Please circulate the following to anyone who may be interested.
MRC BIOSTATISTICS UNIT
CAMBRIDGE
MRC funded PhD studentship
The MRC Biostatistics Unit has 1 PhD studentship available from October 2000,
for a period of three years. The Unit is situated in Cambridge and is a leading
centre for research in statistics with applications to the biological sciences.
Main interests of the Unit are Markov chain Monte Carlo methodology and software
development, genetic epidemiology, cancer screening, cancer epidemiology, AIDS
projections, BSE, mental health and ageing, performance indicators,
transplantation, non-standard aspects of clinical trials and meta-analysis.
Applicants should have a good first degree in mathematics or a closely related
subject, and preferably an MSc or Diploma.
Applications by post or e-mail, including a copy of the full CV and contact
details of two referees should be sent to Dr. Linda Sharples, MRC Biostatistics
Unit, Robinson Way, Cambridge, CB2 2SR.
Proposed PhD project.
Methods for missing outcome data: application to large scale trials in
psychiatry
Outcome data for all the subjects participating in a randomised trial are not
always available. For
example, outcomes in psychiatry trials often depend on assessments or
questionnaires of the patients
involved, and will be missing for those patients who do not attend or respond at
follow-up. Missing
outcome data prevent intention-to-treat analysis, and cause bias because those
subjects with missing
data are not representative of all those in the trial. Missing data can
therefore create substantial
interpretational problems for trials in this area.
Issues to be addressed in this project include:
1. Strategies for describing the pattern, or determining the mechanism, of
missing data
2. The assumptions made by methods used in practice
3. How available baseline, interim, or other concurrent outcome data can assist
analysis
4. Use of ancillary data (such as reasons for missingness)
5. Bayesian modelling approaches
6. Strategies for the use of sensitivity analyses in practice
7. Designs which can help mitigate the problems caused by missing data
The project will be based initially on two large scale pragmatic randomised
trials. A recently
completed UK trial of 700 psychotic patients investigated the effectiveness of
intensive case
management, and has substantial data at baseline, 1 and 2 years. Questionnaire
assessment scores were
missing in around 20% of subjects at 2 years. The second trial, which will be
completed in February
2001, is evaluating cognitive behavioural therapy for the prevention of
parasuicide (deliberate
self-harm) in at-risk patients. Extensive psychometric and health care cost
data are available at
baseline, 6 and 12 months.
The project will be supervised by Professor Simon Thompson, with Dr Wally Gilks
and Dr Tony Johnson
acting as advisors.
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