First-ever Medical Statistics Postgraduate Programme in SL

The Board of Study of the MultiDisciplinary Studies, University of Kelaniya, has identified the future demand for statistical applications in Healthcare and Medical Sectors nationally and globally. Hence, the board has developed a well-structured Matre of Medical Statistics Degree programme to address this need by aligning the programme with the Sri Lanka Qualification Framework (SLQF-09) and International Education Standards (IES). It is delighted to inform you that this Master of Medical Statistics programme has been approved by the University Grant Commission (UGC) of Sri Lanka in 2023, and the 1st intake of the program will be admitted in May 2024.

Medical Statistics is a specialized branch of statistics closely related to Biostatistics that focuses on applying statistical methods and models within the domains of Medicine and Healthcare. Its primary aim is to collect, analyse, summarise, present, and interpret data related to various aspects of health and disease. By doing so, Medical Statistics enables us to gain insights into the patterns, trends, and relationships present in health-related data, ultimately leading to a deeper understanding of the factors influencing health outcomes. Medical Statistics plays a crucial role in research investigations to understand and address health-related issues. In addition to its role in Research, Medical Statistics also serves as a vital framework for accurate healthcare policy and pragmatic decision-making. Policymakers rely on statistical analyses to derive decisions regarding Healthcare Resource Allocation, Public Health Interventions, and the Development of Health Policies. By providing reliable evidence and insights derived from Data Analysis, Medical Statistics contribute to the formulation of effective strategies for promoting the health and wellbeing of the population.

In general, the discipline of statistics is equipped with tools and techniques that allow us to design experiments, gather data, analyse, and interpret them in statistical decision-making. Technically, if data are being gathered properly, the statistical techniques may be able to find insight into the data and make meaningful interpretations. However, limitations arise along with the tools and techniques due to the assumptions that may be encompassed within these tools. Often, the researchers would expect that the statistical tools and techniques could handle any situation if some data are being gathered. Nevertheless, due to limitations, the collection of data merely assists in the accurate use of tools and, thereby, ends up with falsified decisions. Thus, on the one hand, the data should be gathered in such a way that the statistics tools can use the data to obtain meaningful illustrations, and on the other hand, the domain in which those data belong should be able to derive the appropriate hypothesis in terms of getting meaningful decisions, at the end. Medical statistics provides such a two-way platform by educating the medical community about the statistical tools and their advantages while letting them use appropriate hypotheses to make meaningful decisions. The Master of Medical Statistics programme is designed to mitigate this discrepancy of tallying: medical domain requirement and statistics tools capabilities in decision-making in the field of Medical and Healthcare. This is the only programme in Sri Lanka at the Master’s level for the Medical Statistics discipline.

In Sri Lanka, the medical and healthcare sectors function with the highest standard of care for patients. Nevertheless, to our knowledge, the research in the medical field still has much room to be improved. Particularly, multi-disciplinary dialogue among Science and Medicine communities can be widened to improve synergy and cohesiveness towards the uplift of possible research advancements. In this context, the objective of the Master of Medical Statistics programme is to enhance Medical Statistics knowledge smoothly and effectively among the respective communities. The essential components of Experimental Design, Epidemiology, Clinical Trial Design, Statistical Decision-making, Statistical Models, Survival Analysis, and Research aspects in medical fields (clinical and public health) will be well discussed within the programme. Further, in the smooth delivery of the content, project-based learning is used as a framework to avoid technical jargon. In this way, people who do not have much technical insight into statistics methods can easily adapt to the content while making the maximum use of such technical tools. In order to reduce the complexity, many pragmatic measures such as online/on-site statistical practical sessions, tutoring, and workshops are integrated into the programme.

Concerning the programme enrolment, a person with a medical degree or dental degree recognized by the Sri Lanka Medical Council, or a degree holder in the fields of Statistics, Science, Technology, or any other relevant field of degree, will be directly eligible to follow the degree programme. However, a person with any other suitable qualification to follow Sri Lanka Quality Framework Level 9 degree programmes in the field of Medical Statistics (SLQF Level 9) is eligible to follow this degree programme. The Senate of the University of Kelaniya will decide on an equivalent minimum qualification. This program is specially designed for Health Administrators, Doctors (Allopathy/Ayurveda/ Siddha/ Unani), Dentists, Veterinary Surgeons, Nurses, Paramedical Professionals, Health and Social Researchers, Medical Statisticians, Data Analysts, Academic Professionals who are interested in the field of Medicine and Healthcare. Anyone who has an interest may apply to the programme. The program coordinators will assist in figuring out the entry qualifications that someone may need.

Board of Study of the Multi-Disciplinary Studies, affiliated to the Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, will oversee the regularity of the program. Thus, the qualifications of the Master of Medical Statistics graduates would obtain are world-recognised and accepted in pursuing higher studies in prestigious international universities. In a nutshell, this programme allows the uplift of quality research and decision-making in the field of Medicine and Healthcare.