Prognostic Research: Concepts and Models
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course participants will have:
- An understanding of different types of Prognostic Research
- An understanding of how prognosis is used in clinical decision making and in discovering new approaches to managing patients
- Practical experience of analysing and assessing potential prognostic factors
- Practical experience of developing and validating a prognostic model
Topics/Content
The course will guide you through the main steps in prognostic modelling. As well as using standard regression techniques, you will be introduced to penalization as a modern estimation method that can improve the predictive ability of a model. We will present methods to select prognostic variables and investigate their form (using for example with splines), compare and choose candidate models using information criteria, and validate the chosen model. Although statistical theory will be discussed in the lectures, the emphasis will be on practical application of the prognostic modelling. The practicals will give you experience of selecting prognostic factors and assessing them, choosing between different models, and fitting and validating a prognostic model.
Activities / Program
Workshop with lectures and practicals.
Basic information
| Number | E046.219.25 |
|---|---|
| Dates | Wed, 12.11.2025 |
| Times | 09:15-16:30 |
| Course location | Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine ISPM room 220, second floor Situation plan |
| Lead | Professor MD Matthias Egger, Professor Georgia Salanti, PhD Orestis Efthimiou |
| Seats max. | 25 people |
| Course language | English |
| Registration deadline | 28.10.2025 |
| Format | Individual event from Public Health Sciences Course Program You will receive a certificate of attendance. |
| Governing Unit |
Faculty of Medicine University of Bern Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM) |
| ECTS info |
1 ECTS points will be credited for this course For an accreditation of the ECTS, a minimum of 80% attendance and active participation incl. completion of assignments and assessments are required.
root number KSL: 486250 |
Target audience
PhD students, Post-docs, clinicians and Public Health practitioners interested in the topic.
Special
The course assumes some experience with basic statistical concepts such as standard regression analysis.
Students will have to read several papers before the course and may continue working on the R practicals after the course.
Application and admission procedure
A tertiary education degree is required. The program manager decides on the final admission. Priority is given to PhD students.
Application process: You are requested to enroll online. Seats will be allocated according to date of enrolment. Three weeks before the course/workshop at the latest, the administration will decide and inform about running or cancelling the course/workshop.
Costs
Amount still open
Administrative / Payment modalities
Registration fees are waived for PhD students of the University of Bern who commit to the whole course attendance. To avoid being invoiced, it is mandatory that you indicate your institute and the matriculation number upon registration for the course. Please note cancellation regulations below.
Course fees for other participant categories:
PostDocs Uni Bern CHF 100
Other participants Uni Bern CHF 300
Participants other academic institutions 600
Other participants CHF 840
Participants completing the entire PHS Course Program benefit from a reduction; overview course fees here.
Cancellation regulations
After the closing date for registrations, the organisers will decide whether the course can take place. The decision is based on the number of registrations.
These cancellation rules apply to PhD students of the University of Bern.
Processing fee of CHF 100 will be applied for:
- Cancellations after 2 weeks before the first course day (late cancellations)
- Participants with course attendance of less than 80% of the on-site course time
- Absence on the first day of the course (considered as a late cancellation).
Course attendance must be cancelled at the latest 2 weeks before the first course day. Write an email to phs-admin.ispm@unibe.ch.
The cancellation has to be confirmed by the course coordination.
For your registration the General Terms and Conditions of the PHS Course Program apply.
Contact
University of Bern
Public Health Sciences Course Program
c/o Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM)
Mittelstrasse 43
3012 Bern
Switzerland
Tel: +41 31 684 34 04