Over 3.5 days, this online course will consist of learning activities set by the tutor including lectures (live and asynchronous), small group work, discussions, individual tasks, and computer practical activities. Directed and self-directed learning will include activities such as reading, accessing web-based supplementary materials, critical appraisal and completion of quizzes. All teaching will be conducted online using Blackboard and Blackboard Collaborate.

By the end of the course participants should be able to:

1. describe the principles and assumptions of instrumental variable analyses;
2. discuss the properties of genetic variants that make them suitable to be used as instrumental variables;
3. explain the strengths and limitations of one-sample and two-sample Mendelian randomization for addressing population health causal questions;
4. conduct a (straightforward) one-sample and two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis;
5. describe the concepts behind sensitivity analyses to test for potential violation of the key assumptions of Mendelian randomization;
6. apply up-to-date sensitivity analyses in one- and two-sample Mendelian randomization analyses;
7. critically appraise Mendelian randomization papers and analyses;
8. identify the key features required in writing reproducible and transparent Mendelian randomization papers; and
9. design a Mendelian randomization study of an exposure/outcome pair.

The course is intended for anyone who wants to be able to undertake Mendelian randomization analyses. It is an introductory to intermediate course. The course will not include any genetic epidemiology teaching, nor how to undertake a genome-wide association study. However, genetic epidemiology and the ability to complete a genome-wide association study are NOT a prerequisite for being able to understand this course.

This course will cover:

1. a recap of genetic and epidemiological concepts useful for conducting, understanding and interpreting Mendelian randomization analyses;
2. one-sample and two-sample Mendelian randomization, including their assumptions, application and interpretation;
3. practical experience of how to apply Mendelian randomization methods to real data;
4. a range of sensitivity analyses that explore likely violation of the assumptions of Mendelian randomization;
5. the MR-Base platform and how to use it appropriately;
6. an exploration of recent advances in and future directions of Mendelian randomization and the use of Mendelian randomization in drug discovery and target validation;
7. a critical appraisal of a Mendelian randomization paper;
8. how to write and design a Mendelian randomization study;
9. contextualisation of Mendelian randomization in the broader field of epidemiology with triangulation; and
10. plenty of opportunities to ask questions about Mendelian randomization to experienced tutors working in the field.

Dr Kaitlin Wade - application of Mendelian randomization to understand causal role of the gut microbiome in human health and disease.

Dr Emma Louise Anderson - application of Mendelian randomization to understand causal risk factors of Alzheimer's disease, dementia and cognitive decline.

Dr Eleanor Sanderson - Mendelian randomization methodological development, specifically in the context of pleiotropy-robust methods and multivariable Mendelian randomization.

To make sure the course is suitable for you and you will benefit from attending, please ensure you meet the following prerequisites before booking:

Before booking this course, please make sure you read the information provided above about the target audience and prerequisites. It is important that you have access to the relevant IT resources needed for the course and meet the knowledge prerequisites to ensure you can get the most from the course.

Bookings are taken via our online booking system, for which you must register an account. To check if you are eligible for free or discounted courses please see our fees and voucher packs page. All bookings are subject to our terms & conditions, which can be read in full here.

For help and support with booking a course refer to our booking information page, FAQs or feel free to contact us directly. For available payment options please see: How to pay your short course fees.

Participants are granted access to our virtual learning platform (Blackboard) 1 to 2 weeks in advance of the course. This allows time for any pre-course work to be completed and to familiarise with the platform.

To gain the most from the course, we recommend that you attend in full and participate in all interactive components. We endeavour to record all live lecture sessions and upload these to the online learning environment within 24 hours. This allows course participants to review these sessions at leisure and revisit them multiple times. Please note that we do not record breakout sessions.

All course participants retain access to the online learning materials and recordings for 3 months after the course. 

University of Bristol staff and postgraduate students who do not wish to attend the full course may instead register for access to the 'Materials & Recordings' version of this course: Further information and bookings. 

100% of attendees recommend this course*.
*Attendee feedback from February 2025.

Here is a sample of feedback from the last run of the course:

"I think this course was really well run, the instructors were good and invited conversation.” - Course feedback, February 2025

"The content was very well curated, and the practicals were good. I would particularly like to commend Dr Kaitlin Wade for her wonderful presentation skills, coordinating the sessions, and for teaching this very difficult concept so well!” - Course feedback, February 2025

"Really great, informative lectures and practicals. Great design and flow to the course, the difficulty of the material increased at a good rate and it was relatively easy to keep building on what you had discussed in previous sessions. The quality of the teaching was really good and I thought the use of synchronous and asynchronous material was well balanced. I found the asynchronous material was really helpful as it balanced the ability to ask questions with some flexibility, where you could run at your own pace which was helpful and I think there was a good amount of both.” - Course feedback, February 2025

"The structure of the course balancing between lectures and practical sessions was very helpful to put in practice what we learned and consolidate the knowledge shared during the lectures.” - Course feedback, February 2025

"The course was a great mix of live lectures, practical exercises, and asynchronous activities. I appreciated the flexibility of the asynchronous sessions, which let me learn at my own speed, with helpful tools like Padlet for questions and live Q&A sessions. The amount of these sessions felt just right.” - Course feedback, February 2025

"It was a very comprehensive overview of MR. The practical's were good for consolidating the lectures.” - Course feedback, February 2025

"It gave me a good introduction to what MR is about and of all the assumptions and points to consider to order to run an MR analysis and interpret findings. I thought the course was quite comprehensive. I like that the learning of the first days were consolidated through the practical sessions but also through the fact that we discussed those considerations/assumptions again as we progressed through additional learning and covered new methods.” - Course feedback, February 2025