Longitudinal population studies (LPS) currently face a range of challenges. With the world still dealing with COVID-19 and its far-reaching impacts, the value of longitudinal studies, with the wealth of data already collected in the years before the pandemic, and their ability to track individuals during and after the pandemic, has never been greater.
But what will these studies look like in a post-COVID world? How will the experiences during the pandemic influence approaches to policy engagement and impact, the adoption of novel approaches to data collection and emerging technologies, and to participant and public engagement? How are studies harnessing the opportunities that have arisen during the pandemic and what learning has been gained?
Following the success of CLOSER’s 2018 and 2020 Preparing for the future conferences, they’re bringing the LPS community together again and identifying ways to tackle shared challenges. This online conference, to be delivered over three days, will be a collaborative, interactive event with a strong focus on sharing best practice and problem solving.
The programme has been shaped by consultation with UK and international longitudinal studies. Each session will involve short presentations of exemplar work in a given area, followed by facilitated group discussions and the chance for delegates to share their own experiences.
The conference will address the following topics:
- The impact of COVID-19 on longitudinal population studies
- Influencing policy
- Data linkage
- New forms of data collection
- Participant and public engagement
While the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will inevitably be a theme that cuts across all topics, they have also included a topic specifically dedicated to COVID-19 and how studies are now building on their experiences during the pandemic.