Bettina Hansen

Overall research objective is to make a valuable contribution to a better understanding and identification of patients with a chronic or threatening disease who will experience disease progression or may effectively respond to treatment.

Of particular focus is development of individualized prediction models of complicated follow-up survival data and dynamic scoring methods to be applied in the daily medical practice. In parallel a major interest is to initiate and coordinate International and National platforms for specialised scientists allowing collaboration across borders for a deeper understanding of specific areas within rare diseases. Another target of her research is the development of new designs for clinical trials particularly in the setting of rare diseases, where standard randomized controlled trials are not feasible and often unethical. This includes investigating surrogate endpoints and use of historical controls in a statistical new framework with high quality barriers.

Impact:

• Senior Biostatistician of Clinical Research Studies at Toronto Centre for Liver Disease. Supervising MSc, PhD and fellows in conduction of clinical research.
• Supervising IHPME PhD and MSc students in biostatistics and clinical research
• Coordinator of large National and International research studies for antiviral treatment for viral hepatitis: HBV 99-01, VIRID, PARC, ARES, PEGON, GIANT-B, PAS, PEGON, HCV Cohort Study, NIH-studies, the Toronto Viral Hepatitis Care Network (VIRCAN), RETRACT and autoimmune liver disease: the Global PBC Group, the International PSC study group and the Canadian Network for Autoimmune Liver Disease (CaNAL).
• Principal Investigator of the Global PBC Group, CaNAL, and NAPPED and GALA.
• ILIAD-study: RCT on treatment of COVID-19 with IFN-lambda.
• Advisor for study design and clinical research EMA and FDA

Other Affiliations:

• The Francis Family Chair in International Biostatistics Research for Autoimmune Liver Disease
• Associate Professor, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), University of Toronto
• Senior Biostatistician, Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, Toronto General Hospital
• Scientist, Toronto General Hospital Research Institute (TGHRI), UHN