Submitted by A.S. Quenault on Fri, 21/02/2025 - 09:53
This March marks a significant milestone for the Mendelian randomization (MR) course here at the MRC Biostatistics Unit, as it enters its 10th year.
First offered in 2015 as a two day, in-person course, the course is aimed at introducing participants to Mendelian randomization, a statistical technique that uses genetic variation to probe questions of cause and effect. Designed and led since its inception by Programme Leader (MRC Investigator) Stephen Burgess, it covers such topics as how to perform different kinds of MR analysis and how to probe the assumptions underpinning MR as a technique.
Since 2020, the course has been run online twice a year, through a combination of pre-recorded lectures, discussions and practical sessions. These have been supported by members of the Burgess group both past and present, including Apostolos Gkatzionis (now MRC Integrative Epidemiology, University of Bristol), Verena Zuber (now Imperial College London), Andrew Grant (now the University of Sydney), and Eric Slob (now Erasmus University Rotterdam).
During this time, the course has helped 943 participants from all over the world across 17 iterations of the course get to grips with the fundamentals of MR. These have ranged from MPhil students here at the University of Cambridge to industry professionals and academics from institutions all over the world.
Stephen Burgess said:
“This course has been a wonderful opportunity to develop our thinking about the approach of Mendelian randomization, and to engage with researchers performing Mendelian randomization analyses. Here’s to another decade of success!"
To register for MR the course happening this March, please click here: https://onlinesales.admin.cam.ac.uk/conferences-and-events/mrc-biostatistics-unit/mrc-biostatistics-unit-short-courses/mendelian-randomization-course-03-21-march-2025