Associate ProfessorPaul Agius

Member since April 2025

Clinical Trial and Cohort Studies

Clinical Trial and Cohort Studies

Project Grant

AAP media consultation for expert opinion re: an analysis of Swiss COVID data published on social media.

Panel member for confirmation of candidature. PhD candidate: Belayneh Mengist Miteku

Member - Senior Biostatistician

SUANHOAM – Supporting Action on Nutrition in the Home and the Community – an CRCT in Vientiane Province, Lao PDR

Accredited Member (AStat)

Representing Deakin University, Faculty of Health (Biostatistics Unit) as a formal research partner of Western Health and contributing to this research forum (Footscray Hospital)

Presentation introducing the Deakin Biostatistics Unit (BU) to encourage and develop research collaboration between School of Psychology and the BU.

Developed and delivered an in-person all-day logistic regression biostatistics workshop for academics and HDR students (Burwood Corporate Centre)

Title: The relationship between opioid agonist therapy and cessation and resumption of injecting drug use: effect estimation using a multi-state modelling approach. Description: Injecting drug use (IDU) is a chronic relapsing condition. Approximately 26 million people were estimated to be living with opioid use dependence globally in 2016; with regular IDU associated with a range of adverse health outcomes and wider social harms. Previous research with samples recruited in primary care and drug treatment has shown that opioid agonist therapy (OAT) reduces IDU frequency. We sought to model transitions between states of drug injecting and non-injecting over time and the impact of OAT on these transitions in a community-based cohort of people who inject drugs. Data come from SuperMIX, an ongoing prospective cohort study involving annual interviews with people who inject drugs in Melbourne. Using random-effects multi-state modelling, we modelled transitions between states of injecting and non-injecting to estimate the effects of OAT engagement on these transitions. In this presentation I will briefly introduce multi-state modelling, describe its application in estimating the association between OAT and the natural IDU trajectories of SuperMIX participants and summarise the preliminary findings from this research. Bio: A/Prof. Paul Agius is an internationally recognised nationally accredited senior biostatistician and public health researcher with experience in complex statistical modelling in the fields of microbiology, infectious disease epidemiology, maternal, infant and adolescent health, perinatal epidemiology and alcohol and other drugs. Paul is Associate Professor, Biostatistics in the Faculty of Health, Deakin University and collaborates across Faculty schools and affiliated Institutes/centres providing biostatistical/methodological expertise and collaboration. A/Prof. Agius has honorary principal research fellow and research fellow appointments at the Burnet Institute and School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine, Monash University. A/Prof. Agius is also an adjunct Fellow of the Australian Centre for Research Excellence in Malaria Elimination and is a professionally accredited member (AStat) of the Statistical Society of Australia. A/Prof. Agius is also the senior biostatistician in the Melbourne Genital Microbiota Group consortium, which facilitates capacity for collaborative genital microbiome research between academics from several Universities and MRIs, nationally.

Participated in monthly meetings.

Developed and delivered an in-person all-day logistic regression biostatistics workshop for academics and HDR students (Deakin Downtown)

Member/ regular participant in the Deakin Clinical Trials Hub meetings and subsequent Deakin Trials Community of Practice meetings.

Thesis examiner