Research Focus

Clinical Epidemiology, Public Health & Health Systems

Area of Research

Matthias Briel is a physician and clinical epidemiologist with a strong interest in clinical trial methodology and meta-epidemiological research. He received his Dr. med. from the University of Freiburg for electrophysiological work on cystic fibrosis in 2000, completed an MSc in Health Research Methodology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada in 2008, his FMH in Prevention and Public Health in 2014, and a PhD in Epidemiology in 2018.

Adherence to Spirit Recommendations (ASPIRE)

Corona Vaccine Trial Platform (COVERALL)

Library of Guidance for Health Scientists (LIGHTS)

Making Randomized Trials Affordable (MARTA)

Prediction of Recruitment in Randomized Controlled Trials (RECRUIT-IT)

Evidence-Based Research (EVBRES)

National Collaborations

• Swiss clinical Trials Empirical Assessment & Methods (STEAM) Working Group (Prof Sven Trelle, Prof Angèle Gayet-Ageron)
• swissethics (Prof Susanne Driessen, Dr. Pietro Gervasoni), umbrella organisation of Swiss ethics committees
• Swiss Clinical Trial Organisation (SCTO) (Prof Christiane Pauli-Magnus, Dr. Victoria Sarraf), umbrella organisation of Swiss clinical trial units
• Swiss Federal Office of Public Health, Division Research with Humans (Dr. Brigitte Meier, Dr. Matthias Rinderknecht), Bern
• Swiss Implementation Science Network (IMPACT, Prof Sabina De Geest, Prof Mieke Deschodt) 

International Collaborations

• Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact (HEI) (Prof Gordon Guyatt, Prof Holger Schünemann, Prof Stephen Walter, Prof Jason Busse, Prof John You, Prof Dominik Mertz, Prof Maureen Meade, Prof Deborah Cook), McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
• Trial Forge Initiative (Prof Shaun Treweek, Prof Katie Gillies), Department of Health Services Research, University of Aberdeen, UK
• Centre for Evidence-based Research (Prof Hans Lund), Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Bergen, Norway
• Oslo Centre for Biostatistics and Epidemiology (Dr Inge Olsen, Dr Corina Rüegg) & Oslo University Hospital (Prof Marius Troseid), Oslo, Norway
• Sorbonne Université, Inserm (Prof Dominique Costagliola, Prof France Mentré, Prof Yazdan Yazdanpanah), Paris, France

• Longitudinal evaluation of the accuracy and completeness of clinical trial protocols - the Adherence to SPIRIT Recommendations (ASPIRE) study
• Systematic review on budget planning and cost monitoring tools
• Cochrane Methods review of studies within trials (SWATs) on risk-based or centralised monitoring of clinical trials
• Empirical mixed methods study on resource use and costs of clinical trials
• Empirical investigation and tool development on recruitment prediction for randomised clinical trials (RECRUIT-IT) study
• Longitudinal comparison of the prevalence and characteristics of patient reported outcomes in clinical trial protocols 2002-2012-2016
• Assessing the design and conduct of multi-arm clinical trials
• Use of outcome-related routinely collected data in clinical trials
• Longitudinal comparison of the planning of subgroup analyses in trial protocols 2002-2012-2016
• Longitudinal comparison of the discontinuation and non-publication of clinical trials 2002-2012-2016
• Identification of ways to evaluate and implement the use of systematic reviews in the preparation of clinical studies - a Delphi study (workpackage 4, COST Action (CA17117), “Towards an International Network for Evidence-based Research in Clinical Health Research”)
• Qualitative study on the attitudes and perspectives of trial investigators and other stakeholders on ethical issues with trial discontinuation