Event

Statistics Fundamentals for Clinical Trials for Non-Statisticians (or ‘How to speak stats in a day!’)

Location: Premier Inn Reading Central

Address: Premier Meetings Reading Central, Letcombe Street, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 2HN, United Kingdom 

Presented by
Gemma Hodgson
(Qi Statistics Ltd)

This basic but wide-ranging course covers techniques for investigating, visualising and performing basic statistical techniques on data sets typical to industry settings. There are many basic concepts that need to be understood before statistics can be used to its full potential to give useful and informative answers. This course ensures that these concepts are understood in a non-technical way and then demonstrated using data examples. 

Mathematical details are kept to a necessary minimum and we focus on the interpretation of statistical output and illustrate applications with data from dummy clinical trials or published data. The objective of the course is not to teach you how to become a statistician, but to help you work with statisticians and get the maximum value from statistical output. 

The course will consist of lectures, practical examples and discussions. There will not be any computer exercises. 

Target Audience: 

This is a 1-day course, aimed to introduce statistics to people who work on Clinical Trials, but who are not Statisticians. No previous knowledge of Statistics is assumed as we start right at the beginning with the basics. Many practical examples are given and the emphasis is on application and understanding rather than the equations and the technical background. 

The basics of statistics are discussed to give background and a common base to start from and the applications and use of statistics in drug development is then discussed. The role of the statistician and their ability to help with decision making is also discussed. 

It also serves as a useful refresher course to those who once studied statistics as part of a college course. 

The following key topics will be addressed: 

1. Types of Data 

2. Measures of location and variability 

3. Basic Inference 

4. Power calculations and Sample Sizing 

5. Design Issues 

For more information on specific topics, please contact the presenter direct on gemma@qistatistics.co.uk

Please click here to view the flyer.

About the presenter: 

Gemma Hodgson, Qi Statistics Ltd. http://www.qistatistics.co.uk 

Gemma Hodgson has worked in the Pharmaceutical industry for 20 years. After receiving her first degree from Imperial College (Maths with Statistics) and then an MSc in Medical Statistics from London School of Tropical Hygiene and Medicine, Gemma began her career at Pfizer in Sandwich working in experienced global teams on major phase 3 projects. After 13 years at Pfizer and working in all phases of development, from phase 1 to phase 4, Gemma then moved to Takeda R &D in London where she worked on later phase projects, focussing on close liaison with other departments within the organisation. In 2012 Gemma left Takeda to work for a statistical training and consultancy firm, Qi Statistics Ltd, where training of non-statisticians and explaining statistical concepts to non-scientific audiences is key. Gemma has a broad interest in the application of statistics and is an experienced trainer to all types of audience, specialising in translating technical concepts into everyday English.

 

Course runs from:            09:45 – 17:00 (registration from 9:15)

Registration

Please register online at www.psiweb.org and click on Events; payment now available online.

Registration costs (includes lunch and refreshments)

Registration before 13th October 2017

£425 plus vat

Registration on or after 13th October 2017

£495 plus vat

Registration is now closed.

PSI aims to be fully inclusive and endeavours to accommodate delegates with disabilities wherever possible.  Please help us to help you by letting us know if you require additional facilities or have any special requirements.  Please contact us on +44 (0)1730 715 235 or at PSI@mci-group.com for further information.

Upcoming Events

PSI Introduction to Industry Training (ITIT) Course - 2025/2026

An introductory course giving an overview of the pharmaceutical industry and the drug development process as a whole, aimed at those with 1-3 years' experience. It comprises of six 2-day sessions covering a range of topics including Research and Development, Toxicology, Data Management and the Role of a CRO, Clinical Trials, Reimbursement, and Marketing.

Joint PSI/EFSPI Visualisation SIG 'Wonderful Wednesday' Webinars

Our monthly webinar explores examples of innovative data visualisations relevant to our day to day work. Each month a new dataset is provided from a clinical trial or other relevant example, and participants are invited to submit a graphic that communicates interesting and relevant characteristics of the data.

PSI Webinar: Methodology and first results of the iRISE (improving Reproducibility In SciencE) consortium

This 1-hour webinar will be an opportunity to hear about the methodology and first results of the iRISE consortium. iRISE is working towards a better understanding of reproducibility and the interventions that work to improve it. At the end of the presentation there will also be the opportunity to ask questions.

One-day Event: Change Management for Moving to R/Open-Source

This one-day event focuses on the comprehensive management of transitioning to R/Open-Source, addressing the challenges and providing actionable insights. Attendees will participate in sessions covering essential topics such as training best practices, creating strategic plans, making the case to senior management, and managing both statistical and programming aspects of the transition.

PSI Vaccines SIG Webinar: Challenges in Estimating Vaccine Effectiveness Against Progression to Severe Disease

This is a free webinar on Challenges in Estimating Vaccine Effectiveness Against Progression to Severe Disease.

PSI Book Club - The Art of Explanation: How to Communicate with Clarity and Confidence

Develop your non-technical skills by reading The Art of Explanation by Ros Atkins and joining the Sept-Dec 2025 book club. You will be invited to join facilitated discussions of the concepts and ideas and apply skills from the book in-between sessions.

PSI Training Course: Pediatric Extrapolation

This course is aimed at biostatisticians with no or some pediatric drug development experience who are interested to further their understanding. We will give you an introduction to the pediatric drug development landscape. This will include identifying the key regulations and processes governing pediatric development, a discussion on the needs and challenges when conducting pediatric research and a focus on the ways to overcome these challenges from a statistical perspective.

PSI Career Young Virtual Event (Q3 2025)

This networking event is aimed at statisticians that are new to the pharmaceutical industry who wish to meet colleagues from different companies and backgrounds.

EFSPI/PSI Causal Inference SIG Webinar: Instrumental Variable Methods

The webinar is targeted at statisticians working in the pharmaceutical industry, and the objective is to 1) provide a basic understanding of IV methodology including how it relates to causal inference, and 2) present two inspirational pharma-relevant applications.

PSI Pre-Clinical Workshop - October 2025

The Pre-Clinical Special Interest Group (SIG) Workshop 2025 will take place over two half-days on 7 - 8 October in Verona, Italy, bringing together experts from industry, academia, and regulatory institutions to discuss key challenges and innovations in pre-clinical research.

PSI/EFSPI Vaccines Statistics Workshop

The program will feature insightful sessions led by distinguished invited speakers, alongside a poster session showcasing the latest advancements in the field. Further details will be provided.

PSI Career Young Virtual Event (Q4 2025)

This networking event is aimed at statisticians that are new to the pharmaceutical industry who wish to meet colleagues from different companies and backgrounds.