2023 HIV and TB EPIDEMIOLOGY & BIOSTATISTICS ON-LINE WORKSHOP FOCUSSED ON CLINICAL STUDY DESIGN, CONDUCT AND ANALYSIS
HATTP hosted a training workshop focussed on study design, conduct and analysis for clinical and epidemiological studies of HIV and TB, on the Zoom platform from 15th August to 31st October 2023. The workshop consisted of 6 x two-hour sessions held fortnightly from 17:00 to 19:00 on Tuesday evenings South African time.
Twenty-three applicants from various UCT units and divisions such as CIDRI-Africa, Clinical Pharmacology, Allergy and Immunology, Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation and Lung Infection and Immunity Unit were accepted to attend the workshop.
Faculty members who led the sessions were:
| University of Cape Town | Johns Hopkins University USA | Vanderbilt University USA |
|---|---|---|
| Professor Graeme Meintjes | Professor Jonathan Golub | Dr Stephany Duda |
| Dr Mpho Tlali | Dr Aletta Nonyane | |
| Dr Chido Chinogurei | Dr Kate Shearer | |
| Dr Lauren Steiner |
The sessions focussed on
| Session 1: Defining Research Questions; Observational Study Designs; Elements of the Research Protocol Presenters: Graeme Meintjes and Jonathan Golub |
| Session 2: Overview of developing and refining case report forms Presenters: Kate Shearer and Laura Steiner |
| Session 3: Database design Presenters: Mpho Tlali and Stephany Duda |
| Session 4: Data Management Presenters: Mpho Tlali and Chido Chinogurei |
| Session 5: Describing and visualizing data Presenters: Aletta Nonyane and Kate Shearer |
| Session 6: Analysis of epidemiological data Presenters: Aletta Nonyane and Kate Shearer |
Attendees were divided into 3 groups and each group received a study concept and a published manuscript related to the session topics to discuss and analyse. Each session consisted of prepared presentations followed by this group work and then returned to the main group to report on progress.
Attendees evaluated the course over the full period according to the following criteria:
- Quality of the presentations
- Quality and usefulness of the discussion
- Appropriate level for needs
- Topics relevant for current or planned work
- Time split between lectures and group work
The feedback revealed the majority of the attendees rated the sessions from excellent to good and overall rated the course as beneficial and well-structured. The attendees confirmed they would recommend the course to colleagues. Helpful suggestions were made such as more time required for the group work, more practical examples to apply what was learnt and suggestions for including discussion of additional statistical tests in the relevant session.
