NEWS

Schooling 2 in Lyon

2025.10.25

From 20 to 24 October 2025, Schooling 2 took place in person at the Domaine Lyon Saint Joseph in Lyon, bringing together international doctoral students, principal investigators, partners and guest speakers.

Topics such as IPD-MA, data protection, meta-research, the GDPR, and the legal aspects of data sharing were on the agenda, as were panel discussions with two patients representants as well as a discussion with a sociologist about marginalised populations.

Alongside the demanding and intensive scientific programme, there was also time for culinary and cultural experiences, including a guided tour of Lyon's old town, visits to the Musée Lumière, and a meal at a traditional Lyonnais restaurant, which provided a welcome break.

We will meet again during the week beginning 8 February 2026 in Zeist, the Netherlands, where Datathon 2 will take place under the direction of Valentijn de Jong (University Medical Centre Utrecht). Then it will be time for the doctoral students to get back to programming, analysing and presenting!

Professional Training 2: Presentation Skills

2025.10.20

On October 19, 2025, as part of our professional training, our doctoral students came together in Lyon for a full-day Presentation Skills workshop led by S. Lerch. This hands-on training focused on turning complex research into clear, compelling talks. Every doctoral student had an opportunity to deliver a short presentation and receive detailed feedback on structure, delivery, body language, and slide design. They finished the day with an interactive session on nervousness and stage fright, exploring the underlying causes and learning practical strategies to stay calm and confident on stage.

Huge thanks to S. Lerch for the energetic coaching and structured feedback, and to our doctoral students who leaned in, practiced, and gave thoughtful peer reviews.

We’re walking away with personal presentation profiles and a clear plan to keep improving every talk we give.

SHARE-CTD doctoral student submitted manuscript to Statistics in Medicine

2025.10.07

Han Chang Chiam (MUW) has submitted a manuscript to Statistics in Medicine. The arXiv preprint is available here: https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.04829.

Professional Training 1: Team Building & Management

2025.10.07

Last week, our doctoral students participated in an engaging Team Building and Management Workshop, led by S. Lerch, aimed at enhancing collaboration, communication, and leadership across our international consortium.

The workshop covered both practical and theoretical topics, including effective delegation, time management, problem-solving, and conflict resolution. Through interactive exercises and group discussions, participants explored key principles of effective teamwork, such as recognizing diverse personalities, defining project leadership roles, and maintaining team cohesion and motivation.

The session fostered a supportive environment that encouraged self-reflection, creativity, and shared responsibility, which are essential elements for a thriving interdisciplinary research setting. Doctoral students also had the opportunity to reflect on their team dynamics, discuss ground rules, and share expectations. This interactive experience offered valuable insights into trust-building, cultivating a feedback culture, and navigating conflict, ultimately supporting stronger coordination and collaboration within the team.

Primer: Conducting an Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis

2025.10.01

Gorka Fraga Gonzalez, Leonhard Held and Fabio Molo (UZH) wrote a primer on conducting individual patient data meta-analyses. The primer can be downloaded via Zenodo (https://zenodo.org/records/17153077).

Second datathon in February 2026 in Utrecht

2025.09.09

Under the lead of PhD Assistant Professor Valentijn de Jong (University Medical Center Utrecht) the second SHARE-CTD Datathon will take place in Zeist from February 9 to 13, 2026.

"Good Scientific Writing"

2025.08.13

On November 27, 2025, and December 1, 2025, the fourth professional training session for our 11 doctoral students will take place online. The topic of the training is Good Scientific Writing and will be conducted by T. Korver.