FHSS-CTU Seminar on Innovative Adaptive Trials

Abstract

This seminar will introduce concepts on innovative and complex trial designs, including adaptive trial study designs, non-inferiority designs, and implementation trials. It will emphasize their significance in clinical research within the allied health field. Adaptive trial designs enable modifications to study protocols based on interim results, enhancing both efficiency and flexibility. Non-inferiority designs are employed to demonstrate that a new treatment is not inferior to an existing standard, which is essential for evaluating alternative therapies. Implementation trials are employed to test the implementation of health services and treatment approaches in real-life, pragmatic healthcare environments. The seminar will include presentations of real trials, including the recently conducted GetHealthy trial for patients with chronic low back pain.

Biography

Prof. Paulo Ferreira is a leading expert in clinical trial design and low back pain research, with over 320 publications.  His work has been cited 40,000 times globally, making a significant impact on low back pain management.  He holds positions at the University of Sydney, including Professor and Director of the Musculoskeletal Research Hub.  Prof. Ferreira has received more than $15 million in grant support and has published in top journals like The Lancet and BMJ.  He is also involved in implementing Australia’s first National Help Line for low back pain through a major funded project.

Prof. Manuela Ferreira is NHMRC Investigator Fellow, Professor of Musculoskeletal Health and Program Head, Musculoskeletal Health, at The George Institute for Global Health, where she conducts research on the mechanisms, prognosis and management of musculoskeletal disorders with a focus on low back pain. Before joining The George Institute, she was Professor of Musculoskeletal Health at the University of Sydney, where she was inaugural chair of the Musculoskeletal Priority Research Area (+80 researchers) at the Kolling Institute, and co-chair of the Musculoskeletal Clinical Advisory Group of Sydney Health Partners (an NHMRC, Sydney University and health district research translation partnership). She currently leads multiple randomised controlled trials of musculoskeletal interventions, including the first placebo randomised controlled trial of spinal surgery, an NHMRC-funded study that will establish the efficacy of decompressive surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis.

Registration

Please register >>HERE<< by 3:00 pm on 8 May 2026 (Friday). 

Seats are limited.  Priority will be given to staff members/PhD students from FHSS constituent Departments/Schools.  A confirmation email will be sent to successful registrants in due course.

Enquiries: fhss.ctu@polyu.edu.hk