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Tyler VanderWeele

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Tyler J. VanderWeele
NationalityAmerican
EducationSt John's College, Oxford
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
Harvard University
Known forCausal inference
Religion and health
AwardsMortimer Spiegelman Award (2014)
COPSS Presidents' Award (2017)
Scientific career
FieldsEpidemiology
InstitutionsHarvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
ThesisContributions to the Theory of Causal Directed Acyclic Graphs (2006)
Doctoral advisorJames Robins

Tyler J. VanderWeele is the John L. Loeb and Frances Lehman Loeb Professor of Epidemiology in the Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He is also the co-director of Harvard University's Initiative on Health, Religion and Spirituality, the director of their Human Flourishing Program, and a faculty affiliate of the Harvard Institute for Quantitative Social Science. He holds degrees from the University of Oxford, University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University in mathematics, philosophy, theology, finance, and biostatistics.

Research

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VanderWeele’s research has focused on causal inference in epidemiology, the study of happiness and human flourishing, as well as the relationship between religion and health.[1][2][3] He is author of the book Measuring Well-Being ,[4] along with an influential approach to conceptualizing and assessing flourishing.[5] [6] He has defined flourishing as a “state in which all aspects of a person’s life are good.” [7][8] He is project co-director of the Global Flourishing Study, a $43.4 million study in collaboration with researchers at Harvard University, Baylor University, Gallup, and the Center for Open Science, with over 200,000 participants in 22 countries from six continents with five waves of annual data collection on the factors that influence human flourishing.[9] VanderWeele also conducts research focused on theory and methods for distinguishing between association and causation in the biomedical and social sciences.[10] His contributions to causal inference include introducing the E-value as a quantitative measure for sensitivity analysis [11] and advances in mediation analysis [12] along with the book, Explanation in Causal Inference, on the topic.[13]

His work on causal inference is grounded in the potential outcomes framework, which is a popular approach, but not embraced by everyone.[14][15][16] He is also an author of the book Modern Epidemiology, described as “the standard textbook in all academic institutions for a long time to come… as a reference and encyclopedia.” [17]

VanderWeele has published studies on religious service attendance and its relation to lowering mortality, depression, suicide, divorce, and improving many other outcomes.[18] [19][20][21][22]

Awards and honors

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VanderWeele is recipient of the Mortimer Spiegelman Award from the American Public Health Association (2014); the John Snow Award from the American Public Health Association (2017);[23] and the Presidents’ Award from the Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies (COPSS) (2017) for “fundamental contributions to causal inference and the understanding of causal mechanisms; for profound advancement of epidemiologic theory and methods and the application of statistics throughout medical and social sciences; and for excellent service to the profession including exceptional contributions to teaching, mentoring, and bridging many academic disciplines with statistics.”[24] He was elected a Fellow of the American Statistical Association in 2014, the American Academy of Catholic Scholars and Artists (2021),[25] the International Society for Science and Religion (2021), and the International Positive Psychology Association (2021).[26] He served as the George Eastman Visiting Professor at Balliol College, University of Oxford, during the 2019-2020 academic year. In 2020, he received an honorary doctorate from the Catholic University of America for “ongoing efforts to serve vulnerable populations and develop a fuller understanding of the factors that contribute to human flourishing.”[27]

Outreach and public engagement

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VanderWeele’s research on well-being and on religion has been covered by the New York Times,[28] USA Today,[29] Washington Post,[30] Chicago Tribune,[31] TIME Magazine,[32] The Economist,[33] CBS,[34] and CNN.[35] He has frequently contributed to Psychology Today on topics concerning human flourishing.

VanderWeele was instrumental in establishing the Flourishing Network, which, through the Human Flourishing Program, serves over 200 community leaders, educators, scholars, business executives, entrepreneurs, and medical professionals in translating research on flourishing into best practices for the promotion of human well-being.[36]

VanderWeele has expressed strong support for academic freedom of expression,[37] and is a member of the Academic Freedom Alliance, the Heterodox Academy,[38] and Harvard’s Council on Academic Freedom.

He is a regular contributor to the Institute for Family Studies.[39] In 2015, VanderWeele was one of 47 scholars who filed an amicus brief in support of respondents and affirmance in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. 644 (2015).[40] The amici curiae argued that there is no Constitutional right to same-sex marriage, concluding that, “State decisions reflecting the views of citizens about a matter as fundamental as the definition of marriage… must be left free to reconcile moral claims and interests rather than being compelled to accept the federal courts’ settlement of such delicate considerations.” [41] He has been an advocate for addressing issues of healing and prevention from childhood sexual abuse within the Catholic Church and in other religious and secular organizations. This work has included the organization of an International Symposium on this topic,[42] and efforts to establish a United Nations World Day for the Prevention of and Healing from Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Violence.[43] VanderWeele is a frequent speaker at academic, community, and religious organizations, and has delivered keynote addresses at scientific conferences in the United States, Australia, Europe, Asia, and South America.

References

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  1. ^ "Tyler VanderWeele". Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Retrieved 2019-01-17.
  2. ^ Ducharme, Jamie (2018-02-15). "You Asked: Do Religious People Live Longer?". Time. Retrieved 2019-01-17.
  3. ^ Storrs, Carina (2016-05-16). "Going to church could help you live longer". CNN. Retrieved 2019-01-17.
  4. ^ Lee, M. T.; Kubzansky, L.D.; VanderWeele, T.J. (2021). Measuring Well-being: Interdisciplinary Perspectives from the Social Sciences and the Humanities. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780197512531.
  5. ^ Vanderweele, Tyler J. (2017). "On the promotion of human flourishing". PNAS. 114 (31): 8148–8156. Bibcode:2017PNAS..114.8148V. doi:10.1073/pnas.1702996114. PMC 5547610. PMID 28705870.
  6. ^ Wȩziak-Białowolska, Dorota; McNeely, Eileen; Vanderweele, Tyler J. (2019). "Human Flourishing in Cross Cultural Settings. Evidence From the United States, China, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and Mexico". Frontiers in Psychology. 10: 1269. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01269. PMC 6549439. PMID 31191421.
  7. ^ Vanderweele, Tyler J. (2017). "On the promotion of human flourishing". PNAS. 114 (31): 8148–8156. Bibcode:2017PNAS..114.8148V. doi:10.1073/pnas.1702996114. PMC 5547610. PMID 28705870.
  8. ^ Vanderweele, Tyler J.; Lomas, Tim (2022). "Terminology and the Well-being Literature". Affective Science. 4 (1): 36–40. doi:10.1007/s42761-022-00153-2. PMC 10104989. PMID 37070016. S2CID 252869042.
  9. ^ "Baylor And Harvard Team Up For Massive Global Study Of Human Flourishing". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
  10. ^ "Academic Profile: Tyler J. VanderWeele". Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. 5 January 2021. Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  11. ^ VanderWeele, Tyler J.; Ding, Peng (2017-08-15). "Sensitivity Analysis in Observational Research: Introducing the E-Value". Annals of Internal Medicine. 167 (4): 268–274. doi:10.7326/M16-2607. ISSN 0003-4819. PMID 28693043. S2CID 207538791.
  12. ^ Tai, An-Shun; Lin, Sheng-Hsuan; Chu, Yu-Cheng; Yu, Tsung; Puhan, Milo A.; VanderWeele, Tyler (2023). "Causal Mediation Analysis with Multiple Time-varying Mediators". Epidemiology. 34 (1): 8–19. doi:10.1097/EDE.0000000000001555. ISSN 1044-3983. PMID 36455244. S2CID 246862899.
  13. ^ VanderWeele, Tyler J. (2015). Explanation in Causal Inference: Methods for Mediation and Interaction. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199325870.
  14. ^ Vandenbroucke, JP; Broadbent, A; Pearce, N (2016). "Causality and causal inference in epidemiology: the need for a pluralistic approach". International Journal of Epidemiology. 45 (6): 1776–1786. doi:10.1093/ije/dyv341. PMC 5841832. PMID 26800751.
  15. ^ Krieger, N; Davey Smith, G (2016). "The tale wagged by the DAG: broadening the scope of causal inference and explanation for epidemiology". International Journal of Epidemiology. 45 (6): 1787–1808. doi:10.1093/ije/dyw114. PMID 27694566.
  16. ^ VanderWeele, TJ (2017). "Commentary: On Causes, Causal Inference, and Potential Outcomes". International Journal of Epidemiology. 45 (6): 1809–1816. doi:10.1093/ije/dyw230. PMC 5841618. PMID 28130319.
  17. ^ Ahlbom, A (2021). "Modern Epidemiology, 4th edition. TL Lash, TJ VanderWeele, S Haneuse, KJ Rothman. Wolters Kluwer". European Journal of Epidemiology. 36 (8): 767–768. doi:10.1007/s10654-021-00778-w. PMC 8416883. PMID 34216355. S2CID 235723748.
  18. ^ Li, S; Stampfer, MJ; Williams, DR; VanderWeele, TJ (2016). "Association of Religious Service Attendance With Mortality Among Women". JAMA Internal Medicine. 176 (6): 777–785. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.1615. PMC 5503841. PMID 27183175.
  19. ^ Li, S; Okereke, O; Kawachi, I; VanderWeele, TJ (2016). "Religious Service Attendance and Lower Depression Among Women: a Prospective Cohort Study". Annals of Behavioral Medicine. 50 (6): 876–884. doi:10.1007/s12160-016-9813-9. PMC 5127763. PMID 27393076. S2CID 3697758.
  20. ^ VanderWeele, TJ; Li, S; Tsai, AC; Kawachi, I (2016). "Association Between Religious Service Attendance and Lower Suicide Rates Among US Women". JAMA Network. 73 (8): 845–851.
  21. ^ Li, S; Kubzansky, LD; VanderWeele, TJ (2018). "Religious service attendance, divorce, and remarriage among U.S. nurses in mid and late life". PLOS ONE. 13 (12): e0207778. Bibcode:2018PLoSO..1307778L. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0207778. PMC 6277070. PMID 30507933.
  22. ^ Chen, Y; Kim, ES; VanderWeele, TJ (2020). "Religious-service attendance and subsequent health and well-being throughout adulthood: evidence from three prospective cohorts". International Journal of Epidemiology. 49 (6): 2030–2040. doi:10.1093/ije/dyaa120. PMC 7825951. PMID 32793951.
  23. ^ "APHA Awards Ceremony and Wade Hampton Frost Lecture" (PDF).
  24. ^ "Presidents' Award from the Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies".
  25. ^ "American Academy of Catholic Scholars and Artists".
  26. ^ "IPPA Fellows 2021".
  27. ^ "University Honors Four for Dedicated Service, Distinguished Contributions, and Dazzling Achievements".
  28. ^ "Are You Flourishing? Take the Quiz". The New York Times. 2021-05-04. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  29. ^ "Religion's health effects should make doubting parishioners reconsider leaving". USA Today. 2019-03-21. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  30. ^ "Another possible benefit of going to church: A 33 percent chance of living longer". Washington Post. 2016-05-16. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  31. ^ "Going to church may be good for longevity". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
  32. ^ "You Asked: Do Religious People Live Longer?". Time Magazine. 2018-02-15. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
  33. ^ "A tale of mistake and retraction shows that science works—eventually". Time Magazine. 2019-10-31. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
  34. ^ "Could religion help you live longer?". CBS. 2016-05-16. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
  35. ^ "Going to church could help you live longer, study says". CNN. 2016-05-16. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
  36. ^ "Flourishing Network". Flourishing Network. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  37. ^ Friedersdorf, Conor (2017-08-29). "Ivy League Scholars Urge Students: 'Think for Yourself'". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  38. ^ "Academic Freedom Alliance". Academic Freedom Alliance. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  39. ^ "IFS". Institute of Family Studies. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  40. ^ "Obergefell v. Hodges". SCOTUSblog. Archived from the original on 2023-02-24. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  41. ^ Brief of amici curiae: 47 scholars in support of respondents and affirmance in OBERGEFELL vs. HODGES. p 5.
  42. ^ "Preventing and Healing Child Abuse in Religious Communities". Psychology Today. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  43. ^ "UN names World Day for prevention of child sexual abuse, exploitation". Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. 2016-05-16. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
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