This LSHTM course has been funded by an educational grant from Pfizer Ltd. LSHTM have retained full editorial control. This course runs from 10th September to 12th November 2026. |
Enhance your expertise in real-world evidence (RWE) for oncology with this highly rated, expert-led short course.
There is growing demand for real-world data to assess the safety and effectiveness of medicines. In oncology, RWE is increasingly used to complement clinical trials, providing critical insights into how treatments perform in routine practice across diverse populations. However, observational studies face potential biases, and translating real-world data into high-quality RWE requires careful study design, measurement, and statistical analysis.
This course will equip participants with the knowledge and scientific tools to generate robust, high-quality RWE that informs oncology treatment decisions while mitigating common sources of error. The content is delivered by leading LSHTM faculty and internationally recognised experts in pharmacoepidemiology and RWE research. Past attendees described the course as "excellent" and "high-yield," highlighting its relevance, engaging delivery, and immediate real-world application.
Course aims
By the end of this course, participants will:
- Understand the role of real-world data and its applications in oncology research
- Gain expertise in pharmacoepidemiological concepts and methods for RWE generation
- Evaluate the benefits and limitations of real-world data sources for assessing medicine safety and effectiveness
- Develop critical appraisal skills to assess RWE oncology studies, ensuring appropriate study design, data sources, and statistical methods
- Explore study designs used in RWE research and their ethical and regulatory considerations
Course schedule
This course is delivered online, using a combination of live interactive workshops and self-guided study to fit your schedule. From the start of the course, accepted participants will be given access to ~14 hours of expert-led, pre-recorded lectures. Participants will then engage in four live, interactive workshops designed to deepen their knowledge and expand their network. Participants must attend at least three of the four workshops and engage in the online materials to receive a Certificate of Completion.
Workshop Dates: (13:00 – 17:00 UK Time)
- Workshop 1 - Thursday 1 October 2026 | Study designs and data sources
- Workshop 2 - Thursday 15 October 2026 | Essential statistics and sources of error
- Workshop 3 - Thursday 29 October 2026 | Critical appraisal of evidence
- Workshop 4 - Thursday 12 November 2026 | Designing your own study
The number of hours of lectures covered by each workshop:
- Workshop 1 will cover ~5 hours of lectures
- Workshop 2 will cover ~3.5 hours of lectures
- Workshop 3 will cover ~2.5 hours of lectures
- Workshop 4 will cover ~3 hours of lectures
The programme
"I LOVED this course! High yield, excellent facilitation. 100% would recommend."
“This course exceeded my expectations, the tutors were so engaging and informative and helpful, it is one of the best courses I have attended"
"Brilliant course, really valuable and I will definitely be directing colleagues to apply for future iterations."
Faculty
"High quality teaching, engaging instructors, relevant material in a burgeoning field"
"The instructors were very welcoming to the students at all levels of prior experience, and were very knowledgeable and open to answering questions…"
"…tutors all very knowledgeable and approachable…"
Materials
"Excellent resources. Excellent presentations. Really useful and insightful content"
"Fantastic lectures that covered the basics through to more advanced concepts. Really nice broad overview of pharmacoepidemiology, including study design, statistical considerations, understanding biases, how to critically appraise a study..."
Flexible blended format
"The prerecorded lectures were excellent, as they gave me the opportunity to follow at my pace.”
“I particularly liked the workshops and felt it provided a really good balance as it meant that during the live sessions almost all of the time was spent on practical applications and problem solving rather than more theoretical teaching"
Interactive workshops
"Excellent interactive workshops with good group sizes and excellent input/support from expert faculty."
"Very interactive in a useful way, I learned a lot from other people's questions and from working through problems as a group - this was probably the best example of problem based learning I have experienced!"
Currently, admission to this course is limited to healthcare professionals working in oncology, including consultants, trainees, registrars, nurses, and pharmacists. We are in conversations to expand the course's entry requirements to welcome a broader population of professionals from other backgrounds in the future.
Up to 25 participants will be accepted onto this programme per intake.
Participants will be offered a certificate of attendance if they:
- Engage with at least 3 of the 4 live online workshops
- Engage with the pre-recorded online materials.
Applying for this course
Applications for 2026 are now open and can be made via our online application form.
The application deadline for this course is Thursday 20 August 2026 23:59 UK time. We strongly advise that you apply early as courses may close earlier than the stated deadline if they become full.
Please read LSHTM's Admissions policies prior to submitting your application.