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Wolfson Institute of Population Health

Major boost to train the next generation of trials methodologists

A partnership to train the next generation of trials methodologists has been awarded funding by the Medical Research Council through their Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) competition.

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The Trials Methodology Research Partnership DTP brings together 12 partners - Queen Mary University of London, University of Liverpool, the Institute of Cancer Research, Newcastle University, University College London, the Universities of Aberdeen, Bangor, Birmingham, Cambridge, Glasgow, Leeds and Plymouth) to provide doctoral training to 30 students for the next 3 years.

The Partnership DTP is one of 17 projects funded by the MRC as part of a £79 million investment to support high-quality doctoral training programmes that take a student-centred approach, focusing on scientific excellence, positive research culture and wider training opportunities.

Professor Sandra Eldridge, lead at Queen Mary said: “I am absolutely delighted that Queen Mary is part of this award, and that the MRC has recognised the pivotal value of research in trials methodology which will be essential to underpin the evaluation of interventions needed to address major health challenges of the future.”

The Trials Methodology Research Partnership DTP will develop and train a cohort of researchers with methodological skills and insight beyond clinical trials, filling a strategic skills priority gap.

It will provide a new generation of trials methodologists with the skills and experience to address the new challenges brought by high-dimensional data, such as genomic information, and harness opportunities offered through digital technologies and informatics to improve trial design, conduct and analysis for the benefit of patients.

Professor Paula Williamson, from the University of Liverpool’s Department of Health Data Science who will lead the Trials Methodology Research Partnership DTP, said: “Trials are widely recognised as the basis of evidence-based medicine and the COVID-19 pandemic has brought into sharp focus the need for, and benefits of well-designed trials. The aim of this DTP is to improve the opportunities for students in relation to multidisciplinary skills expertise. The DTP has been carefully designed and the structured ‘core’ training programme will be complemented by a range of more specialised optional training courses.”