Kristof Theys

Essentials of Statistical Thinking for Medical Affairs

How to Effectively Interpret and Translate the Statistics Of Medical Studies & Scientific Publications

With Dr Kristof Theys

Course Details

As medical studies are used extensively in interactions with pharma stakeholders, it is important that everyone in the medical affairs team understands the statistical concepts and data presented in these studies.

More importantly, they need to be able to critically evaluate the building blocks of a statistical analysis to ensure that study findings are leveraged correctly and most effectively.

By attending this course, you will develop the following skills:

  • Insightful statistical thinking: Learn to look beyond the numbers and understand their real-world significance

  • Critical analysis abilities: Assess the robustness and relevance of statistical methods used in medical studies

  • Effective communication of statistics: Translate statistical findings into accurate and compelling narratives for various stakeholders


In addition, you will benefit from a unique learning experience:

  • Expert-led course: Direct access to a seasoned statistical expert

  • Interactive format: Discuss your specific challenges and questions in real-time

  • Peer learning: Share experiences and insights with international colleagues

  • Practical focus: Learn from real-world medical affairs examples
     

  1. Understanding and correctly interpreting key statistical concepts and terms used in medical studies.

  2. How to critically evaluate the statistical methodology that has been used in a medical study.

  3. Avoiding common errors and misinterpretations that could lead to flawed conclusions.

  4. Key considerations for clinical and RWE studies, including time-to-event analysis and meta-analysis.

  5. Effectively communicating statistical findings by transforming data into clear, meaningful narratives using best practices in visual data presentation.

Course agenda

 

 

 

 

Welcome & Introduction (~15 min)
Importance of Statistics for Medical Affairs and Key Concepts (~1 h)
  • Why critically appraising statistics in medical studies is a must (with examples)
  • Data types and their relationship with statistical methods
  • Fundamental concepts and terminology (e.g. descriptive statistics, sampling, variables, p-value….)
Assessing Study Design, Biases, Confounding, Sampling and Randomisation (~1 h)
  • Identifying the study design and what this means for the interpretation of statistical findings
  • Common types of bias and confounding, and how they are corrected for
  • The different sampling and randomisation techniques and their implications
Evaluating the Building Blocks of Statistical Significance (~1 h)
  • Making sense of distributions and their implications
  • The different statistical tests and why a particular test is used
  • Understanding p-values and error types I & II, and their corrections
Lunch Break
Interpreting Relationships, Associations, Correlations, and Predictions Correctly (~1 h)
  • Understanding association, correlation and causation
  • Introduction to the regression family and why a particular method is used in a study
  • Understanding the use and meaning of risk and odds ratios
Typical Applications and Considerations in Clinical Studies and RWE Studies (~1 h)
  • Time-to-event outcome analysis
  • Meta-analysis and indirect treatment comparisons
  • Differentiating statistical from clinical significance
Communicating Statistical Insights: Turning Numbers Into Narratives (~45 min)
  • Best practices for impactful graphs, charts, and tables
  • Common pitfalls in interpreting statistics
  • Presenting statistics in a medical context
Final Q&A (~15 min)

 

Download Brochure

 

Complete the below form to download the full course brochure. It outlines the detailed agenda, learning outcomes, expert info and some testimonials from past participants.

  • Dr Kristof Theys is a Health Economics and Data Science Manager at Kintiga, a specialist pharmaceutical and biotechnology management consultancy focused on accelerating patient access to medicines, devices and diagnostics.

  • In his role within market access and medical affairs, he focuses on health economic modelling and the creation of decision support tools, while also leading analyses of real-world clinical data to further support patient access to innovative treatments.

  • Kristof holds an MSc in Bioinformatics, received a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the KU Leuven and held various FWO mandates for postdoctoral research in clinical and epidemiological virology. 

This course is a fundamentals course that anyone in the medical affairs team should attend.

 

 

UPCOMING DATES & FORMATS - FEES

23 September 2025

Live online (CET timing)

Early bird € 1 470

(until 22/08/2025)

(Full fee € 1 670)

 


TIMING & LOCATION

  • Live Online (CET): Zoom sessions between 9 AM and 5 PM CET (Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris time).

  • Live Online (EST): Zoom sessions between 8 AM and 4 PM EST (Eastern Standard Time).

  • Face-to-Face: Held at the Crowne Plaza Brussels Airport (Da Vincilaan 4, 1831 Brussels), between 9 AM and 5 PM CET. Preferential hotel rates available for participants.

All practical details will be shared upon registration. For any questions, please contact Margherita Mutto or call +32 472 03 11 38 .

 

GROUP DISCOUNTS

Team discounts can be offered to 2 or more delegates from the same company.

Email Annelies Swaan, Director Business Operations, for more details. 

 

HOW TO REGISTER

  • Click the green “Register” button on your preferred course session.
    The registration wizard will guide you through the process.

  • Alternatively, download the offline registration form and send the completed form to Annelies Swaan.

 

PAYMENT OPTIONS

  • Credit Card: You’ll receive a secure payment link with your invoice (no immediate payment required).

  • Bank Transfer: Details provided with your invoice.

For help with registration, email Annelies Swaan or contact her by phone at +32 486 98 52 49.

 

INCLUDED IN THE REGISTRATION FEE

  • Access to a highly interactive, small-group online course (max 20 participants)

  • Course materials in both digital and hard copy format

  • Certificate of attendance signed by the experts and CELforPharma

 

VAT INFORMATION

Prices exclude VAT. VAT application depends on course format and your location:

  • Face-to-Face in Belgium: 21% Belgian VAT applies

  • Live online courses & self-study programme: The applicable VAT depends on your invoicing address. Contact your local VAT office for refund procedures where applicable.

 

TRANSFER & CANCELLATION POLICY

Flexible Transfer

If a registrant is unable to attend the scheduled course, they can avoid any cancellation charges by providing a suitable replacement participant.

Alternatively, the registrant may transfer once, on a 'space-available' basis and at no extra cost, to another course of the same value held within one year of the original course date, provided this is done at least three weeks prior to the event.

Registration Cancellation

  • Less than 14 days prior to the course date: The registrant is liable to pay the full invoiced registration fee.

  • Between 15 and 30 days prior to the course date: The registrant is liable to pay 50% of the invoiced registration fee.

  • More than 30 days prior to the course date: The registrant is liable to pay a cancellation fee of € 450 per registrant.

If a registrant postpones their participation to a future course and subsequently cancels again, no refund will be issued for the registration fees.
 

As this is the first session of the "Essentials of Statistical Thinking for Medical Affairs" course, there are no testimonials available yet.

People interested in this course are typically also interested in: 

Do you want to upskill your team?

We can organise this training in-company (face-to-face or live online) and customise it to your specific focus and needs.

Fill in the below form and Inge Cornelis, Director of Client & Product Projects, will contact you with further information.
 

Course Details

Dates & Locations

23 September 2025

Live online (CET timing)

Register

Upcoming Session

23 September 2025, Live online (CET timing)

Early bird € 1 470

(until 22/08/2025)

 (Full fee € 1 670)

Prices are excl. VAT

As medical studies are used extensively in interactions with pharma stakeholders, it is important that everyone in the medical affairs team understands the statistical concepts and data presented in these studies.

More importantly, they need to be able to critically evaluate the building blocks of a statistical analysis to ensure that study findings are leveraged correctly and most effectively.

By attending this course, you will develop the following skills:

  • Insightful statistical thinking: Learn to look beyond the numbers and understand their real-world significance

  • Critical analysis abilities: Assess the robustness and relevance of statistical methods used in medical studies

  • Effective communication of statistics: Translate statistical findings into accurate and compelling narratives for various stakeholders


In addition, you will benefit from a unique learning experience:

  • Expert-led course: Direct access to a seasoned statistical expert

  • Interactive format: Discuss your specific challenges and questions in real-time

  • Peer learning: Share experiences and insights with international colleagues

  • Practical focus: Learn from real-world medical affairs examples
     

  1. Understanding and correctly interpreting key statistical concepts and terms used in medical studies.

  2. How to critically evaluate the statistical methodology that has been used in a medical study.

  3. Avoiding common errors and misinterpretations that could lead to flawed conclusions.

  4. Key considerations for clinical and RWE studies, including time-to-event analysis and meta-analysis.

  5. Effectively communicating statistical findings by transforming data into clear, meaningful narratives using best practices in visual data presentation.

Course agenda

 

 

 

 

Welcome & Introduction (~15 min)
Importance of Statistics for Medical Affairs and Key Concepts (~1 h)
  • Why critically appraising statistics in medical studies is a must (with examples)
  • Data types and their relationship with statistical methods
  • Fundamental concepts and terminology (e.g. descriptive statistics, sampling, variables, p-value….)
Assessing Study Design, Biases, Confounding, Sampling and Randomisation (~1 h)
  • Identifying the study design and what this means for the interpretation of statistical findings
  • Common types of bias and confounding, and how they are corrected for
  • The different sampling and randomisation techniques and their implications
Evaluating the Building Blocks of Statistical Significance (~1 h)
  • Making sense of distributions and their implications
  • The different statistical tests and why a particular test is used
  • Understanding p-values and error types I & II, and their corrections
Lunch Break
Interpreting Relationships, Associations, Correlations, and Predictions Correctly (~1 h)
  • Understanding association, correlation and causation
  • Introduction to the regression family and why a particular method is used in a study
  • Understanding the use and meaning of risk and odds ratios
Typical Applications and Considerations in Clinical Studies and RWE Studies (~1 h)
  • Time-to-event outcome analysis
  • Meta-analysis and indirect treatment comparisons
  • Differentiating statistical from clinical significance
Communicating Statistical Insights: Turning Numbers Into Narratives (~45 min)
  • Best practices for impactful graphs, charts, and tables
  • Common pitfalls in interpreting statistics
  • Presenting statistics in a medical context
Final Q&A (~15 min)

 

Download Brochure

 

Complete the below form to download the full course brochure. It outlines the detailed agenda, learning outcomes, expert info and some testimonials from past participants.

  • Dr Kristof Theys is a Health Economics and Data Science Manager at Kintiga, a specialist pharmaceutical and biotechnology management consultancy focused on accelerating patient access to medicines, devices and diagnostics.

  • In his role within market access and medical affairs, he focuses on health economic modelling and the creation of decision support tools, while also leading analyses of real-world clinical data to further support patient access to innovative treatments.

  • Kristof holds an MSc in Bioinformatics, received a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the KU Leuven and held various FWO mandates for postdoctoral research in clinical and epidemiological virology. 

This course is a fundamentals course that anyone in the medical affairs team should attend.

 

 

UPCOMING DATES & FORMATS - FEES

23 September 2025

Live online (CET timing)

Early bird € 1 470

(until 22/08/2025)

(Full fee € 1 670)

 


TIMING & LOCATION

  • Live Online (CET): Zoom sessions between 9 AM and 5 PM CET (Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris time).

  • Live Online (EST): Zoom sessions between 8 AM and 4 PM EST (Eastern Standard Time).

  • Face-to-Face: Held at the Crowne Plaza Brussels Airport (Da Vincilaan 4, 1831 Brussels), between 9 AM and 5 PM CET. Preferential hotel rates available for participants.

All practical details will be shared upon registration. For any questions, please contact Margherita Mutto or call +32 472 03 11 38 .

 

GROUP DISCOUNTS

Team discounts can be offered to 2 or more delegates from the same company.

Email Annelies Swaan, Director Business Operations, for more details. 

 

HOW TO REGISTER

  • Click the green “Register” button on your preferred course session.
    The registration wizard will guide you through the process.

  • Alternatively, download the offline registration form and send the completed form to Annelies Swaan.

 

PAYMENT OPTIONS

  • Credit Card: You’ll receive a secure payment link with your invoice (no immediate payment required).

  • Bank Transfer: Details provided with your invoice.

For help with registration, email Annelies Swaan or contact her by phone at +32 486 98 52 49.

 

INCLUDED IN THE REGISTRATION FEE

  • Access to a highly interactive, small-group online course (max 20 participants)

  • Course materials in both digital and hard copy format

  • Certificate of attendance signed by the experts and CELforPharma

 

VAT INFORMATION

Prices exclude VAT. VAT application depends on course format and your location:

  • Face-to-Face in Belgium: 21% Belgian VAT applies

  • Live online courses & self-study programme: The applicable VAT depends on your invoicing address. Contact your local VAT office for refund procedures where applicable.

 

TRANSFER & CANCELLATION POLICY

Flexible Transfer

If a registrant is unable to attend the scheduled course, they can avoid any cancellation charges by providing a suitable replacement participant.

Alternatively, the registrant may transfer once, on a 'space-available' basis and at no extra cost, to another course of the same value held within one year of the original course date, provided this is done at least three weeks prior to the event.

Registration Cancellation

  • Less than 14 days prior to the course date: The registrant is liable to pay the full invoiced registration fee.

  • Between 15 and 30 days prior to the course date: The registrant is liable to pay 50% of the invoiced registration fee.

  • More than 30 days prior to the course date: The registrant is liable to pay a cancellation fee of € 450 per registrant.

If a registrant postpones their participation to a future course and subsequently cancels again, no refund will be issued for the registration fees.
 

As this is the first session of the "Essentials of Statistical Thinking for Medical Affairs" course, there are no testimonials available yet.

Do you want to upskill your team?

We can organise this training in-company (face-to-face or live online) and customise it to your specific focus and needs.

Fill in the below form and Inge Cornelis, Director of Client & Product Projects, will contact you with further information.
 

Dates & Locations

23 September 2025

Live online (CET timing)

Register