1. copyright (c) Li Zhu 20031 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

2. copyright (c) Li Zhu 20032 Topics What is Biostatistics? What is Statistics? Role of Biostatisticians Biostatistics in Public Health Research Employment Opportunity

3. copyright (c) Li Zhu 20033 1. What is Biostatistics Biostatistics is the development and application of statistics to research in health-related fields.

4. copyright (c) Li Zhu 20034 2. What is Statistics? In short, analysis of data (all stages) Common perceptions of statistics:

5. copyright (c) Li Zhu 20035 2. What is Statistics? In short, analysis of data (all stages) Common perceptions of statistics: numbers, tables, figures, polls, rates, etc.

6. copyright (c) Li Zhu 20036 2. 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”

7. copyright (c) Li Zhu 20037 2.1 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

8. copyright (c) Li Zhu 20038 2.1 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

9. copyright (c) Li Zhu 20039 2.1 What is Statistics? An Example There were a total of 143 Polio cases: 110 for placebo versus 33 for vaccine What does this mean?

10. copyright (c) Li Zhu 200310 2.1 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 400 000 children?

11. copyright (c) Li Zhu 200311 2.1 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 400 000 children? How did you divide them into two groups?

12. copyright (c) Li Zhu 200312 2.1 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 400 000 children? How did you divide them into two groups? Suppose you could repeat the experiment, how likely you would make the same conclusion?

13. copyright (c) Li Zhu 200313 2.1 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 400 000 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?

14. copyright (c) Li Zhu 200314 2.2 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?

15. copyright (c) Li Zhu 200315 3. 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

16. copyright (c) Li Zhu 200316 4. Biostatistics in Public Health Research Methodological research:

17. copyright (c) Li Zhu 200317 4. Biostatistics in Public Health Research Methodological research: new statistical techniques

18. copyright (c) Li Zhu 200318 4. Biostatistics in Public Health Research Methodological research: new statistical techniques high speed of computing

19. copyright (c) Li Zhu 200319 4. Biostatistics in Public Health Research Methodological research: new statistical techniques high speed of computing geographical patterns of disease

20. copyright (c) Li Zhu 200320 4. Biostatistics in Public Health Research Methodological research: new statistical techniques high speed of computing geographical patterns of disease clinical trials

21. copyright (c) Li Zhu 200321 4. 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

22. copyright (c) Li Zhu 200322 4. Biostatistics in Public Health Research Collaborative research:

23. copyright (c) Li Zhu 200323 4. 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? ……

24. copyright (c) Li Zhu 200324 5. Employment Opportunity Government: Federal, State, Local Industry: Biotechonology Pharmaceutical companies Software development Academia: University research groups

25. copyright (c) Li Zhu 200325 6. Societies for Biostatisticians International Biometric Society www.enar.org American Statistical Association www.amstat.org American Public Health Association www.apha.org