The first presentation of this year’s traditional “Wiesn” workshop was about the statistical method “Analysis of Variance”. It is a very useful tool to examine the influence of one or more categorical variables on a continuous target variable and applies to many types of clinical studies.

Main topics were the basic principle of variance analytical models, the model itself and the test decision. Furthermore, the practical implementation via R und SAS was presented on the basis of an example and the used code can serve as orientation for applications. The last important part was how to interpret and work with the output of different procedures and functions. SAS and R both provide different possibilities to work with ANOVA and each has it’s pros and cons.

The participants can now rely on a even more expanded and deepened knowledge, when it comes to ANOVA or similar analysis methods, which will be useful for a great amount of projects in the future.

We are very proud to welcome Michael Matiu in our team. Michael will support our clients with his experience in biostatistics and his profound statistical programming background. We are looking forward to a great and long-lasting cooperation!

Staburo’s biostatisticians and statistical programmers enjoyed a wonderful event that was combining team spirit, mental strength, physical fitness and a lot of fun. We spent a great afternoon – not in a Random Forest – but in the Climbing Forest near Munich (www.kletterwald-muenchen.de). The first challenge was “Visa for Bavaria”, to test our assimilation status in this particular region in Germany. We started with more or less typical Bavarian activities, like beer stein holding and sliding, nail tapping, barrel rolling, sawing and skiing. Furthermore, our Bavarian language skills were tested in a single-blinded trial. This was followed by fresh coffee and excellent homemade chocolate cake, to refill our energy level.

After the security introduction, we distributed ourselves equally to the five climbing routes, with different difficulty levels. Up in the trees, we could speed up in “flying foxes”, ride a sled and even drive a bobby car. The routes are up to 12 meters high, but for people who are afraid of heights, there are also lower options.

In the evening, the Kletterwald Team organized a delicious barbecue, during which we could share climbing experiences with each other. Since we all did a great job in activities and quizzes, everyone also got a certificate for the “Visa for Bavaria” game, including funny prizes. We even think about including some of these tests in our introductory training for new employees.

This team event at the Climbing Forest was very exciting and we all will come back soon!

Staburo submitted comments on EMA’s draft guideline on multiplicity issues in clinical trials. Multiplicity issues arise in many areas of clinical development, including biosimilars  and translational medicine. The guideline is intended to provide guidance on how to deal with multiple comparison and control of type I error in the planning and statistical analysis of clinical trials.