Professor Sylwia Bujkiewicz

I am Professor of Biostatistics based in the Biostatistics Research Group at the University of Leicester. My research interests are in the area of Bayesian methods for evidence synthesis. The main focus of my research is in methods development and application of Bayesian multi-parameter evidence synthesis for combining data from diverse sources including multivariate meta-analysis (of multiple outcomes including surrogate endpoints) network meta-analysis and meta-analysis of data from mixture of study designs (randomised and non-randomised studies). I am particularly interested in the application of these methods in the context of HTA decision-making. I am a member of NICE Decision Support Unit, NICE Guidelines Technical Support Unit and Associate Editor for the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society A.

Research projects:

A framework for multi-indication evidence synthesis in oncology Health Technology Assessment, Medical Research Council Better Methods Better Research grant (co-Investigator and Leicester lead, with University of York, July 2022 - June 2024).

HCD: Novel approaches of multi-parameter evidence synthesis and decision modelling for efficient evaluation of diagnostic health technologies, Medical Research Council, Methodology Research Grant (Principal Investigator with University of Sheffield and University of Glasgow July 2020 - December 2024).

In-silico trials of targeted screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm using linked healthcare data: can the efficiency of the NHS Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening Programme be improved whilst maintaining publicly acceptable levels of disease detection in an ethically acceptable manner, NIHR Health Services and Delivery Research (co-Investigator, May 2022 - November 2024)

HOD1: Inferring relative treatment effects from combined randomised and observational data, Medical Research Council, Methodology Research Grant (co-Investigator and Leicester lead, with University of York and University of Bristol, January 2019 - November 2022).

Bayesian multivariate evidence synthesis methods to incorporate surrogate endpoints in health care evaluation, Medical Research Council, New Investigator Methodology Research Grant (Principal Investigator, March 2014 - August 2017).

Real life data in drug development (GetReal) EU’s 7th Framework Programme Innovative Medicines Initiative (co-investigator as part of an international consortium of academia HTA and regulatory agencies patient representatives and EFPIA companies October 2013 - March 2017).

Lorna Wheaton, Dan Jackson, Sylwia Bujkiewicz, Bayesian meta-analysis for evaluating treatment effectiveness in biomarker subgroups using trials of mixed patient populations, Research Synthesis Methods 2024, 6 February.

Zhang L, Bujkiewicz S, Jackson D. Four alternative methodologies for simulated treatment comparison: How could the use of simulation be re‐invigorated?. Research Synthesis Methods. 2023 Dec 17.

Umemneku-Chikere CM, Wheaton L, Poad H, Ray D, Andrade IC, Khan S, Tappenden P, Abrams KR, Owen RK, Bujkiewicz S. Individual participant data from digital sources informed and improved precision in the evaluation of predictive biomarkers in Bayesian network meta-analysis. Journal of clinical epidemiology. 2023 Dec 1;164:96-103.

H Hussein, K Abrams, LJ Gray, S Anwer, S Dias, S Bujkiewicz, Hierarchical network meta-analysis models for the inclusion of real-world evidence in evidence synthesis, BMC Medical Research Methodology 2023, 23:97

L Wheaton, A Papanikos, A Thomas, S Bujkiewicz, Using Bayesian Evidence Synthesis Methods to Incorporate Real World Evidence in Surrogate Endpoint Evaluation. Medical Decision Making, e-pub 30 March 2023

Papanikos T, Thompson JR, Abrams KR, Bujkiewicz S, Use of copula to model within-study association in bivariate meta-analysis of binomial data at the aggregate level: A Bayesian approach and application to surrogate endpoint evaluation, Statistics in Medicine 2022;41:4961–4981.

S Bujkiewicz, J Singh, L Wheaton, D Jenkins, R Martina, K Hyrich, KR Abrams, Bridging disconnected networks of first and second lines of biologic therapies in rheumatoid arthritis with registry data: Bayesian evidence synthesis with target trial emulation Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 150 (2022) 171-178

J Singh, S Gsteiger, L Wheaton, RD. Riley, KR. Abrams, CL. Gillies, and S Bujkiewicz, Bayesian network meta-analysis methods for combining individual participant data and aggregate data from single arm trials and randomized controlled trials, BMC Medical research Methodology (2022) 22(1), pp.1-17.

Seo M, Debray T, Ruffieux Y, Gsteiger S, Bujkiewicz S, Finckh A, Egger M, Efthimiou O, Combining individual patient data from randomized and non-randomized studies to predict real-world effectiveness of interventions; Statistical Methods in Medical Research, 26 April 2022

Jenkins D, Hussein H, Martina R, Dequen-O'Byrne P, Abrams KR, Bujkiewicz S, Methods for the inclusion of real world evidence in network meta-analysis, BMC Medical Research Methodology 21, 207 (2021)

Dawoud D, Naci H, Ciani O and Bujkiewicz S, Raising the bar for using surrogate endpoints in drug regulation and health technology assessment, BMJ 2021;374:n2191

Singh J, Abrams KR, Bujkiewicz S, Incorporating single-arm studies in meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials: A simulation study, BMC Medical Research Methodology 21, 114 (2021).

Welton, N.J., Phillippo, D.M., Owen, R., Jones, H.J., Dias, S., Bujkiewicz, S., Ades, A.E., Abrams, K.R. DSU Report. CHTE2020 Sources and Synthesis of Evidence; Update to Evidence Synthesis Methods. March 2020

Papanikos T, Thompson JT, Abrams KR, Staedler N,  Ciani O, Taylor RS, Bujkiewicz S, A Bayesian hierarchical meta-analytic method for modelling surrogate relationships that vary across treatment classes. Statistics in Medicine 2020;39:1103-1124.

Owen RK, Bujkiewicz S, Tincello DG, Abrams KR, Multivariate network meta-analysis incorporating class effects. BMC Medical Research Methodology 20, 184 (2020).

Elia EG, Staedler N, Ciani O, Taylor RS, Bujkiewicz S. Combining tumour response and progression free survival as surrogate endpoints for overall survival in advanced colorectal cancer. Cancer epidemiology. 2020 Feb 1;64:101665.

Bujkiewicz S, Achana FA, Papanikos T, Riley RD, Abrams KR, NICE DSU Technical Support Document 20: Multivariate meta-analysis of summary data for combining treatment effects on correlated outcomes and evaluating surrogate endpoints; 2019.

Bujkiewicz S, Jackson D,  Thompson JR, Turner R, Staedler N, Abrams KR, White IR, Bivariate network meta-analysis for surrogate endpoint evaluation, Statistics in Medicine 2019;38:3322-3341.

Tan SH, Abrams KR, Bujkiewicz S, Bayesian multi-parameter evidence synthesis to inform decision-making: a case study in hormone-refractory metastatic prostate cancer, Medical Decision Making 2018;38(7) 834--848.

Martina R, Jenkins D, Bujkiewicz S, Dequen P, Abrams KR, The inclusion of real world evidence in clinical development planning, Trials 2018; 19, 468.

Jackson D, Bujkiewicz S, Law M, Riley RD, White I, A matrix-based method of moments for fitting multivariate network meta-analysis with multiple outcomes and random inconsistency effects, Biometrics 2018; 74, 548-556.

Burke DL, Bujkiewicz S, Riley RD, Bayesian bivariate meta-analysis of correlated effects: impact of the prior distributions on the between-study correlation, borrowing of strength, and joint inferences, Statistical Methods in Medical Research, 2018; 27 (2): 428-450.

Bujkiewicz S, Thompson JR, Riley RD, Abrams KR, Bayesian meta-analytical methods to incorporate multiple surrogate endpoints in drug development process, Statistics in Medicine, 2016; 35 (7): 1063-1089.

Bujkiewicz S, Thompson JR, Spata E, Abrams KR, Uncertainty in the Bayesian meta-analysis of normally distributed surrogate endpoints, Statistical Methods in Medical Research, 2017; 26 (5): 2287-2318.

Achana FA, Cooper NJ, Bujkiewicz S, Hubbard SJ, Kendrick D, Jones DR and Sutton AJ, Network meta-analysis of multiple outcome measures accounting for borrowing of information across outcomes, BMC Medical Research Methodology, 2014, 14:92.

Tan SH, Cooper NJ, Bujkiewicz S, Welton NJ, Caldwell DM, Sutton AJ, Novel presentational approaches were developed for reporting network meta-analysis, Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 2014; 67(6): 672 - 680.

Bujkiewicz S, Thompson JR, Sutton AJ, Cooper NJ, Harrison MJ, Symmons DPM, Abrams KR. Multivariate meta-analysis of mixed outcomes: a Bayesian approach. Statistics in Medicine, 2013; 32: 3926 - 3943.

 

I supervise students in the areas of Bayesian methods of evidence synthesis including data on surrogate endpoints biomarkers or data from different study designs.

Current PhD students:

• Mark Edmondson-Jones, September 2023
• Lorna Wheaton WT DTP, January 2023, Bayesian multi-parameter evidence synthesis for biomarker driven HTA decision making
• Athena Sheppard HDR-UK Oct 2019, Use of electronic health records for efficient evaluation of biomarkers as diagnostic tools and surrogate endpoints in Alzheimer’s disease

Past PhD students

• Heather Poad MRC DTP 2019-2023, Use of biomarkers and surrogate endpoints in health technology assessment (HTA): efficient decision-making for allocation of pharmacological treatment strategies in subpopulations of metastatic colorectal cancer patients
• Janharpreet Singh NIHR DRF 2019-2023, Investigating methods of incorporating real-world data in health technology assessment decision-making: application in Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Tasos Papanikos 2017-2020, Bayesian evidence synthesis for surrogate endpoints in precision medicine
• Rhiannon Owen NIHR DRF 2013-2017, Evaluation of interventions for Overactive Bladder and Detrusor Overactivity: Development and application of evidence synthesis methods for extensive treatment networks
• Sze Huey Tan 2011 -2015, Graphical and statistical methods in health technology assessment

MSc in Medical Statistics:

• Bayesian Inference

• Generalized Linear Models|

• Bayesian/MCMC methods with WinBUGS

• Multivariate meta-analysis and surrogate endpoint evaluation as part of the Advanced Evidence Synthesis module 

surrogate endpoint evaluation

• Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• Associate Editor Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A (Statistics in Society); 2020-2023
• Member of NICE Decision Support Unit (DSU)
• Member of NICE Guidelines Technical Support Unit (TSU)
• Member of the Royal Society International Exchanges Panel; 2020-2023
• Member of the NIHR pre-doctoral fellowships panel; 2024

 

• MSc in Medical Statistics, University of Leicester

• PhD, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology

• MSc in Applied Mathematics, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology

• Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice in Higher Education (PGCAPHE), University of Leicester