Joint Appointments
Senior Vice President, Singapore Clinical Research Institute
Associate Professor and Director, Centre of Quantitative Biology and Medicine, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School
Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, YLL School of Medicine, NUS
Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University
Ha Tam Cam (PhD)
Senior Epidemiologist
Epidemiologist-in-charge : Biostatistics and Epidemiology Units ha.tam.cam@nccs.com.sg
Joint Appointments
Assistant Professor and Course Director, Investigative Methods and Tools, DUKE-NUS Graduate Medical School
Research Staff
Grace Yong Sook Kwin (B.Sc (Hons))
Fei GAO
Adjunt Principal Investigator (Biostatistics)
MSc, PhD
Joint Appointments
Associate Professor, Health Services & Systems Research, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School
Associate Professor, Center for Molecular Epidemiology, NUS
Research Staff
Sze Huey TAN
Wallace CHEN
Chien Hui GOH
Hou XUAN
Whee Sze ONG
Selected Publications
Gao F, Ng GY, Cheung YB, Thumboo J, Pang G, Koo WH, Sethi VK, Wee J, Goh C
The Singaporean English and Chinese versions of the EQ-5D achieve measurement equivalence in cancer patients. J. Clin. Epidemiol. ( 2009) 62:206-213.
Gao F, Tan SB, Machin D, Wong NS Confirmation of double-peaked time distribution of mortality among Asian breast cancer patients in a population-based study. Breast Cancer Research (2007) 9:R21.
Ha TC, Li H Meta -analysis of Clodronate and Breast Cancer Survival. British Journal of Cancer (2007) 96:1796-1801.
Li H, Tai BC RNASEL gene polymorphisms and the risk of prostate cancer: a meta-analysis. Clinical Cancer Research (2006) 12:5713-5719.
Li H, Ha TC, Tai BC XRCC1 Gene Polymorphisms and Breast Cancer Risk in Different Populations: A Meta-Analysis. The Breast (2009) 18:183-91.
Machin D, Campbell M, Tan SB, Tan SH Sample Size Tables for Clinical Studies. 3rd Edition. Wiley- Blackwell, 2009.
Wee JTS, Ha TC, Loong SLE, Qian CN Is nasopharyngeal cancer really a "Cantonese Cancer"?
Chinese Journal of Cancer (2010) 29:517-26
BIOSTATISTICS AND EPIDEMIOLOGY UNIT
The Biostatistics and Epidemiology Unit primarily provides statistical and epidemiological support for clinical trials and other studies conducted at the National Cancer Centre Singapore. This is in the form of consultations, collaborations as well as teaching. We also initiate and engage in relevant areas of applied biostatistics and epidemiology research.
Biostatistics Unit
The conduct of good biomedical research requires the appropriate disease expertise and rigorous research methodology combined with strong quantitative analyses. The added value of statistical techniques to biomedical research is well recognised. In biomedical studies the correct design, analysis and interpretation of the study all require the development and application of good statistical methods. While many such techniques have already been developed, only a relatively small number of these are routinely used in practice. A key reason for this is that many of these methods have not made the transition from the ‘statistical lab’ to the clinic. However, these methods may potentially help improve all aspects of the biomedical research process, ultimately resulting in more accurate conclusions being drawn e.g. regarding the usefulness of new treatments. This has important ethical implications as patients consent to have their data used for biomedical research with the expectation that the information that they provide will be used in the most optimal way to provide benefits for future patients and potentially themselves as well. Research thus needs to be carried out to test and bring better biostatistical and clinical research methodologies into clinical practice.
Moreover, there are many problems in biomedical research for which better (albeit less well known) statistical methods could be employed, to allow for a better analysis and interpretation of the data. This can be achieved through the conduct of applied biostatistics research and teaching.
Some of the projects currently engaged include cancer epidemiology modeling, clinical trial methodology, applications of Bayesian statistics in medicine and applications of statistics in genetics . The Biostatistics Unit also provides expert biostatistics support for all clinical trials and related studies conducted at the National Cancer Centre Singapore.
Epidemiology Unit
The primary objective of the Epidemiology Unit is to conduct clinical translational research to investigate the risk factors for cancer and the patterns of disease in the wider population at large. This provides a platform for the development of studies to investigate possible interventions to increase survival and reduce the incidence of cancer or the stage at which the disease is diagnosed. As new technology becomes available, such as the ability to detect molecular biomarkers, better treatment outcomes for patients will also become available. The design and conduct of scientifically sound epidemiological studies is important in ensuring quality results for the future benefit of all patients. The conduct and provision of epidemiological research is able to provide direct clinical applications for patient care.
Almost all aspects of medical research require the use of statistical and epidemiological techniques at some point of the research process. Inefficient or erroneous methodology could have severe consequences on the interpretations of the research findings. This could eventually result in patients having less than optimal or worse still, inappropriate treatment.
The unit applies principles of evidence-based medicine when designing studies to ensure that the most feasible study has been conducted. A variety of studies are currently being investigated including studies in genetic epidemiology, screening and cancer risk factors. With collaborations both locally and internationally, the unit aims to investigate population risk factors for cancer.
