Centre

Watch the video to hear Dr. Menzies, the former course director, discuss the course!

COURSE FACULTY

• Gonzalo Alvarez, MD, MPH – University of Ottawa
• Mayara Bastos, MD, PhD – McGill University
• Marcel Behr, MD, MSc – McGill University
• Andrea Benedetti, PhD - McGill University
• Bill Burman, MD – Denver Public Health
• Jonathon Campbell, PhD – McGill University
• Silvia Chiang, MD, ScM - Brown University
• Carmen Christian, PhD – University of the Western Cape
• Fajri Gafar, PhD—McGill University
• James Johnston, MD, MPH – University of British Columbia
• Stephanie Law, PhD – McGill University
• Emily MacLean, PhD, MSc – The University of Sydney
• Dick Menzies, MD, MSc – McGill University
• Corinne Merle, MD, PhD – World Health Organization
• Thu Anh Nguyen, PhD – University of Sydney
• Patrick Philips PhD, MS, MA –University of California San Fransico
• Kamila Romanowski, PhD - McGill University
• Priya Shete, MD, MPH – University of California San Francisco
• Vanessa Veronese, PhD – World Health Organization
• Alice Zwerling, PhD, MSc, BSc – University of Ottawa

Faculty are still being confirmed and there may be changes to the above list.

CONTENT

This course will introduce broad tuberculosis research topics, including the World Health Organization’s End TB strategy, how we go beyond it, emerging priorities in tuberculosis research, and the missing pieces of the TB Research puzzle. Every morning session will focus on a different methodology – operational research, systematic reviews, randomized trials, and economic analysis. In the afternoons, there will be a mix of “late-breakers”, short presentations of exciting new findings from course faculty, short lectures of basics in biostatistical methods, and brief overviews of the steps in conducting research. Following these sessions, small group sessions will occur, focusing on operational research, epidemiology, systematic reviews, randomized trials, or cost analysis. The output from each small group will be presented to the entire group on the final afternoon.

OBJECTIVES

• List the latest advances in TB research - in diagnosis, treatment, drug resistance, and prevention
• Explain the fundamentals of research methods that are commonly used in clinical, epidemiological, and public health studies in TB
• Critically appraise published articles to better the relevance to participants’ setting, population, available resources, and practice.

TARGET AUDIENCE

This course is well-suited for public health professionals, researchers, clinicians, trainees, and policy practitioners working in TB, infectious diseases, or population health in Canada,  as well as those engaged in global TB research and programs.

• Clinicians interested in TB research
• MSc, MPH, and PhD students interested in TB research projects
• Postdoctoral fellows, clinical fellows, and residents interested in TB research
• Junior faculty with a strong interest in TB research
• Research staff, nurses, and coordinators managing TB research projects
• Persons involved in TB control programmes with an interest in research and evaluation methods

ENROLMENT

Limited to 80 online participants and 50 in-person participants.