Making research inclusive is not always straightforward. Ideally, we want the findings of a study to hold across the full population it aims to serve, yet there is often little methodological guidance on how best to deliver this. The challenge runs through every stage of a study: how should variation in a population be characterised? What sample size is needed to say anything reliable about a subgroup, and how does this affect feasibility? Which variables are collected, and are they defined consistently across groups? These are statistical questions at heart, but each carries ethical, practical, and financial implications.

This is the first of two half-day online workshops run in partnership between Cancer Research UK and Data Science for Health Equity (DSxHE), bringing together methodologists, biomedical researchers, bioethicists, funders, and public contributors to work through these questions — and start building the practical, statistically grounded guidance that's currently missing.

Workshop 1 focuses on Inclusive Study Design, covering:

• Group descriptors and variable specification — how demographic descriptors and other variables should be defined and measured consistently across groups, and the risks of broad catch-all constructs like socioeconomic status

• Sample size considerations — how many participants are needed to power reliable analyses, and how this can be funded and resourced

• Representativeness — what it actually means for a sample to be sufficiently representative, beyond simply recruiting more participants from underrepresented groups

  
  

The workshop will include three expert panel discussions with live Q&A, and breakout discussions for attendees to dig into the challenges alongside panellists.

Workshop 2 — Equitable Statistical Data Analysis — will follow later in the series; details to be announced.

Schedule

12:45–1:10pm Introduction

1:10–1:55pm Panel 1: Group descriptors and variable specification

2:00–2:45pm Panel 2: Sample size calculations

2:45–2:55pm Break

2:55–3:40pm Panel 3: Representativeness

3:45–4:05pm Breakout discussions

4:05–4:15pm Wrap-up

Confirmed panellists

Panel 1: Group descriptors and variable specification

• Bernard Rachet, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

• Rohini Mathur, Queen Mary University of London

• Laia Becares, Kings College London

Panel 2: Sample size calculations

• Emma Hall, Institute of Cancer Research

• James Wason, Newcastle University

• Mike Gardner, University of Birmingham

Panel 3: Representativeness

• Chris Parrish, Leeds Teaching Hospitals

• Laura Woods, Newcastle University

• Shoba Dawson, University of Bristol

• Richard Silverwood, UCL

  
  

(Further panellists and chairs to be confirmed)

Practical info

• This event is free and takes place entirely on Zoom

• Open to methodologists, biomedical researchers, bioethicists, funders, PPIE contributors, and anyone involved in writing or reviewing grant applications for inclusive research.

Any questions?

Please direct any queries to info@datascienceforhealthequity.com.