POWERTools

Professor Amanda Sacker, UCL UK

PowerTools training and workshop in Lifecourse Epidemiology. "Longitudinal models for life course epidemiology" Presented by Professor Amanda Sacker on 14th February 2019.

ABSTRACT: The seminar outlined some of the main theoretical models used by life course epidemiologists, giving examples from the literature. It then described the statistical interpretation of the models and how to test them in Stata. This was followed by a practical that allowed attendees to try the models out for themselves.

Professor Amanda Sacker is the former Director of the ESRC International Centre for Lifecourse Studies in Society and Health until her semi-retirement in 2018. Her research interests are in the fields of social epidemiology and the life-course approach to health inequalities with a methodological focus on longitudinal secondary analysis. Her substantive research interests are in the development of social and ethnic inequalities in health and well being over the life course. Her methodological interests include latent variable analysis. Her current work concerns the long-term outcomes for children who have been fostered or in residential care in childhood.

Professor Angie Wade, UCL UK

The PowerCalculations workshop was held with PowerLab members and was followed by a PowerTalk seminar.

The construction of cross-sectional covariate-related centiles: repeat measures, joint and ordinal outcomes. PowerTalk also presented by Professor Angie Wade CStat on MONDAY 11th February 2019 . Angie Wade is Professor of Medical Statistics at University College London (UCL), UK, within the Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health.

Professor Gavin Turrell

Prof Gavin Turrell visited PowerLab and presented at the PowerTools workhop on 3rd May 2018, where he shared tips on NHMRC project grant and CRE application writing.

Gavin Turrell is a Principal Research Fellow (Professor) with Emeritus appointments at Queensland University of Technology, the University of Melbourne, and RMIT University. Between 2006 and 2015, Gavin was supported by NHMRC Senior Research Fellowships, and prior to that he was funded on an NHMRC/National Heart Foundation Career Development Award (2002-2005), and an NHMRC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (1999-2001). His primary research interests are in social epidemiology, with a particular focus on the social determinants of health and health inequalities. His research is mainly population-based and examines how social and economic factors (measured at the individual, group, and area levels) influence health and health-related behaviours. Gavin is a Chief Investigator on an NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Healthy, Liveable, and Equitable Communities, where he is leading a research program examining whether the neighbourhood built environment is causally related to health and well-being.

Dr Ian Butterworth


Dr Iain Butterworth, Head of Professional Services, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, has more than 25 years’ experience in a range of sectors, including community development, government, higher education and consulting. Prior to joining AHURI, Iain was a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at the University of California at Berkeley, and helped establish Deakin University’s interdisciplinary post-graduate planning degree. He co-led the formal Partnership between Deakin University and the Victorian Dept of Human Services. Iain is currently National President of the Australian Fulbright Alumni Association, and an Urban Scholar with the UN Global Compact – Cities Programme.

Dr Butterworth visited UOW and presented a PowerLab PowerTalk, followed by a careers workshop with School of Health and Society HDR Students - You are getting a PhD, so what’s next? on 9 January 2019. The objective of this workshop was mainly to guide post-PhD career planning. The workshop presented mix of professionals sharing their career journeys. Dr Iain Butterworth was the key speaker, along with Dr Rachel Loney-Howes, has recently been recruited as Lecturer in the School of Health and Society. And finally Ms Sarah Ryan, the Faculty’s on-campus resource for HDR career advice. The workshop was moderated by A/P Xiaoqi Feng, Head of Postgraduate Studies, School of Health and Society and PowerLab Co-Director 2017-2019.

Dr. Iain Butterworth (far right) sharing his career story, pictured alongside Dr. Rachel Loney-Howes and some of the HAS research student audience.Source: https://www.uowblogs.com/careers/2019/01/09/you-are-getting-a-phd-so-whats-next/

PowerLab & NIASRA Co-Hosted Introductory Statistics Courses

Led by Senior Professor David Steel

Professor David Steel is a Professor in the School of Mathematics and Applied Statistics and lectures in applied statistics, including survey design and analysis. He continues consulting and research into survey methods, statistical design and analysis for survey, census and aggregate data. He is Director of the Centre for Statistical and Survey Methodology at the University of Wollongong. He leads a research team focusing on survey methodology, sample survey design and analysis methods for complex social and economic data. Ten ARC or NHMRC grants have supported this research since 1995. Over twenty refereed journal articles and book chapters in survey and statistical design and analysis have appeared during 2000-2005. He has read invited papers at the Royal Statistical Society, International Statistical Institute and various specialist conferences on sample surveys. He was formerly Associate Dean (Research) for the Faculty of Informatics and member of the University Research Committee.


Prof Steel is an accredited statistician with Statistical Society of Australia and member of accreditation committee. He is a foundation member of Methodological Advisory Committee for the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and international assessor for the ARC and the UK ESRC. David is chair of the programme committee for the invited papers in sample surveys at the meeting of the International Statistical Institute to be held in Lisbon.

Introductory Statistics Courses were available to staff and postgraduate students and several were run across 2017 & 2018. Introductory Statistics Course: How to Analyse Data, Introduction to SPSS and Introduction to R and RStudio.