[mJOHNSNOW] From Physical Therapist to Presenter at a Journal Club: Learning, Meeting People, and Giving Back a Little

🔶 "Learn with Experts! Method-Focused Journal Club"

"Would you be willing to present here?"

mJOHNSNOW, an online school I am indebted to.

The first time I was invited by the management team was around the time I had just changed jobs last year.

I was still doing my best just to get used to my new job. My commute, which used to be 15 minutes at my previous workplace, is now an hour and a half. Because I live a 5:00 AM wake-up life, I just go to sleep as soon as I get home.

I didn't think I could balance that with preparing for a presentation. I declined at that time.

The second invitation came just as the fiscal year changed.
"Would you be willing to present here? (2nd time)"

The workplace was busy due to personnel changes within the center, and I also had a major project at the turn of the fiscal year. I had a big presentation coming up on July 7th, Tanabata.

Right now, I have to prioritize preparing for that.

"I am very sorry. I cannot accept because I have a major project on July 7th."

And then, July 7th arrived.

Once today's session is over, I will finally have a breather.

As I was thinking that and heading to work in the morning, I received a direct message.

"Would you be willing to present here? (3rd time)"

It was such "perfect" timing.

I believe my previous interactions were with a different member of the management team. Even so, was the conversation about "once July 7th is over" properly shared, and did they contact me on this day?

I was a little surprised by the wonderful communication among the management team.

Looking back, I am always just receiving information. Although I completed graduate school in epidemiology, if asked whether I have been able to widely give back what I learned there, I don't have much confidence.

Even so, I might have something I can give back a little now.

Thinking that, for the third time, I finally decided to accept.

🔶The Fear of Speaking as an "Expert"

However, my mind did not settle immediately.

In the first place, the title "Learning with Experts!" felt a bit grandiose to me.

I have had experience lecturing at relatively large venues before. Still, this is my first time speaking alone online for a long time. Looking at the past archives, all the other lecturers are good speakers. I couldn't imagine myself being able to do the same.

Even though I graduated from graduate school in epidemiology, I don't have the confidence to call myself an "expert."

But, well, I won't lose my life if I fail.

There is an atmosphere within mJOHNSNOW where you can fail with peace of mind.
All the fellows are sincere, and even if I say something strange, I'm sure they will kindly correct me later.

Being able to think that way was the final push.

July 7th. On the same day I finished one big job.

Without a moment to catch my breath, the next schedule was set.

🔶Which Paper to Choose as the 23rd Presenter

The first thing I started with was choosing a paper.

I am the 23rd presenter. With the accumulation of every month, 22 papers had already been introduced with a focus on research methods. Thinking about it again, this is a truly amazing accumulation.

On the other hand, there haven't been many co-medical presenters so far.

My starting point is as a physical therapist. Recently, I have also been focusing on large-scale data analysis, but large-scale data is not something you can just analyze on the day you think of it. Often, you don't even have the data on hand to begin with, and there are various procedures and 'etiquette' involved before you can even handle the data.

Since I am the one speaking, I wanted to choose a paper that could be related to physical therapy or paramedical research, and one that the audience could easily apply to their own research.

With that in mind, I chose this paper.

Gotta catch'em all! Pokémon GO and physical activity among young adults: difference in differences study

I chose a paper that deals with Pokémon GO and the physical activity of young people.

It is a 2016 paper, so it is by no means new. However, 2026 marks the 10th anniversary of Pokémon GO. I even saw a 10th-anniversary commercial on TV.

It may be old, but precisely because of that, it is a bit catchy and interesting as an entry point.

Also, with a focus on methodology, Difference-in-Differences (DID) analysis had not been introduced in the previous 22 sessions.

And,

Did Pokémon GO change human behavior?

The main reason I chose this paper is that the question it addresses is very simple, and at the same time, it is easy to expand into paramedical research.

It is easy to translate this into the question of whether human behavior changes due to a specific event or exposure.

Pokémon GO is a game, but if you look at it differently, it is also a mechanism that increases activity levels and encourages exercise continuity and going out.

This can be replaced and thought of in terms of various interventions in the rehabilitation field, such as health apps, exercise programs, health classes, and outing support.

The behavioral change captured in this study was 'step count.' However, it can also be replaced with other outcomes such as physical activity levels, social participation, body weight, and medication adherence.

How do we capture changes in human behavior as data and incorporate them into research?

I felt that this paper would be a useful reference for those involved in rehabilitation to learn that way of thinking.

🔶 Four things I wanted you to take away from this paper

In the explanation, I mainly covered the following four points.

1. Going one step beyond simple cohort comparisons

2. Utilizing panel data

3. Understanding the advantages and biases of online surveys

4. Broadening the scope of analysis through DID analysis

1. Is it enough to just compare those who started with those who did not?

This study is a cohort study using data collected online.

Simply comparing the group that started Pokémon GO with the group that did not does not mean the difference can be attributed directly to the effects of Pokémon GO.

This is because the two groups may differ in their original health consciousness, physical fitness, living environment, and interest in going out.

So, how should we think about those differences?

This paper presents one way of thinking to help us go one step beyond simple comparisons.

2. Medical settings already have panel data

Another point is the utilization of "panel data," which measures the same individuals repeatedly.

In medical settings, we measure the same patient's data multiple times through periodic evaluations. In other words, we are in contact with panel data on a daily basis.

If we can utilize them appropriately, we might be able to examine not only "whether there was an effect," but also "when the change occurred" and "how long that change lasted."

3. The easier the data is to collect, the more we must consider bias

Online surveys are a very convenient method for collecting a large amount of data in a short time.

However, the easier the data is to collect, the more carefully we need to organize who participated in the survey, who dropped out along the way, and what kind of bias might be introduced there.

"Collecting a lot of data" and "collecting data with little bias" are not the same thing.

To ensure we are not too blinded by convenience, I also took the time to touch upon this point.

4. Can Tokyo and Osaka, or last year and this year, really not be compared?

Learning about DID analysis broadens your perspective on how to formulate research questions.

For example, Tokyo and Osaka. Or, last year and this year.

Even with data that is difficult to compare as is, if certain conditions are met, it may be possible to estimate the effects of interventions or events.

The keys to this are "parallel trends" and "common shocks."

Of course, DID analysis cannot be used to compare just anything. That is why it is necessary not only to memorize the name of the analytical method but also to understand the assumptions upon which it is built.

Furthermore, many measures have been taken within the text to enhance accuracy and the validity of the results.

These points are explained in detail in the videos within the school while looking at actual data.

List of references introduced in the video

Basics of DID to regression equation part

Cluster-robust standard errors part

Points to note for online surveys part

Parallel trends assumption and how to verify it part

And, there were unexpected encounters that only came about because I accepted the role.

🔶 "That Person" Who Was on the Other Side of the Screen

There was someone who acted as the moderator for my presentation this time.

When I was introduced, I didn't recognize the name at all, so while wondering what kind of person they were, I looked at their profile published within the community (the scope of disclosure is optional).

I was surprised when I read what was written there.

Just around the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, I went on to graduate school for public health while working as a physical therapist.

At the time, there was almost no one around me who had moved from a paramedical field into public health. Would I be able to keep up with the classes? Was this the right choice? Even if I didn't understand something, who should I ask?

I had quite a lot of anxiety.

It was during that period that I found someone on social media who had also moved from a paramedical field to a public health graduate school and was posting content that overlapped with what I was studying.

I felt a sense of kinship on my own and started following them.

That person also uploaded study session videos to YouTube. Their face wasn't shown, so I didn't even know what they looked like.

However, I watched those videos a tremendous amount.

As I read through the profile, I realized, "Could this be that person from the videos?"

The person who had unilaterally taught me from across the screen during the COVID-19 pandemic was, years later, moderating my presentation. Moreover, I learned for the first time at this moment that they had even joined the same online school.

I was truly surprised that such a thing could happen.

I was able to thank them after six years.

And I felt as if the version of me who was anxious just after entering public health graduate school and the version of me now, who speaks in public about epidemiology, had connected in an unexpected way.

🔶 Next is the Kobe meetup

At the end of this month, there is an offline meetup for the online school.

This time, the event is being held in the Kansai region for the first time, in Kobe. Even if traveling to Tokyo is difficult, Kobe is not that far from my home.

Since it is such a great opportunity, I decided to take the plunge and participate.

Some of the people who asked questions during the lecture will also be attending the after-party. I feel like we will be able to have a lively discussion about things like analysis in person, rather than through a screen.

I am already looking forward to the end of August.

……That said, I am basically socially awkward.

Even though I go to after-parties wanting to talk to various people, when it turns into a large-scale standing reception, I find it hard to approach others myself.

In that regard, by presenting this time, I should have been able to get people to remember my face a little and know at least a bit about who I am.

I hope this makes it easier for someone to approach me.

I am harboring such selfish expectations.

🔶What I was able to give back by accepting the role

By taking the plunge and accepting the invitation to present, I was able to thoroughly relearn epidemiology, even though I had been drifting away from it recently.

And I think I was able to give back, if only a little, what I have received from this community until now.

Furthermore, it led to unexpected encounters with people I had been learning from one-sidedly, and even created connections with people I want to talk to directly in the future.

I think many people in mJOHNSNOW learn at their own pace while watching the publicly available videos. I myself was one of them at first.

However, having been on the side of presenting this time, I felt once again that mJOHNSNOW is not just a place to watch videos and study.

Various events are prepared, both online and offline. There, you can encounter new knowledge, connect with people you wouldn't normally meet, and sometimes even get the opportunity to speak in front of others yourself.

It is fine to just learn. It is fine to just listen to someone's talk. You can ask questions, or bring your own experiences to the table. And when you find a little courage, you can also take a turn as a presenter.

I think it is truly amazing that such diverse ways of engaging are prepared within a single community.

You can choose your level of involvement based on your current capacity and interests, yet taking that first step can lead to unexpected people and experiences. That depth and inclusivity is a major appeal of mJOHNSNOW.

For me, this was not only an opportunity to relearn, but also a chance to gain the new experience of speaking at length in front of others.

In a place where I had only ever been a recipient of knowledge, I was now able to be someone who gives something back to others. Feeling that way might be what made me happiest this time.

Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to have this experience.

I run a blog explaining epidemiology for rehabilitation. Please feel free to check it out as well.