Certara Professional Courses and Certifications

Bundle Cost - $1450 ($725 Academia, $700 Africa/India) This bundle is recommended for scientists who want to earn the certifications for both NCA and PK/PD modeling, and who are new to pharmacokinetics. Those who successfully complete the certification courses will earn the following certifications: Certara Certified NCA Analyst using Phoenix WinNonlin Version 8.3 Certara Certified PK/PD Modeler using Phoenix WinNonlin 8.4 This bundle includes four courses: two conceptual courses and two certification courses. All the courses in this bundle are delivered in an e-learning format. The certification exams are included in the certification courses.  If purchased separately, the four courses would cost $1,850, so you can save $400 by purchasing the bundle.  Courses Included (see Content Tab for details) (103-OD) Fundamentals of Pharmacokinetics [Conceptual Course] | e-learning (105-OD) Noncompartmental Data Analysis [Conceptual Course] | e-learning (122-OD-CERT) Phoenix WinNonlin (Part 1) NCA Certification Course | e-learning (123-OD-CERT) Phoenix WinNonlin (Part 2) PK/PD Modeling Certification Course | e-Learning Read more

Bundle Cost - $1750 ($875 Academia, $850 Africa/India) This bundle is recommended for scientists who want to earn the certifications for NCA, PK/PD modeling, and population modeling, and who are new to pharmacokinetics. Those who successfully complete the certification courses will earn the following certifications: Certara Certified NCA Analyst using Phoenix WinNonlin Version 8.3 Certara Certified PK/PD Modeler using Phoenix WinNonlin 8.4 Certara Certified Population PK/PD Pharmacometrician (Level 1) using Phoenix NLME 8.0/8.1/8.2 This bundle includes five courses: two conceptual courses and three certification courses. All the courses in this bundle are delivered in an e-learning format. The certification exams are included in the certification courses.  If purchased separately, the five courses would cost $2,425, so you can save $675 by purchasing the bundle.   Courses Included (see Content Tab for details) (103-OD) Fundamentals of Pharmacokinetics [Conceptual Course] | e-learning (105-OD) Noncompartmental Data Analysis [Conceptual Course] | e-learning (122-OD-CERT) Phoenix WinNonlin (Part 1) NCA Certification Course | e-learning (123-OD-CERT) Phoenix WinNonlin (Part 2) PK/PD Modeling Certification Course | e-learning (124-OD-CERT) Phoenix NLME Population Modeling Certification Course | e-Learning Read more

Cost - Free This complimentary course will teach you the new features, functionality and improvements available in Trial Simulator 2.3. Trial Simulation is used to optimize trial design to ensure greater success to meet trial objectives.  This course is intended  for users who have prior experience with Trial Simulator and who are upgrading to version 2.3.  Although certain sections might  help new users to better understand the aspects of trial simulation prior experience is recommended.  The course explains the new features that have been added and also contains a practical component to verify knowledge. There is no need to have the software installed locally to take this short course and do the practical sections. Course Content Introduction Installation, configuration, supported OS, other 3rd party compatibility Accessing study files and simulation results from previous version PK/PD Trial Simulation Demonstration [includes an interactive section] Plotting and Analysis using R Software within Trial Simulator [includes an interactive section] Conclusions Software Used Trial Simulator 2.3 (No need to install locally) Course Length:  The course provides approximately 2 hours of video instruction which includes a practical component that you can do at your own pace. It is expected to take participants about 4 hours to complete, including time to perform the tasks in Trial Simulator 2.3. Prerequisites Participants should have a good background in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics modeling and simulation, and ideally, prior experience with Trial Simulator software. Instructor Christopher Mehl is a Senior Software Trainer with Certara University, and has been with Certara since 2003. His educational background is a BS in Molecular Biology from the Ohio State University, and an MS in Pharmacology from the University of Wisconsin. He has conducted over 200 training courses with Certara products such as Phoenix WinNonlin, IVIVC, NLME, PKS, and Trial Simulator. These include workshops at the US Food and Drug Administration, universities, customer sites, and courses open to the public. Read more

Pre-Conference MBMA Workshop at PAGE 2026 Price: $590 [€500] (Academic $295 [€250]) For academic pricing, contact info@certarauniversity.com. Be prepared to offer some evidence (such as an academic email address or a student ID) that you are eligible for the discount.  Course Description Attendees of this one-day workshop will learn about model-based meta-analysis (MBMA) – starting with the basic principles of meta-analysis and moving toward detailed applications of complex MBMA methodologies.   Concepts will be explained using case studies, accompanied by detailed hands-on exercises based on Certara’s CODEx software platform, R scripts and real datasets Topics This workshop will cover some critical topics, including: MBMA of binary and continuous data Dose-response relationships Longitudinal data Exploration of covariate effects Joint MBMA of multiple endpoints Methodological aspects Relative effect vs absolute outcome modeling Unstructured (nonparametric) placebo methodology Prognostic vs. predictive covariates Random effects and weighting of data Data transformations Materials Provided Slide deck Datasets R scripts for hands-on sessions Participant versions provided ahead of time Teacher versions provided during hands-on sessions Requirements Attendees should bring a computer and power cord with powerpoint and/or pdf reader and R version 4.3.x or later (RStudio also preferred).  It is highly encouraged that attendees have experience with data analysis and modeling in R (e.g., nlme library). Proficiency in basic probability and statistics concepts is recommended.   Location:   The course will take place at the Valamar President Hotel, in the Olipa 2 meeting room. This hotel is approximately a 9-minute walk from the Lacroma Valamar Hotel, where the PAGE conference is being held, in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Date and Time: Tuesday, 2 June 2026 from 08:00 to 17:00  (Lunch Included)   Instructors   Matt Zierhut, PhD, MBA.   Matt Zierhut has spent more than 16 years in the pharmaceutical industry, focusing on methodologies and applications of model-based meta-analysis (MBMA) for the past 13+ years.  He is currently a vice president at Certara, leading their global MBMA team. Prior to joining Certara in 2021, Matt led the development of Janssen’s MBMA capabilities, directly impacting multiple critical development decisions.  He also worked in the Pharmacometrics groups at both Pfizer and Amylin Pharmaceuticals. Matt spent some time as a management consultant and received an MBA, which has encouraged him to emphasize the business applications of modeling and simulation, improving internal decisions and regulatory interactions.   Paul Diderichsen, PhD Paul Diderichsen has spent more than 20 years in the pharmaceutical industry and consulting, with extensive experience in pharmacometrics and model-informed drug development. He is currently Vice President and Regional Lead, Europe/Africa, in Certara’s Quantitative Science Services practice, where he leads multidisciplinary teams delivering quantitative decision support across all phases of drug development. Prior to and during his 15 years at Certara, Paul has worked with a broad range of biotech and pharmaceutical companies, as well as held roles at AbbVie and Novo Nordisk. His work has spanned population PK, PKPD, exposure–response, C-QTc analysis, and model-based meta-analysis (MBMA), supporting both internal development decisions and regulatory interactions. With a background in applied physics and a PhD in mechanism-based modeling from the Technical University of Denmark, he is passionate about applying modeling and simulation to reduce development risk and help bring effective therapies to patients.   Li Qin, PhD Li Qin has spent more than 8 years on quantitative consulting services working on various projects of model-informed drug development, including population PK/PD, exposure–response, and model-based meta-analysis (MBMA). In the past years, she has focused on applying clinical outcome data and MBMA to support critical drug development decisions across various therapeutic fields. Currently, she works as Director in Certara’s Quantitative Science Services. Prior to joining Certara, she worked as a postdoc and senior researcher in the field of pharmacology, aging, and health assessment in Academic research Centers. She has Ph.D in Epidemiology and B.Eng in Environmental Engineering.                                                  Read more

Pre-Conference Workshop at PAGE 2026 Price: $150 (Academic $75) For academic pricing, contact info@certarauniversity.com. Be prepared to offer some evidence (such as an academic email address or a student ID) that you are eligible for the discount.  Course Description This course is a unique opportunity to learn from Professor Stephen Duffull, a globally recognized pharmacometrician with more than 30 years of experience. Although he is widely known for his deep expertise in NONMEM  and population PK/PD modelling, in this course, he will be teaching RsNLME, bringing the same rigor, quantitative insight, and modelling principles that have guided his work throughout his career. His ability to translate concepts across modelling platforms makes his instruction especially valuable for learners adopting RsNLME and with some prior knowledge of NONMEM. Introduction Phoenix is a data analysis software application that supports population PK and PKPD modelling amongst many other pharmacometrics approaches.  For population analysis, Phoenix uses the NLME engine for which it uses the Phoenix Model Language (PML).  The NLME engine can be run from a variety of sources including the Phoenix application (a graphic user interface software application) as well as from R.  The R version is called RsNLME.  PML code that runs in Phoenix will also run in R (and vice versa). PML models can be written in Phoenix and exported or written by the user using any text editor, much as you would do with NONMEM (often by adapting an existing library model). Scope This workshop covers (i) writing (PML) as text code and saving as an *.MDL model file (MDL = model), (ii) reading in a NONMEM readable data set into R, (iii) defining additional pre-optimization run settings (e.g. estimation method etc), (iv) fitting the model using NLME, (v) creating GOF plots and individual plots, (vi) creating VPC and pcVPC plots and (vii) simulating from the model. Item (i) will be performed using a text editor.  Items (ii to vii) will be performed in R. The PML language file (*.MDL) will be compared and contrasted to the standard NONMEM control file (e.g. *.MOD or *.CTL). PML language files will be created from both a shiny app as well as by text editing existing files.  A small set of example models will be considered that illustrate how the PML model file would be set up. Objectives It is anticipated that the participant will be able to edit and update existing PML file models and run these within R by the end of the workshop. Style Intermittent slide presentations interspersed with detailed description of coding elements and hands-on.  About 70% of the workshop will be hands on. R-scripts to run PML and PML examples will be made available.   Audience Mid-beginners to Intermediate. Some prior experience with NONMEM would be helpful, given the compare and contrast element of the some of the material, but this is not a requirement.  Experience with a population approach is required. Location:   The course will take place at the Valamar President Hotel, in the Olipa 3 meeting room. This hotel is approximately a 9-minute walk from the Lacroma Valamar Hotel, where the PAGE conference is being held, in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Date and Time: Tuesday, 2 June 2026 from 09:00 to 17:00 We recommend waiting to finalize your travel plans until May 3, 2026, to confirm the course will proceed as scheduled. Requirements: Each participant must bring their own laptop and be familiar with the fundamental use of R software.  Experience with a population approach is required.  Some experience with NONMEM is preferred. Licenses for RsNLME will be provided.  RsNLME licenses are always free for academia.   Instructors Stephen Duffull is a Senior Scientific Advisor at Certara and Professor at the Universities of Otago and Queensland.  He has been working in the area of pharmacometrics and PKPD for more than 30 years during which time he has been active in research, model informed drug development, leadership roles and training.                                                                           Read more