Medical Biometry: department tasks

The department is responsible for the statistical review of studies and the statistical analysis of data. It therefore supports the project work of other departments.

Staff members

  • provide statistical support for the Institute's projects,
  • work on their own projects on specific methodological issues,
  • analyse statistical methods for the assessment of medical interventions,
  • continuously monitor and evaluate the current statistical literature, and
  • provide statistical training to the Institute’s staff.

Other tasks include

  • further development of methods for assessing the benefits and harms of medical interventions,
  • collaboration in international working groups, and
  • dissemination of assessment methods and results, as well as other new scientific knowledge arising from the department's work, through presentations and publications.

Department staff

Prof. Dr. Ralf Bender, Dipl.-Stat.

Prof. Dr. Ralf Bender, Dipl.-Stat.

Professional profile

Graduate Statistician and Epidemiologist, Certificate “Biometry in Medicine” in 1995, Certificate “Epidemiology” in 1998, Research Associate at the Universities of Hanover (MHH), Düsseldorf, Bochum, Bielefeld and Mainz, 2001 Habilitation in the subject of "Medical Statistics and Epidemiology" at the University of Bielefeld, 2003 to 2004 Head of Statistical Consulting at the University Hospital of the Johannes-Gutenberg University Mainz, 2005 Umhabilitation at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Cologne, 2007 appointment as Associate Professor at the University of Cologne, member of several professional societies, including the International Biometric Society (IBS), the German Society for Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology (GMDS, where he is a member of the certificate commission "Medical Documentation" and Deputy Head of the working group "Therapeutical Research"), the International Society for Clinical Biostatistics (ISCB, where he is a member of the sub-committee "Statistics in Regulatory Affairs") and the Society for Research Synthesis Methods (SRSM). Reviewer and Consultant for the Cochrane Review Group "Metabolic and Endocrine Disorders" (since 2000), the Radiation Protection Commission (2001-2003), the German Research Foundation (since 2002) and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (since 2006), reviewer for numerous international journals, including Biometrical Journal, BMJ, JAMA, Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, PLoS One, Research Synthesis Methods, Statistical Methods in Medical Research and Statistics in Medicine.

Dr. Guido Skipka, Dipl.-Stat.

Dr. Guido Skipka, Dipl.-Stat.

Professional profile

Statistician and biometrician. 1998 - 2002 Research Associate at the Department of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, Ruhr University, Bochum. 2003 - February 2005 Research Associate at the Institute for Mathematical Stochastics, University of Göttingen (2003: Certificate in Applied Statistics, Centre for Statistics, University of Göttingen. Doctorate in Biometry, University of Göttingen). Member of scientific societie International Biometric Society (IBS-DR) and German Network for Evidence-Based Medicine e.V.

Dr. rer. nat. Benjamin Becker
Dr. sc. hum. Lars Beckmann
Dr. rer.medic. Anne Catharina Brockhaus
Dr. rer. medic. Moritz Felsch
PD Dr. rer. biol. hum. Ulrich Grouven
Dr. rer.nat. Charlotte Guddat
Sandra Hamacher
Dr. rer. medic. Katharina Hirsch
Dr. rer. medic. Corinna Kiefer
Kerstin van der Leck
Dr. rer. nat. Jona Lilienthal
Fabian Lotz
Dr. rer. physiol. Claudia-Martina Messow
Dr. Sportwiss. Max Oberste-Frielinghaus
Mattea Patt
Dr. rer. nat. Katherine Rascher
Dr. sc. hum. Anke Schulz
Dr. rer. nat. Wiebke Sieben
Dr. rer. nat. Sibylle Sturtz
Dr. rer.hum. Frank Weber