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MIXED MODELS ANALYSIS OF MEDICAL DATA USING SAS

3 – 5 October 2005
Edinburgh

This course will cover the statistical background to the mixed model and will
emphasise its practical application in medical data with particular reference
to clinical trials.  All analyses will be illustrated using SAS and lectures
will be combined with practical sessions in order to reinforce concepts.

Topics covered include:

DAY 1
•        General concepts and underlying statistical theory
•        Use and interpretation of PROC MIXED
•        Multi-centre trials and meta-analysis
•        Consideration of issues such as biased standard errors, significance
testing
and negative variance components.

DAY 2
•        Repeated measures trials
•        Random coefficients models
•        Crossover trials
•        More complex trial designs
•        Introduction to Bayesian methods.

DAY 3
•        Generalised linear mixed models
•        Mixed models for ordinal data
•        Use of SAS for fitting mixed models to non-normal data.

THE SPEAKERS

Robin Prescott: Robin is Director of the Medical Statistics Unit of The
University of Edinburgh and is Professor of Health Technology Assessment. He
has been working in the medical field for over thirty years and has a
particular interest in cross-over trials. He has wide experience of
multi-centre trials and of working with the pharmaceutical industry.

Helen Brown: Helen is a Principal Statistician within NHSScotland.  She has over
twenty years of practical experience as a medical statistician in both academic
and commercial environments.  She has a research interest in the application of
mixed models in the medical field.

The speakers are the authors of Applied Mixed Models in Medicine, in the John
Wiley Statistics in Practice series.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

This course is directed at medical statisticians who wish to understand the
statistical background to mixed models and to carry out analyses using SAS.

WHY ATTEND

Conventionally, clinical data is analysed using fixed effects models.  However,
benefits can often be gained by using a mixed model.  For example: in repeated
measures trials full allowance can be made for the correlation occurring
between the repeated observations even if data are missing; in multicentre
trials or meta analyses treatment standard errors are more appropriately based
on between centre/trial variation (fixed effects standard errors are based on
within centre/trial variation); in crossover trials more accurate treatment
means are often achieved by combining within and between patient estimates.
Previously the use of these models has been limited by heavy computational
requirements and a lack of generally available software, but this is now much
less of a restriction with the introduction of suitable procedures into well
known packages such as SAS.  As with any statistical technique a firm
understanding of the theoretical background is essential to allow its effective
application and to obtain a clear interpretation of results.

COURSE FEES

Standard rate £795
Academic institutions and registered charities £595.

Fees include daily morning coffee, lunch, afternoon tea, a course dinner and a
delegate’s pack including full course notes.

REGISTRATION AND FURTHER INFORMATION

For further information email: [log in to unmask] Alternatively you can book
online
at: www.lifelong.ed.ac.uk/cpd/courses.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Payment should accompany your registration form.  If invoiced, fees must be paid
in full at least five working days before the course is due to commence. Failure
to pay may result in attendance being refused.

All payments should be in GBP sterling.  Please note that participants making
payment by international bank transfer are responsible for all (payer’s and
payee’s) bank charges and should adjust the payment as appropriate to take
account of this.

For cancellations received at least fifteen working days before the course
commences, a 20% administrative charge will be made. After this date, fees will
not normally be refunded but places are fully transferable.  Cancellations must
be notified in writing.

The University of Edinburgh reserves the right to cancel or postpone the course,
in which case fees will be refunded in full.  In the event of cancellation, The
University of Edinburgh will not be held liable for registrants’ travel or
accommodation costs.

VENUE

The course will take place in the Holiday Inn, Edinburgh-North, one mile from
the city centre and easily accessible from the main railway station and
airport.

ACCOMMODATION

Course participants have the opportunity to stay at the Holiday Inn,
Edinburgh-North at the reduced rate of £90 per night.  All bedrooms in the
hotel have modem points. For further information please contact Reservations on
0131 332 3408 quoting The University of Edinburgh.

Alternatively please contact our accommodation agency, Murray Accommodation.
Telephone:  08707 509808 (UK) or +44 131 477 3339 (overseas)
Email: [log in to unmask]
or visit www.murray-accommodation.co.uk