Behind the scenes: IoPPN at the International Clinical Trial Methodology Conference

Anca: Hi there! I’m Anca, a post-doctoral research fellow in the Trials Methodology Research Group at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London. I’m here with Merry to discuss our experience at the ICTMC held last month in Edinburgh.

Merry: Hi! I joined King’s in May as a statistician in the IoPPN’s Mental Health & Neuroscience Clinical Trial Statistics Group. I was looking forward to the ICTMC as I last went in 2017! I loved learning new ways to solve common problems in clinical trials to maximise research opportunities in all disease areas.

So, what did you present at the ICTMC Anca?

Anca: I presented the final output from my PhD work, which I recently completed and passed my viva in June (hooray!). The work I presented was my Stata command which allows users to estimate causal mediation effects when some patients do not adhere to treatment. Here is an action shot of me explaining my poster to a passer-by…

Merry: An excellent photo if I say so myself!

Anca: Yes, you were on it with the social media campaign!

I find the poster sessions really exciting because you get a really good overview of the emerging themes and innovations in clinical trial design and analysis. Trials methodology is in fact always evolving, and new types of interventions and designs always pushes the field to adapt and innovate. Adaptive designs seem to be in trend right now!

So, what did you get up to at the conference?

Merry: Without the pressure of presenting, I was able to relax and enjoy it! Although, I did have first-day jitters upon seeing the mass of statisticians in the lobby of the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. But my nerves were put at ease when I saw a friendly face in the main lecture theatre. Our Clinical Trials Unit Director, Professor Richard Emsley, was giving a warm welcome to delegates as ICTMC Deputy Chair. Quickly followed was the parallel session: New Statistical Methods. Here, our IoPPN colleagues Dominic Stringer and Mollie Payne presented novel ideas born from their respective PhD’s. Next was back to the lobby, weaving through the cloakroom queue to reach the prized coffee station. I refuelled while meandering through the posters and found our colleague Dr Hassan Jafari standing by his work.

The second day was also busy, with eight colleagues presenting posters! As Anca mentioned, I was the self-delegated social media manager and was determined to snap a pic of everyone by their posters amongst the busy chatter and biscuit-fuelled natter.

We finished with a group meal at Durbar Indian Kitchen, followed by a pint next door, answering quiz questions and playing chess.

What stood out for you at the conference?

Anca: My favourite session was an immersive performance between a clinician and statistician who were debating the conclusion of a trial resulting in a p-value of 0.08. The age-old debate of the arbitrary threshold for a p-value was presented in a novel, inventive, and engaging manner. A surprising take was also how to handle difficult workplace conversations, an aspect of working life that is often not addressed.

Another great aspect of attending a conference is the chance to catch up with old colleagues. I used to work at the Imperial Clinical Trials Unit, so it was a great chance for me to see what exciting research they are currently working on.

But, as it turns out, statisticians also love a cèilidh! How did you enjoy the conference party at the National Museum of Scotland?

Merry: Aye, it was great! However, it seems like we were more successful away from public dancing. In fact, our own Ollie Pearson achieved a top score on the Formula One racing game! All behind the watchful eyes of Dolly the Sheep.

Anca: And let’s not forget I was crowned team winner in a so-called reaction test where you had to hit as many illuminating pads as you could in 30 seconds. Wine helps, apparently!

And it’s safe to say no one will be changing careers from a clinical trials statistician to a Cèilidh dancer any time soon…

Merry, what were your main takeaways from the conference?

Merry: I was mostly inspired by the work presented by my colleagues and aim to present at the next ICTMC in 2026! Fortunately, there’s more opportunity for them to discuss their work at the upcoming showcase.

Anca: Exactly. For those of you who have FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) on the ICTMC, we have our very own Trial Methodology showcase event taking place on Wednesday 6 November 2024 in the Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre. More details and tickets are available here.