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Spatio-Temporal Methods for Causal Inference in Quasi-Experimental Studies: Applications to Environmental Health.- [electronic resources]
Spatio-Temporal Methods for Causal Inference in Quasi-Experimental Studies: Applications t...
Spatio-Temporal Methods for Causal Inference in Quasi-Experimental Studies: Applications to Environmental Health.- [electronic resources]

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자료유형  
 학위논문(국외)
자관 청구기호  
기본표목-개인명  
표제와 책임표시사항  
Spatio-Temporal Methods for Causal Inference in Quasi-Experimental Studies: Applications to Environmental Health. - [electronic resources]
발행, 배포, 간사 사항  
[S.l.] : Harvard University. , 2025
    발행, 배포, 간사 사항  
    Ann Arbor : ProQuest Dissertations & Theses , 2025
      형태사항  
      132 p.
      일반주기  
      Source: Dissertations Abstracts International, Volume: 87-05, Section: B.
      일반주기  
      Advisor: Nethery, Rachel.
      학위논문주기  
      Thesis (Ph.D.)--Harvard University, 2025.
      요약 등 주기  
      요약Modern environmental health studies often rely on quasi-experimental designs, where policies or external shocks induce localized changes in exposure across geographic regions. When comprehensive panel data are available before and after an intervention, one can, in principle, leverage the observed data to reconstruct counterfactual trends. Yet rare outcomes (e.g., low counts of a disease) and unmeasured confounding that evolves dynamically across regions and periods can undermine standard approaches like difference-in-differences or synthetic control methods. This dissertation develops a unified suite of Bayesian spatio-temporal methods, spatio-temporal matrix completion and Gaussian process models, that explicitly borrow strength across units and time points to stabilize inference and quantify uncertainty. Through extensive simulations and real-data applications, we demonstrate how these methods generalize popular causal tools, yield interpretable weighting schemes, and provide practical guidance on model implementation for environmental health research. In Chapter 1, we introduce Bayesian spatio-temporal matrix completion models tailored for rare count outcomes in quasi-experimental panel data through an application examining the impacts of traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) on childhood hematologic cancers. Although some pollutants emitted in vehicle exhaust, such as benzene, are known to cause leukemia in adults with high exposure levels, less is known about the relationship between TRAP and childhood hematologic cancer. In the 1990s, the US EPA enacted the reformulated gasoline program in select areas of the US, which drastically reduced ambient TRAP in affected areas. This created an ideal quasi-experiment to study the effects of TRAP on childhood hematologic cancers. However, existing methods for quasi-experimental analyses can perform poorly when outcomes are rare and unstable, as with childhood cancer incidence. We develop Bayesian spatio-temporal matrix completion methods to conduct causal inference in quasi-experimental settings with rare outcomes. Selective information sharing across space and time enables stable estimation, and the Bayesian approach facilitates uncertainty quantification. We evaluate the methods through simulations and apply them to estimate the causal effects of TRAP on childhood leukemia and lymphoma. In Chapter 2, we expand on Chapter 1 to investigate the potential heterogeneous impacts of the reformulated gasoline program on the incidence of CYA lymphoma across disease type and demographic strata. We employ recently-proposed Bayesian causal Gaussian process (GP) models, applied to population cancer registry data, to estimate effects of the program on CYA lymphoma incidence across strata defined by cancer type, sex, race, Hispanic ethnicity, and age group. Our analytic framework allows for stable estimation of stratum-specific effects via data-driven information sharing across space, time, and strata. Effects are reported on both the absolute and relative scales. We find evidence that the largest program-attributable reductions in lymphoma incidence rates occurred for Hodgkin lymphoma, and among individuals who are male, white, and/or aged 20-29. The finding of larger reductions in Hodgkin lymphoma is notable since prior TRAP studies have primarily focused on non-Hodgkin lymphoma. In Chapter 3, we delve deeper into Gaussian process approaches for quasi-experiments, addressing diverse confounding structures that may not be fully accommodated by the model presented in Chapter 2. Estimating causal effects in quasi-experiments with spatio-temporal panel data often requires adjusting for unmeasured confounding that varies across space and time. Gaussian processes offer a flexible, nonparametric modeling approach that can account for such complex dependencies through carefully chosen covariance kernels. In this paper, we provide a practical and interpretable framework for applying GPs to causal inference in panel data settings. We demonstrate how GPs generalize popular methods such as synthetic control and vertical regression, and we show that the GP posterior mean can be represented as a weighted average of observed outcomes, where the weights reflect spatial and temporal similarity. To support applied use, we explore how different kernel choices impact both estimation performance and interpretability, offering guidance for selecting between separable and nonseparable kernels. Through simulations and application to Hurricane Katrina mortality data, we illustrate how GP models can be used to estimate counterfactual outcomes and quantify treatment effects. All code and materials are made publicly available to support reproducibility and encourage adoption. Our results suggest that GPs are a promising and interpretable tool for addressing unmeasured spatio-temporal confounding in quasi-experimental studies.
      주제명부출표목-일반주제명  
      주제명부출표목-일반주제명  
      주제명부출표목-일반주제명  
      주제명부출표목-일반주제명  
      비통제 색인어  
      비통제 색인어  
      비통제 색인어  
      비통제 색인어  
      비통제 색인어  
      부출표목-단체명  
      Harvard University Biostatistics
        기본자료저록  
        Dissertations Abstracts International. 87-05B.
        전자적 위치 및 접속  
         원문정보보기

        MARC

         008260219s2025        us            s          000c||eng  d
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        ■040    ▼aMiAaPQ▼cMiAaPQ
        ■0820  ▼a574
        ■090    ▼a전자자료
        ■1001  ▼aVega,  Sofia.
        ■24510▼aSpatio-Temporal  Methods  for  Causal  Inference  in  Quasi-Experimental  Studies:  Applications  to  Environmental  Health.▼h[electronic  resources]
        ■260    ▼a[S.l.]▼bHarvard  University.  ▼c2025
        ■260  1▼aAnn  Arbor▼bProQuest  Dissertations  &  Theses▼c2025
        ■300    ▼a132  p.
        ■500    ▼aSource:  Dissertations  Abstracts  International,  Volume:  87-05,  Section:  B.
        ■500    ▼aAdvisor:  Nethery,  Rachel.
        ■5021  ▼aThesis  (Ph.D.)--Harvard  University,  2025.
        ■520    ▼aModern  environmental  health  studies  often  rely  on  quasi-experimental  designs,  where  policies  or  external  shocks  induce  localized  changes  in  exposure  across  geographic  regions.  When  comprehensive  panel  data  are  available  before  and  after  an  intervention,  one  can,  in  principle,  leverage  the  observed  data  to  reconstruct  counterfactual  trends.  Yet  rare  outcomes  (e.g.,  low  counts  of  a  disease)  and  unmeasured  confounding  that  evolves  dynamically  across  regions  and  periods  can  undermine  standard  approaches  like  difference-in-differences  or  synthetic  control  methods.  This  dissertation  develops  a  unified  suite  of  Bayesian  spatio-temporal  methods,  spatio-temporal  matrix  completion  and  Gaussian  process  models,  that  explicitly  borrow  strength  across  units  and  time  points  to  stabilize  inference  and  quantify  uncertainty.  Through  extensive  simulations  and  real-data  applications,  we  demonstrate  how  these  methods  generalize  popular  causal  tools,  yield  interpretable  weighting  schemes,  and  provide  practical  guidance  on  model  implementation  for  environmental  health  research.            In  Chapter  1,  we  introduce  Bayesian  spatio-temporal  matrix  completion  models  tailored  for  rare  count  outcomes  in  quasi-experimental  panel  data  through  an  application  examining  the  impacts  of  traffic-related  air  pollution  (TRAP)  on  childhood  hematologic  cancers.  Although  some  pollutants  emitted  in  vehicle  exhaust,  such  as  benzene,  are  known  to  cause  leukemia  in  adults  with  high  exposure  levels,  less  is  known  about  the  relationship  between  TRAP  and  childhood  hematologic  cancer.  In  the  1990s,  the  US  EPA  enacted  the  reformulated  gasoline  program  in  select  areas  of  the  US,  which  drastically  reduced  ambient  TRAP  in  affected  areas.  This  created  an  ideal  quasi-experiment  to  study  the  effects  of  TRAP  on  childhood  hematologic  cancers.  However,  existing  methods  for  quasi-experimental  analyses  can  perform  poorly  when  outcomes  are  rare  and  unstable,  as  with  childhood  cancer  incidence.  We  develop  Bayesian  spatio-temporal  matrix  completion  methods  to  conduct  causal  inference  in  quasi-experimental  settings  with  rare  outcomes.  Selective  information  sharing  across  space  and  time  enables  stable  estimation,  and  the  Bayesian  approach  facilitates  uncertainty  quantification.  We  evaluate  the  methods  through  simulations  and  apply  them  to  estimate  the  causal  effects  of  TRAP  on  childhood  leukemia  and  lymphoma.              In  Chapter  2,  we  expand  on  Chapter  1  to  investigate  the  potential  heterogeneous  impacts  of  the  reformulated  gasoline  program  on  the  incidence  of  CYA  lymphoma  across  disease  type  and  demographic  strata.  We  employ  recently-proposed  Bayesian  causal  Gaussian  process  (GP)  models,  applied  to  population  cancer  registry  data,  to  estimate  effects  of  the  program  on  CYA  lymphoma  incidence  across  strata  defined  by  cancer  type,  sex,  race,  Hispanic  ethnicity,  and  age  group.  Our  analytic  framework  allows  for  stable  estimation  of  stratum-specific  effects  via  data-driven  information  sharing  across  space,  time,  and  strata.  Effects  are  reported  on  both  the  absolute  and  relative  scales.  We  find  evidence  that  the  largest  program-attributable  reductions  in  lymphoma  incidence  rates  occurred  for  Hodgkin  lymphoma,  and  among  individuals  who  are  male,  white,  and/or  aged  20-29.  The  finding  of  larger  reductions  in  Hodgkin  lymphoma  is  notable  since  prior  TRAP  studies  have  primarily  focused  on  non-Hodgkin  lymphoma.              In  Chapter  3,  we  delve  deeper  into  Gaussian  process  approaches  for  quasi-experiments,  addressing  diverse  confounding  structures  that  may  not  be  fully  accommodated  by  the  model  presented  in  Chapter  2.  Estimating  causal  effects  in  quasi-experiments  with  spatio-temporal  panel  data  often  requires  adjusting  for  unmeasured  confounding  that  varies  across  space  and  time.  Gaussian  processes  offer  a  flexible,  nonparametric  modeling  approach  that  can  account  for  such  complex  dependencies  through  carefully  chosen  covariance  kernels.  In  this  paper,  we  provide  a  practical  and  interpretable  framework  for  applying  GPs  to  causal  inference  in  panel  data  settings.  We  demonstrate  how  GPs  generalize  popular  methods  such  as  synthetic  control  and  vertical  regression,  and  we  show  that  the  GP  posterior  mean  can  be  represented  as  a  weighted  average  of  observed  outcomes,  where  the  weights  reflect  spatial  and  temporal  similarity.  To  support  applied  use,  we  explore  how  different  kernel  choices  impact  both  estimation  performance  and  interpretability,  offering  guidance  for  selecting  between  separable  and  nonseparable  kernels.  Through  simulations  and  application  to  Hurricane  Katrina  mortality  data,  we  illustrate  how  GP  models  can  be  used  to  estimate  counterfactual  outcomes  and  quantify  treatment  effects.  All  code  and  materials  are  made  publicly  available  to  support  reproducibility  and  encourage  adoption.  Our  results  suggest  that  GPs  are  a  promising  and  interpretable  tool  for  addressing  unmeasured  spatio-temporal  confounding  in  quasi-experimental  studies.
        ■590    ▼aSchool  code:  0084.
        ■650  4▼aBiostatistics.
        ■650  4▼aEnvironmental  health.
        ■650  4▼aEpidemiology.
        ■650  4▼aPublic  health.
        ■653    ▼aChildhood  hematologic  cancers
        ■653    ▼aGaussian  process
        ■653    ▼aMatrix  completion
        ■653    ▼aPanel  data
        ■653    ▼aTraffic-related  air  pollution
        ■690    ▼a0308
        ■690    ▼a0470
        ■690    ▼a0766
        ■690    ▼a0573
        ■71020▼aHarvard  University▼bBiostatistics.
        ■7730  ▼tDissertations  Abstracts  International▼g87-05B.
        ■790    ▼a0084
        ■791    ▼aPh.D.
        ■792    ▼a2025
        ■793    ▼aEnglish
        ■85640▼uhttp://www.riss.kr/pdu/ddodLink.do?id=T17359025▼nKERIS▼z이  자료의  원문은  한국교육학술정보원에서  제공합니다.

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