Clinical trials have huge societal impact, providing the best evidence of the effectiveness of healthcare, social care and public health interventions.
Research through clinical trials is a growing global business in academic institutions, industry, the NHS and across public health organisations. To ensure efficient trials that reach successful completion, trial staff require a solid grounding and knowledge of the design, conduct, analysis and interpretation of clinical trials.
Clinical Trials - MSc/Diploma/PGCert
Whether you already work in clinical trials or you want to move into this increasingly important field, this is the postgraduate programme for you. The programme is designed to produce skilled specialist trials staff and expert trial chief investigators of the future, ultimately improving the lives of people around the world. The University of Birmingham hosts the Birmingham Centre for Clinical Trials (BCCT), one of the leading centres in the UK for designing and implementing high-quality trials across a wide range of diseases and settings.
There are many exciting career opportunities in both academic institutions and industry within this growing field; staff working within clinical trials include healthcare professionals, statisticians, economists, qualitative researchers, programmers, data mangers, quality assurance officers and trial managers.
This on-campus clinical trials programme ran by programme leads Dr Sara Brookes and Razia Meer-Baloch provides a thorough understanding of the theoretical and practical aspects of the design, conduct and interpretation of clinical trials. Full-time and part-time options are available. Learn more by viewing the course page.
View the Clinical Trials course page
Clinical Trials – standalone courses
The majority of the modules in the Clinical Trials – MSc/PGDip/PGCert Programme are also available as independent short courses.
View the course finder page for more information
Clinical Trial Management: Maximising Effectiveness
Trials that are successfully delivered on time and to the recruitment target require the employment of good project management. High quality data is driven through data and quality management processes, and these must be combined with an understanding of the trial safety reporting requirements, and the ongoing assessment and evaluation of trial risks.
This 2 day programme will focus on the fundamentals of the project management of trials. It will explore how to plan for and respond to clinical trial challenges, maximising effectiveness, efficiency and data quality. It is aimed at individuals involved in trial co-ordination and management who have some experience at a junior level, and who would like to build on this skill set.
View the course finder page for more information
Research Methods Course
*** This face to face course is currently not recruiting but has been replaced by a 3 day programme ‘Introduction to Randomised Controlled Trials in Healthcare’ which is delivered through a mixture of pre-recorded lectures and live online teaching. Please see course details and link to the course page and below.
The Birmingham Centre for Clinical Trials (BCCT) organises and runs a three-day course in research methods for clinical trials, which provides an overview of the research process from idea and design to analysis and publication.
The course is CPD approved and accredited with 18 CPD points.
The course is designed for a broad clinical trial audience working in trusts, academia or industry; ranging from those who have little experience in clinical trials to those who wish to expand their knowledge of clinical trial methodology and the clinical trial process.
The Research Methods course is organised by Razia Meer-Baloch (Training and Education Lead, Birmingham Clinical Trials Unit) and the programme is delivered by a wide range of clinical trials experts from across BCCT.
View the page for more information
Introduction to Randomised Controlled Trials in Healthcare
This 3 day programme is a bi-modal version of the course ‘Research Methods for Clinical Trials’ which Birmingham has been delivering for over 20 years and is being offered instead of the face to face version. The teaching will be delivered through a combination of pre-recorded lectures; independent reading and live online practical sessions.
Clinical trials have huge societal impact, providing the best evidence of the effectiveness of healthcare, social care and public health interventions. Research through clinical trials is a growing global business in academic institutions, industry, the NHS and across public health organisations. To ensure efficient trials that reach successful completion, trial staff require a solid grounding and knowledge of the design, conduct, analysis and interpretation of clinical trials.
The course is organised by Razia Meer-Baloch (Training and Education Lead, Birmingham Clinical Trials Unit) and the programme is delivered by a wide range of clinical trials experts from across BCCT.
View the page for more information
Introduction to Randomised Controlled Trials - FutureLearn MOOC
Explore how successful clinical trials are designed and delivered
Randomised controlled trials have a huge impact on society by providing evidence of the effectiveness of healthcare, social care, and public health interventions. On this three-week course created by us, you will be guided through the lifecycle of a trial from conception to publication.
View the FutureLearn page for more information
West Midlands Training Collaborative
The NIHR CRN West Midlands Research Training Collaborative oversees a portfolio of training which meets the needs of the West Midlands research workforce regardless of role and level of experience.