Methods for Adapting and Personalizing Cancer Control Interventions-MAPCI
Comprehensive training on novel methods for developing adaptive interventions.
Applications will reopen in fall 2026 for the 2027 MAPCI cohort.
In the meantime, registration is now open for the 2026 Conference on Intervention Optimization, a complementary venue to connect with researchers and methodologists working with SMARTs and MRTs and deepen your knowledge of intervention optimization.
Dates: May 18-20, 2026
Location: Bethesda, MD
Hosted by the d3center at the U-M Institute for Social Research, MAPCI is a training program for researchers interested in developing adaptive and personalized interventions to prevent and treat cancer.
It includes online preparation, a four-day in-person institute, and post-institute mentorship.
Its goal is to guide participants in the process of developing a grant proposal focused on adapting and personalizing interventions.
Training will focus on methods for developing adaptive interventions and just-in-time adaptive interventions (JITAIs), including the SMART and the MRT.
Expect interactive sessions, think tanks, small-group design labs, and 1:1 consults.
You’ll leave with a draft specific aims page, a trial schematic, and an initial sketch of the research strategy.
Key topics
Adaptive Interventions
Intervention protocols that specify how to adjust the type, intensity, or delivery of support over time, based on an individual’s evolving needs, characteristics, or responses, to improve long-term effectiveness.
SMART Designs
Sequential, multiple assignment, randomized trials that provide experimental data for constructing adaptive interventions by systematically testing sequences of decisions about treatment adaptations.
SMART Analytics
Statistical methods for analyzing SMART data, used to estimate main effects and interaction effects of treatment sequences, guiding evidence-based construction of adaptive interventions.
Just-in-Time Adaptive Interventions (JITAIs)
Mobile- or technology-delivered interventions that provide tailored support exactly when it is most needed, using real-time data to adapt decisions about type, timing, or intensity of treatment.
Micro-randomized Trials (MRTs)
Experimental designs that repeatedly randomize intervention options at decision points in daily life, generating data to optimize the timing and content of just-in-time adaptive interventions.
MRT Analytics
Analytic methods for evaluating MRT data, typically using regression or causal inference models, to estimate proximal effects of interventions and identify effective tailoring variables for personalization.
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Step into the MAPCI journey
Join a cohort of researchers building
the next generation of adaptive interventions.
Apply
Submit a CV, short responses on fit and goals, and a 1–2 page draft proposal.
Pre-Institute
If accepted, complete an interactive online course on adaptive interventions and optimization trial designs.
Institute
Join us in Ann Arbor for four dynamic days of expert-led sessions and collaborative design labs with peers.
Post-Institute
Take part in optional follow-up mentorship (2–3 months post-institute) to keep advancing your project with your team.
→ Explore our introduction to micro-randomized trials (MRTs).
