Strategies for Success: Early-Stage Collaborating Biostatistics Faculty in an Academic Health Center

Collaborative biostatistics faculty (CBF) are increasingly valued by academic health centers (AHCs) for their role in increasing success rates of grants and publications, and educating medical students and clinical researchers. Some AHCs have a biostatistics department that consists of only biostatisticians focused on methodological research, collaborative research, and education. Others may have a biostatistics unit within an interdisciplinary department, or statisticians recruited into clinical departments. Within each model, there is also variability in environment, influenced by the chair's background, research focus of colleagues, type of students taught, funding sources, and whether the department is in a medical school or school of public health. CBF appointments may be tenure track or nontenure, and expectations for promotion may vary greatly depending on the type of department, track, and the AHC. In this article, the authors identify strategies for developing early-stage CBFs in four domains: (1) Influence of department/environment, (2) Skills to develop, (3) Ways to increase productivity, and (4) Ways to document accomplishments. Graduating students and postdoctoral fellows should consider the first domain when choosing a faculty position. Early-stage CBFs will benefit by understanding the requirements of their environment early in their appointment and by modifying the provided progression grid with their chair and mentoring team as needed. Following this personalized grid will increase the chances of a satisfying career with appropriate recognition for academic accomplishments.     

Making Shared Print Management Happen: A Project of Five Canadian Academic Libraries

ABSTRACT

Five academic libraries in Ontario (Canada) are collaborating in a shared last print copy repository project. The project, called Keep@Downsview, aims to consolidate and rationalize low-use print materials held by the partner libraries and ensure long-term preservation of these important scholarly materials in Ontario while still providing access via document delivery and ILL. In doing so, each of the partner institutions demonstrates its commitment to the stewardship of print collections for future generations while repurposing valuable space on campus. This article describes the background, rationale, challenges, and lessons learned for this unique Canadian project--which leveraged funding from the province of Ontario and the University of Toronto's high-density preservation facility at Downsview--and the commitment of all partners to preserve the scholarly record in Ontario.     

美国统计高等教育的现状及其发展趋势

统计学专业已经成为当今美国最热门的专业之一。美国统计学会的最新报告详细介绍了统计学和生物统计学专业的科研经费、学生就业及薪金水平等情况。美国国家卫生研究院于2001年和2003年先后两次召开专题会议,研讨生物统计学专业人才的培养、美国学界呼吁：加强下一代统计和生物统计专业人才的培养,特别要重视多重背景高层次统计学专业人才的培养。     

Biostatistics Faculty and NIH Awards at U.S. Medical Schools

Statistical principles and methods are critical to the success of biomedical and translational research. However, it is difficult to track and evaluate the monetary value of a biostatistician to a medical school (SoM). Limited published data on this topic are available, especially comparing across SoMs. Using National Institutes of Health (NIH) awards and American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) faculty counts data (2010–2013), together with online information on biostatistics faculty from 119 institutions across the country, we demonstrated that the number of biostatistics faculty was significantly positively associated with the amount of NIH awards, both as a school total and on a per faculty basis, across various sizes of U.S. SoMs. Biostatisticians, as a profession, should be proactive in communicating and advocating the value of their work and their unique contribution to the long-term success of a biomedical research enterprise. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.     

A Bayesian Analysis of Synchronous Distance Learning versus Matched Traditional Control in Graduate Biostatistics Courses

Distance learning can be useful for bridging geographical barriers to education in rural settings. However, empirical evidence on the equivalence of distance education and traditional face-to-face (F2F) instruction in statistics and biostatistics is mixed. Despite the difficulty in randomization, we minimized intra-instructor variation between F2F and online sections in seven graduate-level biostatistics service courses in a synchronous (live, real time) fashion; that is, for each course taught in a traditional F2F setting, a separate set of students were taught simultaneously via online learning technology, allowing for two-way interaction between instructor and students. Our primary objective was to compare student performance in the two courses that use these two teaching modes. We used a Bayesian hierarchical model to test equivalence of modes. The frequentist mixed model approach was also conducted for reference. The results of Bayesian and frequentist methods agree and suggest a difference of less than 1% in average final grades. Finally, we discuss barriers to instruction and learning using the applied online teaching technology.     

运用柯布-道格拉斯生产函数模型分析研发活动的成效

本文采用柯布-道格拉斯生产函数模型,基于1995-2008年研发资金的投入和产出相关数据,对我国研发活动的成效进行了分析。总体而言,我国应该加大研发经费的支出。但如果我们更注重研发成果的质量,则研发资金的分配应该倾向于加大支持的强度;如果我们更注重研发成果的数量,则研发资金的分配应该倾向于支持更多的研发人员从事研发活动。同时,从长期来看,无论是以研发活动的质量还是数量为衡量标准,都应该增加对研发活动的投入,以实现研发活动的最佳规模。     

农民对农村公共产品供给满意度实证分析——基于江西省农户层面的实地调研

选取江西省21个县45个村作为样本,基于实地调研数据,采用ODM(Ordered Dependent Model)排序选择模型,对农村公共产品满意度及其影响因素进行了实证研究.研究结果表明:农民满意度的影响主要来自以下几个方面:一是农民自身状况,比较突出的是年龄、文化教育程度以及人均收入水平,其他如性别、家庭人数、劳动力数量等相对不明显;二是农民对各项公共产品如农村公路、农田水利、农村饮用水、生活垃圾处理、农村义务教育、农村社会保障等的满意度;三是农村公共产品供给的相关制度性因素,包括农民对农村公共产品的需求表达、农民参与决策程度、农民对筹资的支持等.     

Teaching Communication in a Statistical Collaboration Course: A Feasible,Project-Based,Multimodal Curriculum

Many schools offer a statistical collaboration curriculum using standard instructional methods such as lectures whereby students are taught to successfully apply their training. The process of building statisticians' collaborative skills and characteristics can be challenging due to logistical issues, time constraints, unstructured research problems, and resources. Instructors vary in their pedagogy and topics taught, and students' experiences vary. There is a dearth of literature describing how to implement a course integrating communication skills, critical thinking, collaboration, and the integration of team members in a learner-centered format. Few courses integrate behavior-based learning using role-playing, video demonstration and feedback, case-based teaching activities, and presentation of basic statistical concepts. We have developed and implemented a two-semester biostatistics collaboration course, of which the purpose is to develop the students' knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors necessary to interact effectively with investigators. Our innovative curriculum uses a multimodal, project-based, experiential process to address real-world problems provided by real and/or simulated collaborators while minimizing usual challenges. Rubrics and peer evaluation forms are offered as online supplementary materials. This article describes how a collaboration curriculum focusing on communication and team practice is feasible, how it enhances skill and professionalism, and how it can be implemented at other institutions.     

An EM-type algorithm for multivariate mixture models

This paper introduces a new approach, based on dependent univariate GLMs, for fitting multivariate mixture models. This approach is a multivariate generalization of the method for univariate mixtures presented by Hinde (1982). Its accuracy and efficiency are compared with direct maximization of the log-likelihood. Using a simulation study, we also compare the efficiency of Monte Carlo and Gaussian quadrature methods for approximating the mixture distribution. The new approach with Gaussian quadrature outperforms the alternative methods considered. The work is motivated by the multivariate mixture models which have been proposed for modelling changes of employment states at an individual level. Similar formulations are of interest for modelling movement between other social and economic states and multivariate mixture models also occur in biostatistics and epidemiology.     

Multi-level models can benefit from minimizing higher-order variations: an illustration using child malnutrition data

ABSTRACT

This study aims to measure the robustness of multi-level models designed for three anthropometric indices – height-for-age (HAZ), weight-for-age (WAZ) and weight-for-height (WHZ) Z-scores for estimating the childhood malnutrition indicators stunting, underweight and wasting in Bangladesh. The 2011 BDHS child malnutrition data have been used in developing multi-level models with and without incorporating specific contextual variables relating to lower administrative units extracted from the 2011 Bangladesh Population and Housing Census. The robustness of the models is examined through (i) testing significance of random effects corresponding to lower administrative units through selection criteria including conditional AIC, R-squared, and LRT; (ii) comparing multi-level model-based estimators to design-based estimators of child malnutrition indicators with their precision at division, district and sub-district levels; and (iii) assessing the impact of contextual variables in capturing higher-order administrative level variations. Findings reveal that the inclusion of important contextual variables helps capture variations at higher-level administrative units, and consequently assists in the selection of robust multi-level models which ultimately provide improved accuracy of estimated parameters. The findings support the application of lower administrative census information in developing a simpler multi-level model by minimizing higher-order variation.     

Nonparametric-likelihood inference based on cost-effectively-sampled-data

Costs associated with the evaluation of biomarkers can restrict the number of relevant biological samples to be measured. This common problem has been dealt with extensively in the epidemiologic and biostatistical literature that proposes to apply different cost-efficient procedures, including pooling and random sampling strategies. The pooling design has been widely addressed as a very efficient sampling method under certain parametric assumptions regarding data distribution. When cost is not a main factor in the evaluation of biomarkers but measurement is subject to a limit of detection, a common instrument limitation on the measurement process, the pooling design can partially overcome this instrumental limitation. In certain situations, the pooling design can provide data that is less informative than a simple random sample; however this is not always the case. Pooled-data-based nonparametric inferences have not been well addressed in the literature. In this article, a distribution-free method based on the empirical likelihood technique is proposed to substitute the traditional parametric-likelihood approach, providing the true coverage, confidence interval estimation and powerful tests based on data obtained after the cost-efficient designs. We also consider several nonparametric tests to compare with the proposed procedure. We examine the proposed methodology via a broad Monte Carlo study and a real data example.     

小型经济单位从业人员调查抽样方法研究

不执行统计报表制度的小型经济单位的从业人员统计,应当用抽样调查方法进行。小型经济单位的各种统计调查项目,其中如生产统计调查项目、经营统计调查项目、劳动统计调查项目等等,应当合并在一起并分行业进行抽样调查。对小型工业单位进行从业人员调查的抽样技术,包括:样本轮换方针、在样本轮换条件下如何构造估计量、怎样对估计量的方差进行估计等。     

Providing Consulting Experiences Through Role Playing in a Graduate Statistics Course

An effective method for improving the communication skills of graduate students in statistics and biostatistics is to provide consultations with non‐statistical researchers. Unfortunately, those experiences can be difficult to arrange or occur too infrequently to be reliable. The current study sought to help students develop both written and oral communication skills within an existing graduate biostatistics course by having students partake in role‐playing consultations. Though the class size was small, the students felt these activities helped improve their oral and written communication skills, and made them more aware of a biostatistician's role in consulting. There was also modest improvement in the students perceived function as a consulting biostatistician. Simulated consultations can be an effective educational tool for promoting the development of soft skills necessary for developing successful statisticians, can be implemented in existing courses, and do not require reliance upon external collaborators. Embedding these types of exercises within an existing curriculum can also be a cost‐effective alternative for programs that do not have formal consulting training.     

What We Talk About When We Talk About Journal Club: Scholarly Communication Advocacy and Public Access to Federally Funded Research

The past decade has seen attempts by librarians and their allies to respond to inefficiencies in the market for scholarly journals and introduce infrastructure to support open solutions. Recently these efforts have contributed to success at the national level, first with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy's 2013 policy memorandum on Expanding Public Access to the Results of Federally Funded Research and in 2014 with the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which incorporates the substance of the memorandum into law. This column provides a review of efforts by librarians to advocate for open scholarship, describes the federal actions that will expand public access to research, and concludes with a discussion of next steps in this evolving effort.     

Estimating the point of intersection of two lines under correlation

This paper introduces a new biostatistical approach to the problems of estimating true values and approximating the distribution of true values from unreliable data.We present the basic rationale for the unmixing method and report on a simulation study of its properties in estimating the centiles of a skewed, outlier-prone class of distributions.We also present an application to highly skewed USDA vitamin A intake data, and a pseudo-code version of the unmixing algorithm that we hope will allow other researchers to experiment with it     

Response

This article focuses on the roles consulting units can play in statistics departments, universities, and the statistics profession. An opinion on what constitutes legitimate academic activity is given. The roles endorsed are consistent with the view that statistics is both a science and an integral part of scientific methodology and hence that statistics departments need to be concerned with both the development of new methods and the proper application of those methods in the pure and applied sciences. Consulting units serve as an interface between the developers and users of statistical methodology. Communication between developers and users can be carried on effectively through consultants who are actively involved in the education of users and in the education of statistics students, either formally or informally. Such communication is also enhanced when consultants are publishing in both statistics and nonstatistics journals. Routine data analysis is not endorsed as a justifiable academic activity for consulting faculty. Supervision of graduate students on such analyses, however, can be justified. The success a consulting unit can have in playing its roles depends on appropriate funding, staffing, and administration of the unit.