Professor Karla Hemming PhD

Professor Karla Hemming

Department of Applied Health Sciences
Professor of Biostatistics

Contact details

Telephone
+44 (0)121 414 2955
Email
k.hemming@bham.ac.uk
Address
Public Health, Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Department of Applied Health Sciences
College of Medicine and Health
ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø
Edgbaston
Birmingham, B15 2TT

Karla is a Professor of Biostatistics in the Department of Applied Health Sciences, ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø, UK. Karla’s research interests include how to design cluster and stepped-wedge trials so as to maximise their statistical efficiency and minimise their risk of bias; how to model time and treatment effect heterogeneity in longitudinal cluster trials; and the ethical issues surrounding these pragmatic trial designs, such as ethical oversight and consent. Karla has recently led the CONSORT extension for the stepped-wedge cluster randomised trial.

Teaching

Teaching Programmes

MBChB Year 2 Integrated Problems (statistics)

Master in Public Health (ESRM and Advanced Statistics)

Postgraduate supervision

Karla supervises PhD students in all aspects of the methodology of cluster randomised trials and the interpretation of statistical findings in RCTs. This includes both quantitative and qualitative projects.

Research

Research and reporting methods for the stepped wedge cluster randomised controlled trial

The stepped‐wedge cluster randomised trial (SW‐CRT) is a novel research study design that  is increasingly being used in the evaluation of service delivery type interventions. Recent systematic reviews have demonstrated that use of this study design is clearly on the increase. In the early history of cluster randomised trials it was not unusual to see trial results which were published without allowing for the clustering, and so results which were overly precise. Because the SW‐CRT is a new study design, it is possible that the analysis and reporting of these trials are not adequately reported. Reporting guidelines specific to SWCRTs do not exist, but here we recommend some minor additions or modifications that can be made to the cluster consort guidelines until specific guidelines for SW‐CRTs are formalised. 

One day work shop: Stepped wedge cluster RCT Roadshow 
For information on upcoming dates please contact Karla: k.hemming@bham.ac.uk  

Collaborators: Karla works with an international group of people all interested and actively researching into the stepped wedge design.
This includes: Monica Taljaard, Associate Professor, Epidemiology and Community Medicine University of Ottawa  and Terry Haines, Monash University 

Publications

Highlight publications

Hemming, K, Thompson, J, Hooper, RL, Ukoumunne, OC, Li, F, Caille, A, Kahan, BC, Leyrat, C, Grayling, MJ, Mohammed, NI, Thompson, JA, Giraudeau, B, Turner, EL, Watson, S, Goulão, B, Kasza, J, Forbes, AB, Copas, AJ & Taljaard, M 2025, '', Trials, vol. 26, 72.

Thompson, JY, Shaw, J, Watson, S, Wang, Y, Robinson, C, Taljaard, M & Hemming, K 2025, '', Journal of Clinical Epidemiology.

McKenzie, JE, Taljaard, M, Hemming, K, Arnup, SJ, Giraudeau, B, Eldridge, S, Hooper, R, Kahan, BC, Li, T, Moher, D, Turner, EL, Grimshaw, JM & Forbes, AB 2025, '', BMJ (Clinical research ed.), vol. 388, e080472.

Hemming, K, Thompson, JY, Taljaard, M, Watson, SI, Kasza, J, Thompson, JA, Kahan, BC & Copas, AJ 2024, '', Trials, vol. 25, no. 1, 818.

Hemming, K, Copas, A, Forbes, A & Kasza, J 2024, '', Journal of epidemiology and population health, vol. 72, no. 1, 202195.

Recent publications

Article

Kudrna, L, Yates, J, Alidu, L, Hemming, K, Quinn, L, Schmidtke, KA, Jones, J, Al-Khudairy, L, Jolly, K, Bird, P, Campbell, N, Bharatan, I, Latuszynska, A, Currie, G & Lilford, R 2025, '', International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 22, no. 3, 398.

MacArthur, C, Bick, D, Salmon, V, Jones, E, Hay-smith, J, Bishop, J, Gkini, E, Hemming, K, Webb, S, Pearson, M, Coleman, T, Terry, R, Edwards, E, Frawley, H, Oborn, E & Dean, S 2025, '', BMJ open, vol. 15, no. 1, e091248.

Devall, AJ, Nausheen, S, Muhammad, S, Soofi, S, Karmaliani, R, Lakhani, A, Sajid, K, Ahmed, I, Raza, A, Ashraf, A, Shahid, N, Mubeen, K, Wahab, S, Liaquat, R, Evans, C, Martin, JT, Middleton, LJ, Beeson, LE, Sindhu, KN, Podesek, M, Horne, I, Aswat, A, Oladapo, OT, Gallos, ID, Hemming, K, Yunas, I, Sheikh, L & Coomarasamy, A 2025, '', The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Women's Health.

Dickinson-Craig, E, Turbat, T, Hemming, K, Pope, F, Bartington, S, Anjaa, S, Davaa, S, Day, R, Boldbaatar, D, Ochir, C, Warburton, D, Thomas, GN, Badarch, J & Manaseki-Holland, S 2025, '', Atmosphere, vol. 16, no. 1, 46.

Rwanda912 RIGHT Group 2025, '', BMJ open.

Williams, EV, Goranitis, I, Oppong, R, Perry, SJ, Devall, AJ, Martin, JT, Mammoliti, K-M, Beeson, LE, Sindhu, KN, Galadanci, H, Al-beity, FA, Qureshi, Z, Hofmeyr, GJ, Moran, N, Fawcus, S, Mandondo, S, Middleton, L, Hemming, K, Oladapo, OT, Gallos, ID, Coomarasamy, A & Roberts, TE 2024, '', Nature Medicine.

Schmidtke, KA, Kudrna, L, Quinn, L, Bird, P, Hemming, K, Venable, Z & Lilford, R 2024, '', BMJ Quality & Safety.

Hemming, K, Kudrna, L, Watson, S, Taljaard, M, Greenfield, S, Goulao, B & Lilford, R 2024, '', BMC Medical Research Methodology, vol. 24, no. 1, 256.

Quinn, L, Martin, J, Asamane, E, Manaseki-Holland, S, Lilford, RJ, Traore, L, Thompson, J, Watson, SI & Hemming, K 2024, '', Trials, vol. 25, no. 1, 483.

Hemming, K, Melo, P, Luo, R, Taljaard, M & Coomarasamy, A 2023, '', BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology.

Al-Khudairy, L, Akram, Y, Watson, SI, Kudrna, L, Hofman, J, Nightingale, M, Alidu, L, Rudge, A, Rawdin, C, Ghosh, I, Mason, F, Perera, C, Wright, J, Boachie, J, Hemming, K, Vlaev, I, Russell, S & Lilford, RJ 2023, '', PLOS Global Public Health, vol. 3, no. 7, e0001381.

Dickinson-Craig, E, Badarch, J, Bartington, S, Hemming, K, Thayakaran, R, Day, R, Pope, F, Chuluunbaatar, B, Boldbaatar, D, Ochir, C, Warburton, D, Thomas, GN & Manaseki-Holland, S 2023, '', BMJ open, vol. 13, no. 4, e061723.

Hemming, K & Taljaard, M 2023, '', International Journal of Epidemiology, pp. 1-11.

Review article

Thompson, J, Watson, SI, Middleton, L & Hemming, K 2025, '', Trials, vol. 26, 1.

Goldstein, CE, Marouf, Y, Johri, M, Shaw, JF, Sergeant, A, Nicholls, SG, Althabe, F, Ferrand, RA, van der Graaf, R, Hemming, K, Mbuagbaw, L, Treweek, S, Welch, VA, Weijer, C & Taljaard, M 2024, '', BMJ open, vol. 14, no. 9, e087724.