Institute of Child Health

We encourage researchers to consult a statistician early in the planning stage of a project, ideally we should become involved at the Grant preparation stage. If the statistical component is substantial and/or non-standard, we may become a named co-investigator.

Study design

Study design is an essential aspect of medical research. Our training and experience enable us to help you with the design and conduct of trials and surveys, for example Design, Sample Size calculations, organisation of data and plans for Statistical Analysis.

Statistical analysis

We can advise on the most appropriate methods of statistical analysis, and once the data has been collected can guide the investigator through the necessary procedures. Generally researchers are expected to carry out the analysis themselves.

Advice on the use of the statistics package SPSS is available from Information Systems Division's Drop In Training Service at Central UCL. Further information about SPSS licensing and training resources is also available. Alternatively, where we feel that the appropriate analysis is not straightforward and a relatively complex analysis is needed, we may offer to collaborate in the analysis more directly, and funding will be required for this.

The courses we run for R programming language and Basic Statistics can be found here.

Authorship

To ensure the career development of the SSS statisticians, it is important that they are offered authorship for their consultancy work where appropriate. A statistician who has contributed either to the design or the analysis of a study has made a significant contribution.

Where the statistician is not an author but is to be acknowledged, in either a paper or the statistics section of an ethical submission, their permission must be obtained first.

ICH/GOSH Staff

ICH/GOSH staff should click here to submit a Statistical Advice Request Form.

We aim to respond to any queries within 5 working days.

If you experience any problems in submitting the Statistical Advice Request Form then please contact our unit administrator on x 2340.

External Requests

Please contact ich.sss@ucl.ac.uk with details of your project and input required for a quotation.

Important Guidelines

If a statistician is to be named on any publication, including grant applications and ethics forms, then prior permission MUST be obtained.

The full document on which their name is to be included, MUST be submitted with at least one week's notice to ensure the statistician has sufficient time to review and approve the document.

ICH/GOSH Statistical Support for projects

For new projects, the first session (up to one hour) may be free of charge, thereafter for brief advice sessions up to a maximum of 50 hours, we charge by hourly rate. For more substantial collaborations, representing a fraction of a statistician's salary, the rate corresponds to the salary of a statistician on point 29 of the UCL grade scale, plus appropriate on-costs. The smallest realistic fraction of a post is 25% representing 3 months salary. Smaller amounts of work should be costed at the hourly rate.

Please download the SSS Costings Form, to be completed and signed prior to grant submission.

1. Meetings normally take place in the statistican's office in ICH, but alternatively can be in a meeting room in GOSH or your own room, if required.
2. At the initial consultation you should outline the whole project. Please bring a description of the data to be collected, along with any other relevant information (e.g. details of previous studies).
3. Do please give the statistician adequate time to do justice to your work. If you have a deadline please discuss this with the statistician well in advance. SSS cannot be responsible for deadlines missed on this account.
4. If you are a junior research student your supervisor MUST be present when you meet the statistician.
   
5. Where a statistician has made an appropriate contribution to the project, it is expected that they will be offered co-authorship. Authorship guidelines can be found on our homepage.

Qualifying Research

All research projects in the joint institution are expected to be registered with the R&D Office, and this is a requirement for projects seeking support from SSS. In addition researchers developing a grant application seek statistical support on the understanding that they will include the full funds to pay for it in the application.

External non-commercial research charged at the hourly rate also qualifies.

About US

Based within the UCL Institute of Child Health (ICH) and Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), we have extensive experience in providing Statistical Support Services, Study Design, Analysis and Collaboration throughout ICH, GOSH, UCL and externally.

Staff

Director: Dr Angie Wade Senior Lecturer in Biostatistics 

Deputy Director: Deborah Ridout Senior Research Fellow in Biostatistics.

Manolis Bagkeris Research Assistant

Where are we based?

We are based at ICH and GOSH. The nearest underground station is Russell Square on the Piccadilly line. Also Holborn, Euston and Kings Cross stations are all within easy walking distance.