MEB biostatisticians awarded research environment grant for research in statistical methods for register-based research
A group of biostatistical scientists at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (MEB) have been awarded a research environment grant of SEK 13 million from the Swedish Research Council for research into the development and application of statistical methods for register-based research.
The research is coordinated by Paul Dickman and Erin Gabriel with 6 other co-investigators from MEB; Arvid Sjölander, Therese Andersson, Keith Humphreys, Anna Johansson, Paul Lambert, and Mark Clements and two international partners; Els Goetghebeur (Ghent University) and Sven Ove Samuelsen (University of Oslo).
Sweden has been among the world leaders in using population registers in research, but the increased use of register data has not been accompanied by comparable advances in statistical methods and software. The analysis and interpretation of register data is complicated by factors such as unmeasured confounding, multiple time-scales, truncation, time-varying effects, and competing risks. Many existing methods have limitations. Even when appropriate methods do exist, they may be applied sub-optimally or not at all due to lack of knowledge or appropriate software.
The group at MEB will use their broad expertise in causal inference for time-to-event data, multi-state models, simulation methods, machine learning, and efficient designs to develop methods for register-based research. They will develop software and apply the new methods, in collaboration with subject-matter scientists, to exploit the full potential of linked register data. We will train young scientists and disseminate the use of state-of-the-art methodology in a nationwide network of register-based researchers.
Read more about the Swedish Research Council grant.