Imperial College London
Faculty of Medicine
Division of Primary Care and Population Health Sciences
Introduction to Bayesian Analysis using WinBUGS
19 - 20 September 2006
This introductory course is aimed at statisticians, data analysts and quantitative researchers who are interested in finding out what Bayesian methods are all about, and how to apply them to analyse their data using the WinBUGS software. There is a large practical component to this course with time for hands-on data analysis using examples drawn mainly from the social and health sciences.
No previous experience of Bayesian methods or WinBUGS is necessary, although some experience of using standard (maximum likelihood-based) linear and generalised linear regression models will be assumed, and participants will be expected to be familiar with some common probability distributions (normal, binomial, Poisson). Students who already have some experience of using WinBUGS and/or are comfortable with the basic ideas of Bayesian analysis should attend the 2-day intermediate course on Bayesian Hierarchical Models (there will be only a small overlap between the 2 courses restricted to the first morning, so it is possible to follow both courses consecutively if desired).
Summary of course content:
Basic probability theory (conditional probabilities, Bayes theorem)
Common probability distributions (normal, Poisson, binomial, beta, gamma)
Conjugate Bayesian inference for binary, count and continuous data
Making inference from posterior distributions
Choosing prior distributions
Introduction to MCMC methods and Gibbs sampling
Bayesian regression models (linear, non-linear, GLMs)
Bayesian model checking and comparison (residuals, predictions, DIC)
Random effects (multilevel / hierarchical) models for normal data
Hands-on experience of using WinBUGS software for Bayesian analysis
Course Instructors:
Professor Nicky Best, Imperial College London
Dr David Spiegelhalter, MRC Biostatistics Unit, Cambridge
Course Organiser: Professor Nicky Best
Course Fee (inc. catering): £540 (industry) £360 (academic, inc non-profit organisations) £240 (students and Imperial Staff). A limited number of discounted places are available for UK ESRC-funded researchers. 25% discount on joint fees if registering also for the Bayesian hierarchical models short course.
Further details from: Wolfson Conference Centre
Imperial College School of Medicine
Hammersmith Hospital
Du Cane Road
London W12 0NN
Tel: +44 (0)20 8383 3117/3227/3245
Email: [log in to unmask]
Web: www.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/about/resources/wcc/default.html
|