copyright (c) Li Zhu Biostatistics and Its Role in Public Health Li Zhu, PhD Assistant Professor of Biostatistics Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics School of Rural Public Health Texas A&M University System Health Science Center
copyright (c) Li Zhu Topics What is Biostatistics? What is Statistics? Role of Biostatisticians Biostatistics in Public Health Research Employment Opportunity
copyright (c) Li Zhu What is Biostatistics Biostatistics is the development and application of statistics to research in health-related fields.
copyright (c) Li Zhu What is Statistics? In short, analysis of data (all stages) Common perceptions of statistics:
copyright (c) Li Zhu What is Statistics? In short, analysis of data (all stages) Common perceptions of statistics: numbers, tables, figures, polls, rates, etc.
copyright (c) Li Zhu What is Statistics? In short, analysis of data (all stages) Common perceptions of statistics: numbers, tables, figures, polls, rates, etc. These are “descriptions of the world” More than “description”
copyright (c) Li Zhu What is Statistics? An Example Polio Vaccine: In the 1950’s polio was a serious disease that affected countless people (mostly children) In 1954, 401,974 children vaccinated 201,229 with a trial vaccine and 200,745 with a placebo There were a total of Polio cases: for placebo versus for vaccine
copyright (c) Li Zhu What is Statistics? An Example Polio Vaccine: In the 1950’s polio was a serious disease that affected countless people (mostly children) In 1954, 401,974 children vaccinated 201,229 with a trial vaccine and 200,745 with a placebo There were a total of 143 Polio cases: 110 for placebo versus 33 for vaccine
copyright (c) Li Zhu What is Statistics? An Example There were a total of 143 Polio cases: 110 for placebo versus 33 for vaccine What does this mean?
copyright (c) Li Zhu What is Statistics? An Example There were a total of 143 Polio cases: 110 for placebo versus 33 for vaccine What does this mean? How did you get the children?
copyright (c) Li Zhu What is Statistics? An Example There were a total of 143 Polio cases: 110 for placebo versus 33 for vaccine What does this mean? How did you get the children? How did you divide them into two groups?
copyright (c) Li Zhu What is Statistics? An Example There were a total of 143 Polio cases: 110 for placebo versus 33 for vaccine What does this mean? How did you get the children? How did you divide them into two groups? Suppose you could repeat the experiment, how likely you would make the same conclusion?
copyright (c) Li Zhu What is Statistics? An Example There were a total of 143 Polio cases: 110 for placebo versus 33 for vaccine What does this mean? How did you get the children? How did you divide them into two groups? Suppose you could repeat the experiment, how likely you would make the same conclusion? How much confidence do you have to detect the difference between the two groups?
copyright (c) Li Zhu What is Statistics? Another Example National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey: As saturated fat in diet increases, what do you expect to happen to risk of breast cancer 10 years later?
copyright (c) Li Zhu Role of Biostatisticians Formulate scientific questions to be answered. Design an experiment which efficiently gets at questions to be answered. Collect Data Screen data for obvious blunders Analyze and interpret data Graphs Numerical summaries
copyright (c) Li Zhu Biostatistics in Public Health Research Methodological research:
copyright (c) Li Zhu Biostatistics in Public Health Research Methodological research: new statistical techniques
copyright (c) Li Zhu Biostatistics in Public Health Research Methodological research: new statistical techniques high speed of computing
copyright (c) Li Zhu Biostatistics in Public Health Research Methodological research: new statistical techniques high speed of computing geographical patterns of disease
copyright (c) Li Zhu Biostatistics in Public Health Research Methodological research: new statistical techniques high speed of computing geographical patterns of disease clinical trials
copyright (c) Li Zhu Biostatistics in Public Health Research Methodological research: new statistical techniques high speed of computing geographical patterns of disease clinical trials longitudinal analysis data analysis in epidemiology studies
copyright (c) Li Zhu Biostatistics in Public Health Research Collaborative research:
copyright (c) Li Zhu Biostatistics in Public Health Research Collaborative research: What is the objective of the research? What is the main hypothesis? What is the target population? How to draw a representative sample? How many people to sample? How to take measurements? ……
copyright (c) Li Zhu Employment Opportunity Government: Federal, State, Local Industry: Biotechonology Pharmaceutical companies Software development Academia: University research groups
copyright (c) Li Zhu Societies for Biostatisticians International Biometric Society American Statistical Association American Public Health Association