Webinar: Prof. Mahesh Parmar - Improving Health Faster: A More Strategic Approach to Randomised Trials and Meta-Analysis

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Randomised Clinical Trials and Meta-Analysis are seen as the apex of evidence generation to inform clinical practice. In some diseases, progress in improving outcomes has been very slow. I will discuss the need to take a more strategic approach to the design of randomised trials and how this can dramatically improve the pace of progress. I will also discuss why we need to, and how we can, improve the current approach to planning and performing meta-analyses. Examples of how these ideas have already been implemented will be used to illustrate how they might be applied going forwards.

Speaker:

Mahesh (Max) Parmar is Professor of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology and Director of both the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL and the Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology at UCL. Since joining the MRC in 1987, Max has published over 450 peer-reviewed papers. His clinical work has influenced policy and improved patient outcomes, while his methodological contributions—such as multi-arm, multi-stage in platform trials, flexible parametric models, and meta-analyses—have shaped research practice. Under his leadership since 2010, the MRC Clinical Trials Unit has led globally significant studies, especially in cancer, infectious, and neurodegenerative diseases, combining innovative trial designs with methodological advances to accelerate patient impact. He was Associate Director of the National Cancer Research Network for over a decade, helping double patient participation in cancer trials across England. Max was awarded an OBE in 2019 and the Royal Statistical Society’s Bradford Hill Medal in 2024.