Workshop

• Date: 2/3 October 2025
• Venue: South African Medical Research Council Conference Centre, Francie van Zijl Drive, 7505 Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa.

• Presenters:

• General info: The workshop is organised by the Burden of Disease Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council and the Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Cape Town.

• Registration: Online registration is required. The cost of the workshop (including teaching materials, lunch and teas, VAT) is ZAR 3000 for participants from South Africa and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and ZAR 5000 for participant from other countries.

  Click here for detail on registration

  Register Online Here

  Registration Fees

  • Registration will be in South African Rands (ZAR).
  • South Africa/SADC Countries: R3000.00
  • Other Countries: R4,900.00

  
  

  Conference registration fee includes:

  • Attendance to all sessions in the Programme
  • Teas and lunches during the workshop
  • Access to workshop software

  
  

  Please note that:

  • Registration fees do not include accommodation, visa costs or airport transfers.
  • Registration can only be confirmed once payment is received.
  • For any registration queries, please contact: celine.beneke@mrc.ac.za.

  
  

  Payment Details

  Payment can be made by any of the following methods:

  • Credit card: Payments will be done via PayU
  • Bank transfer (EFT)

  
  

  If you are paying via bank/wire transfer, please clearly indicate your name and surname or your Billing information reference number on the deposit slip/confirmation of payment. A copy of the deposit slip/ confirmation of payment must be mailed to the registration manager, Celine Beneke, celine.beneke@mrc.ac.za.

  Note: The organizers will not be responsible for identifying funds if the delegate’s details or billing reference information are not mentioned.

  
  

  Payment Deadlines

  All registration payments should be paid in full by 12 September 2025.

  Bank/wire transfers must be made payable to:

  Account holder name: SOUTH AFRICAN MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
  Account name: MRC CONFERENCE INCOME
  Absa account number: 90 6475 8975
  Branch: ABS PBLCS W/C
  Branch code: 632005

  
  

  Cancellations and Refunds

  Cancellations must be sent in writing to Celine Beneke celine.beneke@mrc.ac.za.

  Cancellations received before 28 August will qualify for a refund that is 25% less than the original amount paid to cover administration costs. Refunds received after 28 August will be forfeited.

  As an alternative to cancellation, your registration may be transferred to another person before 12 September without incurring any cost penalty. Please note that refunds will be processed after the workshop.

• Contacts & downloads:

  • Workshop information and content: Annibale.Cois@mrc.ac.za

  • Registration and general enquiries Celine.Beneke@mrc.ac.za

  • Information leaflet: Download

  • Link to registration page: Register

Overview

Obtaining information about a large population by selecting and measuring a sample from that population is a common practice in epidemiological investigation. In this context, the use of complex sampling strategies is ubiquitous. However, the use of these strategies – such as clustering and stratification – has implications in terms of how the data should be analysed and how the population estimates are to be interpreted. A deep understanding of the links between sampling strategy and realisation, sample sizes, analysis techniques and accuracy of the population estimates is essential for optimal study planning and, similarly, for secondary analysis of data previously collected.

During this workshop, we will conduct a series of ‘virtual surveys’ on a simulated human population of approximately 160 000 individuals inhabiting a hypothetical territory. The participants will be able to interact individually with the virtual population (‘visit’ regions and villages, sample household and individuals, administer questionnaires and collect responses) through a graphical web application (the SurveyLab) to which they will be given access during the workshop. The results of these experiments will be used as ‘case studies’ to get a practical understanding of the pros and cons of alternative sampling strategies and statistical methods, and how poor choices can lead to profoundly misleading results and/or waste of resources. We will use the data gathered during the virtual surveys to illustrate alternative approaches that can be used to analyse this kind of information.

Target audience & prerequisites

The target audience for this workshop are researchers, students, and professionals who want to acquire a deeper understanding of issues related to the analysis and interpretation of data gathered from samples of large populations. Previous knowledge or experience with survey data analysis is not required, but participants are assumed to be familiar with basic statistical concepts (such as bias, precision and probability sampling). A (short) recap of the statistical foundations of the techniques applied will introduce the workshop. Data analysis examples will be presented using R environment for statistical computing https://www.R-project.org/, and some previous exposure to this programming language will be helpful. Participants will be advised to bring their laptops with a working version of R installed. Details on the packages to be pre-installed will be communicated to registered participants ahead of the session.

Learning objectives

From this workshop, the participants will acquire:

1. Understanding of the links between sampling strategy, sample size, analysis technique, and accuracy of estimates in population research.
2. Understanding of the statistical and practical implications of using complex sampling schemes, including clustering and stratification.
3. Knowledge of alternative approaches for analysing survey data.
4. Practical insights on collecting and analysing sample data, gathered by conducting virtual surveys on a simulated human population.

Outline