Stats are key!
The 40th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Clinical Biostatistics (ISCB) took place on 14-18 July 2019 in Leuven.
750 participants from 45 countries attended the conference. The scientific sessions of the conference were scheduled at the educational facilities of the Faculty of Medicine KU Leuven at Gasthuisberg.
The Local Organising Committee consisted of the staff members of the
Center for Statistics of Hasselt University and
Leuven Biostatistics and Statistical Bioinformatics Centre of KU Leuven;
two entities forming the Interuniversity Institute for Biostatistics and Statistical Bioinformatics (I-BioStat).
The conference confirmed the role and valuable contributions of I-BioStat to the international biostatistical community.
Looking in retrospect Professor Tomasz BURZYKOWSKI UHasselt, who was chairman of the local organising committee, reflects on the meeting as follows:
“Leuven was chosen as our conference location for several reasons. It is a lively, vibrant city, hosting the KU Leuven, one of the oldest, best known, innovative universities in Europe. The historic university buildings are spread all over the city and in combination with the impressive Gothic town hall, Saint Peter’s church, and the Great Beguinage (Groot Begijnhof) they form a unique historical setting. This creates an attractive, academic atmosphere. Each spot is easily reachable on foot or by bike. Worth mentioning is also that Leuven counts many restaurants, small eateries and pubs, in other words: participants can easily meet up and socialise in their free time.
All the above, combined with the excellent educational facilities of the Faculty of Medicine and the dedicated support of the professional staff of the University’s Conference Office, contribute to the fact that Leuven is an excellent place for hosting scientific events.
The conference clearly was an affirmation of the role of I-BioStat in the biostatistical community. It has put I-BioStat on the international map.”