Office Hours
Office hours are open, drop-in sessions where participants can get one-on-one help from a program facilitator or experienced OHDSI analyst. No appointment needed during the scheduled times.
Scheduled Times
| Day | Time (Eastern) | Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesdays | 12:00 – 1:00 PM | Video call (link in cohort channel) | General Q&A |
| Thursdays | 3:00 – 4:00 PM | Video call (link in cohort channel) | SQL / technical focus |
Scheduling a dedicated slot
If the open drop-in times don't work, email the program coordinator to schedule a 30-minute dedicated session. Include a brief description of your question so the facilitator can prepare.
What Office Hours Are Good For
- Working through a specific error or unexpected result in Atlas, Athena, or your SQL client
- Reviewing a concept set or cohort definition before using it in an analysis
- Getting help with environment setup (JDBC, R package installation, CDM connection)
- Discussing how to adapt the program materials for your institution
- Questions that didn't get fully answered during the weekly meeting
How to Prepare
Come with specifics
Vague questions ("I'm confused about vocabularies") take much longer to answer than specific ones ("My concept set returns 0 results when I query with the ancestor join — here is my SQL"). The more context you bring, the faster the session will go.
For SQL questions: have your query open and ready to share your screen.
For Atlas questions: save the concept set or cohort definition so the facilitator can open it.
For environment questions: have the error message text copied — not just a screenshot, because error text is searchable.
For conceptual questions: bring the relevant Book of OHDSI chapter open alongside your question.
Self-Service Before Office Hours
Before dropping into office hours, check these first:
- FAQ — answers to the most common questions from past cohorts.
- OMOP SQL Cheat Sheet — the query pattern you need may already be there.
- OHDSI Forums — the global community; most OMOP/OHDSI questions have been asked and answered there.
- Book of OHDSI — the authoritative reference.