We have amassed biostatistical experience in various areas and stages of medical and public health research. Hundreds of medical and health researchers have benefited from our services. Most of the consulted projects have yielded fruitful publications in international journals. Quite a number of grant applications had also been funded with our consultation inputs.

Preparation of Study Protocols

We can work out the statistical and design aspects (such as sampling design, sample size calculation, statistical methods and plan of analysis, response rate calculation, ethics considerations etc.) for high quality protocols of epidemiological studies.

Grant Applications

The director of the Centre, among other the Faculty members, has been serving for about five years in the Expert Subcommittee on Grants Applications & Awards of the Hospital Service Research Fund and the Health Care & Promotion Fund. The Centre has a very rich experience of providing assistance for improving grant application proposals. Many Faculty researchers have benefited from the service. In fact, members of the Centre have been invited to serve as collaborators in about 30 grants, most of them are competitive ones with a total amount of funding of about 20 million dollars. In addition, 22 grants of over 7 million dollars were obtained by the Center with its staff as the Principal Investigators. Members of the Faculty and other collaborators are most encouraged to use these services.

Statistical Review of Papers and Reports

We have been serving as regular statistical reviewers or consultants for eight local and international journals, international agencies and hence have a rich experience in reviewing papers before they are sent to journals for publications, or after receiving comments from editors.

Data Analyses Services

This is an extra-ordinary strength of the Centre. We are very well equipped with the state-of-the-art statistical techniques and software in analyzing clinical trials and epidemiological data. Our twelve years of experience is unmatched. Hundreds of papers have been published with our input. We can handle complex data sets by sophisticated statistical methods. Our input often includes interactive suggestions for new ways to look at the data and asking new research questions.

Researchers working on validation of measurement instruments, Quality of Life studies, screening and ROC analyses and outcome research etc., in particular, are encouraged to utilize our services or to collaborate with us.

General Statistical Consultations

Researchers have been dropping in to ask us questions about how to use special statistical methods, such as multi-level analyses methods. Expert advices about statistical software (SAS, SPSS, STATA, SPLUS, BMDP, STATXACT, LOGXACT, EGRET, LISREL, EQS, EPIINFO, PASS2002, NQUERY,and MLWin etc.) are readily given to our clients. Some capacities on statistical programming for statistical methods which are not available in packaged software are also provided.

Teaching Biostatistics

We have been a major centre for providing biostatistical training in Hong Kong. These are carried out in the form of undergraduate and post-graduate teaching (such as the Post-graduate Diploma and MSc programs for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, which are the only one of the types in Hong Kong, and the MPH Program and the MSc Program on Clinical Gerontology etc. In the last two years, some of our students of the MSc program in Epidemiology and Biostatistics have their theses published in major journals such as Lancet, Cancer, and American Journal of Emergency Medicine etc. We have also been providing teaching to trainees in Psychiatry etc. Besides, a number of workshops on various biostatistical topics are run regularly. For details of these biostatistical teaching activities, please visit our website: http://www.ceb.cuhk.edu.hk/workshop/. Faculty members may be charged for participating in these training activities.