Events - Past Seminar
Workshop: "An introduction to systematic reviews and meta-analysis"
by Dr Julian Higgins Senior Statistician, MRC Biostatistics Unit, and
Senior Epidemiologist, Public Health Genetics Unit, Cambridge, UK

backuphomesearch

Date: December 11, 2006 (Monday)
Time: 14:15 - 18:00
Venue: Seminar Room 6, LG/F, Laboratory Block, Faculty of Medicine Building, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong

Course Synopsis:
Systematic reviews collate and synthesize all reliable evidence on specific research questions. Many contain meta-analyses, which are quantitative syntheses of findings across multiple studies. This short course will provide an introduction to both methods. The course will cover:

  • rationale for systematic reviews and meta-analyses
  • the systematic review process
  • identifying studies
  • assessing validity of individual studies
  • assessing reporting biases
  • introduction to meta-analysis
  • dealing with variation across studies (including random-effects meta-analysis and meta-regression)

Examples will be drawn mainly from systematic reviews of clinical trials and of epidemiological studies with genetic exposures. The course will be didactic, although discussion will be encouraged.

Brief biography:
Julian Higgins is Senior Statistician at the MRC Biostatistics Unit and Senior Epidemiologist at the Public Health Genetics Unit in Cambridge. He previously worked at the Royal Free and University College Medical School and at Imperial College School of Medicine in London. He is a Visiting Fellow at the UK Cochrane Centre in Oxford, is on the Executive Committee of the Human Genome Epidemiology Network (HuGENet), and heads the UK HuGENet Coordinating Centre in Cambridge. He co-edits both the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions and the HuGENet HuGE Review Handbook. Julian's primary research interest is in methods for systematic review and meta-analysis, with particular application in human genome epidemiology and in clinical trials.

Course Fee:
HK$500 (Cheque to be payable to 'The University of Hong Kong'). A concessionary rate at HK$100 will be granted to current HKU students and alumni of the Faculty. A Certificate of Attendance will be issued upon completion of the workshop and CME/ CPD points will also be granted to participants.

Registration and Enquiries:
Registration closes on December 4, 2006. Please complete the attached registration form and return it together with the cheque payment to Ms Cecilia Sie by mail to School of Public Health, 5/F, William MW Mong Block, Faculty of Medicine Building, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam. Please contact Cecilia via telephone at 2819-9911 or email to csie@hkucc.hku.hk for enquiries.

Download Registration Form