The section provides statistical oversight in concept formulation (application for funding), design (proposal development) and conduct of clinical trials and epidemiological or other studies. It also provides statistical analysis and results dissemination through manuscript publications, presentations at national or international conferences and meetings. A data management platform has been formed as part of the section's growth.
The Data Management platform, has supported the advancement of the Unit’s data management expertise and storage from using MS-DOS data programming packages including Dbase III/IV, EPIINFO and MS access in the mid-90’s and 2000s respectively, to more modern Good Clinical Practice (GCP) compliant data systems such as OpenClinica, Open Data Kit (ODK) and RedCap, that are ready for compliance with 21 CFR Part 11. With these data systems, data capture has transitioned from being paper-based to electronic, improving data quality and efficiency. The section has benefitted from the collaboration with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) through mentorship and access to more advanced data management and sharing platforms. This advancement and organization, have led to the Section and the Unit becoming a leading Statistical and Data Coordinating Centre for many multi-centre and multi-county clinical trials and studies. This has greatly enhanced North-South and South-South collaborations.
The section is building capacity in mathematical modelling and bioinformatics. In addition to supporting the projects within the Unit, the Statistics and Data Science section undertakes own projects which include the ALPHA Network and the Complex Model Calibration.
The section is a regional leader in capacity building, offering short courses in Medical Statistics, Epidemiology and Data Management. Some of the section senior staff are involved in lecturing at LSHTM.
The Data Management Platform also houses the Archives which are charged with the storage and retrieval of the Unit clinical, social science, administration and financial records among other data.