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Elizabeth Louise Turner

Associate Professor of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics
Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Division of Biostatistics
Duke Box 2721, Durham, NC 27710
2424 Erwin Road, Suite 1104, 11109 Hock Plaza, Durham, NC 27705

Overview


Dr. Turner is Associate Professor of Biostatistics and Global Health and serves as Director of the Research Design and Analysis Core of the Duke Global Health Institute. Her primary methodological focus is on the design and analysis of randomized controlled trials, particularly those that involve clustering such as cluster randomized trials (CRTs), stepped wedge CRTs and individually-randomized group treatment trials. She is expert in the implementation of trials in low resource settings, with a substantive focus on malaria, mental health and cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Turner joined the Department of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics and Duke Global Health Institute in March 2012 following four years as Research Fellow in the Department of Medical Statistics at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). Since then, she has continued to hold a joint position with Duke's Global Health Institute (DGHI) where she serves as faculty statistician and collaborates with faculty and affiliates. Dr. Turner earned her undergraduate honors degree in Mathematics from the University of Warwick, UK, during which she spent an intercalated year at the Universite of Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France. She then earned her MSc and PhD in Statistics from McGill University, Canada, with her doctoral studies funded by the prestigious Commonwealth Scholarship.

Thanks to her participation in multi-disciplinary projects, Dr. turner has a great appreciation for the importance of good study design and data collection and is well aware that no fancy statistical analyses can save researchers from the scourge of bad data. Through those experiences and her teaching in different settings, including the UK, Canada, France and Tanzania, she is aware that statisticians and their collaborators sometimes “speak a different language”. As a result, her approach is very much one of translation, pragmatism and collaboration.

Further information about the Global Health Research Design and Analysis Core service can be found at:
https://globalhealth.duke.edu/dghi-research-design-analysis-core

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Associate Professor of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics · 2021 - Present Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Division of Biostatistics, Biostatistics & Bioinformatics
Associate Research Professor of Global Health · 2019 - Present Duke Global Health Institute, University Institutes and Centers
Affiliate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society · 2014 - Present Duke Science & Society, University Initiatives & Academic Support Units

Recent Publications


Long-term mortality outcome of a primary care-based mobile health intervention for stroke management: Six-year follow-up of a cluster-randomized controlled trial.

Journal Article PLoS medicine · March 2025 BackgroundDespite growing evidence of primary care-based interventions for chronic disease management in resource-limited settings, long-term post-trial effects remain inconclusive. We investigated the association of a 12-month system-integrated t ... Full text Cite

Guidelines for the content of statistical analysis plans in clinical trials: protocol for an extension to cluster randomized trials.

Journal Article Trials · February 27, 2025 BACKGROUND: Guidance exists to inform the content of statistical analysis plans in clinical trials. Though not explicitly stated, this guidance is generally focused on clinical trials in which the randomization units are individual patients and not groups ... Full text Link to item Cite

Is there a mental health diagnostic crisis in primary care? Current research practices in global mental health cannot answer that question.

Journal Article Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci · January 30, 2025 In low- and middle-income countries, fewer than 1 in 10 people with mental health conditions are estimated to be accurately diagnosed in primary care. This is despite more than 90 countries providing mental health training for primary healthcare workers in ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


NIH Health Care Systems Research Collaboratory-Coordinating Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2017 - 2028

Caregiver Coaching to Improve Outcomes of Young Autistic Children in Africa

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institute of Mental Health · 2022 - 2027

StandStrong - GWU sub-contract

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by The George Washington University · 2023 - 2026

View All Grants

Education, Training & Certifications


McGill University Faculty of Medicine (Canada) · 2007 Ph.D.