Ireland in Birmingham: HRB-TMRN at ICTMC 2026
In September, the trials methodology community gathered at the ICC Birmingham for the MRC-NIHR Trials Methodology Research Partnership’s 8th International Clinical Trials Methodology Conference (ICTMC) , held from 14 to 17 September. HRB-TMRN travelled as a national group, bringing together 9 bursary awardees, PhD and Summer Scholars, public partners, network executive members and colleagues from five universities and two HRB clinical trial networks. Between them they contributed 28 talks, posters and chaired sessions, Ireland’s strongest showing at ICTMC to date.
A programme full of Irish work
Irish contributions spanned the breadth of the field. Kathleen Durkin of Dementia Trials Ireland compared study start-up delays with national recommendations, and JP Connelly (TCD) shared practical lessons on involving people living with dementia in long-term care. Almas Khan (UCC) presented her work on reaching people with complex physical and mental health needs. Simone Lepage (UoG) brought the final results of The Kid’s Trial, a decentralised trial co-created with children. Dimity Dutch (UCC) showed how caregivers can shape outcome measurement in infant feeding research, and Teena Thomas (UoG) introduced the QASSIST study on inclusive trial design. Caitríona Ryan (TCD) presented a Bayesian n-of-1 trial, and Summer Scholar Alexandra Dudka (TCD) travelled to present her simulation study on vitamin D and sample size. In a joint poster, HRB-TMRN PhD Scholars reflected on what a structured doctoral network gives early-career methodologists: community, mentorship, visibility and a sense of belonging.
Putting PPIE centre stage
Public and patient involvement was a strong thread throughout the conference. A spotlight session co-ordinated by HRB-TMRN, on building shared learning and capacity for PPIE in trials methodology, was co-delivered with TMRP colleagues from the Universities of Newcastle, Liverpool, Glasgow and Leicester and their public partners. Separately, Cassandra Dinius of the Rare Diseases Clinical Trials Network spoke about onboarding PPI partners. Our public partner, Prof. Derek Stewart, who presented at the meeting, described travelling with the Irish delegation as “a genuine and heartfelt sense of belonging, shared endeavour and collaboration”.
Moments that stayed with us
Attendees came home with plenty to think about. Prof. Peter Sasieni’s opening keynote showed how sustained research and public education can transform population health. The Doug Altman Memorial Lecture introduced the “Altman Number”, a playful measure of how closely connected the trials methodology community is. Others singled out sessions on decentralised trials, response-adaptive randomisation and AI in trials methodology.
Back home, already making a difference
Within weeks, the conference was paying off. Marci Kay Livingston (UL) used her talk to launch and recruit for her GUIDE-COS survey. Teena Thomas invited delegates at her poster to join an upcoming QASSIST consensus meeting. Conversations at Almas Khan’s poster led her to design a new study with trial recruiters. As Kathleen Durkin put it, she “came away with more knowledge, connections, ideas, and plans than can be summed up in any report.”
