Biostatistics and Its Role in Public Health Li
Biostatistics and Its Role in Public Health Li Zhu, Ph. D 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 2003 1
Topics • • • What is Biostatistics? What is Statistics? Role of Biostatisticians Biostatistics in Public Health Research Employment Opportunity copyright (c) Li Zhu 2003 2
1. What is Biostatistics is the development and application of statistics to research in health-related fields. copyright (c) Li Zhu 2003 3
2. What is Statistics? • In short, analysis of data (all stages) • Common perceptions of statistics: copyright (c) Li Zhu 2003 4
2. What is Statistics? • In short, analysis of data (all stages) • Common perceptions of statistics: numbers, tables, figures, polls, rates, etc. copyright (c) Li Zhu 2003 5
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” copyright (c) Li Zhu 2003 6
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 copyright (c) Li Zhu 2003 7
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 copyright (c) Li Zhu 2003 8
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? copyright (c) Li Zhu 2003 9
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? copyright (c) Li Zhu 2003 10
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? copyright (c) Li Zhu 2003 11
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? copyright (c) Li Zhu 2003 12
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? copyright (c) Li Zhu 2003 13
2. 2 What is Statistics? Another Example National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey: l As saturated fat in diet increases, what do you expect to happen to risk of breast cancer 10 years later? l copyright (c) Li Zhu 2003 14
3. Role of Biostatisticians l Formulate scientific questions to be answered. Design an experiment which efficiently gets at questions to be answered. l l Collect Data l Screen data for obvious blunders l Analyze and interpret data l Graphs l Numerical summaries copyright (c) Li Zhu 2003 15
4. Biostatistics in Public Health Research • Methodological research: copyright (c) Li Zhu 2003 16
4. Biostatistics in Public Health Research • Methodological research: new statistical techniques copyright (c) Li Zhu 2003 17
4. Biostatistics in Public Health Research • Methodological research: new statistical techniques high speed of computing copyright (c) Li Zhu 2003 18
4. Biostatistics in Public Health Research • Methodological research: new statistical techniques high speed of computing geographical patterns of disease copyright (c) Li Zhu 2003 19
4. Biostatistics in Public Health Research • Methodological research: new statistical techniques high speed of computing geographical patterns of disease clinical trials copyright (c) Li Zhu 2003 20
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 copyright (c) Li Zhu 2003 21
4. Biostatistics in Public Health Research • Collaborative research: copyright (c) Li Zhu 2003 22
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? …… copyright (c) Li Zhu 2003 23
5. Employment Opportunity • Government: Federal, State, Local • Industry: Biotechonology Pharmaceutical companies Software development • Academia: University research groups copyright (c) Li Zhu 2003 24
6. Societies for Biostatisticians • International Biometric Society www. enar. org • American Statistical Association www. amstat. org • American Public Health Association www. apha. org copyright (c) Li Zhu 2003 25
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