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| **Week** | Topic |
| :-: | :-- |
|[**Week 1**](week1.md) <br /> M 8/21 | Communication |
|[**Week 2**](week2.md) <br /> M 8/28 | Exploratory Analysis |
|**No Class** <br /> 9/4 | Labor Day
|[**Week 3**](week3.md) <br /> M 9/11 | Practice Consultations |
|[**Week 4**](week4.md) <br /> M 9/18 | Investigator Meeting |
|[**Week 5**](week5.md) <br /> M 9/25 | Statistical Mistakes |
|[**Week 6**](week6.md) <br /> M 10/2 | Communicating Statistical Concepts |
|[**Week 7**](week7.md) <br /> M 10/9 | Project Check-In |
|[**Week 8**](week8.md) <br /> M 10/16 | Practice Consultations II |
|[**Week 9**](week9.md) <br /> M 10/23 | Presenting Statistical Information |
|[**Week 10**](week10.md) <br /> M 10/30 | The Statistician's Role |
|[**Week 11**](week11.md) <br /> M 11/6 | The Practice of Statistical Consulting |
|[**Week 12**](week12.md) <br /> M 11/13 | Ethics |
|[**Week 13**](week13.md) <br /> M 11/20 | Project Check-In |
|[**Week 14**](week14.md) <br /> M 11/27 | Investigator Meeting: Final Presentation |
|[**Week 1**](week1.md) <br /> M 1/8 | Communication |
|**No Class** <br /> M 1/15 | MLK Birthday |
|[**Week 2**](week2.md) <br /> M 1/22 | Exploratory Analysis |
|[**Week 3**](week3.md) <br /> M 1/29 | Practice Consultations |
|[**Week 4**](week4.md) <br /> M 2/5 | Investigator Meeting |
|[**Week 5**](week5.md) <br /> M 2/12 | Statistical Mistakes |
|**No Class** <br /> M 2/19 | President's Day |
|[**Week 6**](week6.md) <br /> M 2/26 | Communicating Statistical Concepts |
|[**Week 7**](week7.md) <br /> M 3/4 | Project Check-In |\
|**No Class** <br /> M 3/11 | Spring Break |
|[**Week 8**](week8.md) <br /> M 3/18 | Practice Consultations II |
|[**Week 9**](week9.md) <br /> M 3/25 | Presenting Statistical Information |
|[**Week 10**](week10.md) <br /> M 4/1 | The Statistician's Role |
|[**Week 11**](week11.md) <br /> M 4/8 | The Practice of Statistical Consulting |
|[**Week 12**](week12.md) <br /> M 4/15 | Ethics |
|[**Week 13**](week13.md) <br /> M 4/22 | Project Check-In |
|[**Week 14**](week14.md) <br /> M 4/29 | Investigator Meeting: Final Presentation |
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# PM516a: Introduction to Biostatistical Consulting (aka Statistical Problem Solving)

## Welcome!
Welcome to PM516a: Introduction to Biostatistical Consulting for Fall 2023! This semester we will be learing skills to become an effective consultant, and working with an investigator at Keck on an actual research problem.
Welcome to PM516a: Introduction to Biostatistical Consulting for Spring 2024! This semester we will learn skills to become an effective consultant and work with an investigator at Keck on an actual research problem.

This course should be useful for:

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PM516A: Statistical Problem Solving
1 Unit
Monday 5:10-6:00pm
Monday 5:00-5:50pm
ONLINE

## Course Overview
### Course Description
This course serves as an introduction to biostatistical consulting, and will help statisticians and data analysts develop the necessary skills for successfully interacting with non-statistician collaborators. We will focus on two main goals: 1) developing qualities necessary for an effective statistical consultant and 2) working with an investigator on an actual analysis problem (determining research questions and scope, formulaating and implementing our aalyses, and conveying our findings).
This course serves as an introduction to biostatistical consulting, and will help statisticians and data analysts develop the necessary skills for successfully interacting with non-statistician collaborators. We will focus on two main goals: 1) developing qualities necessary for an effective statistical consultant and 2) working with an investigator on an actual analysis problem (determining research questions and scope, formulating and implementing our aalyses, and conveying our findings).

### Learning Objectives
Through this course, students will become familiar with the process of statistical consulting. Students will learn:
Through this course, students will become familiar with the process of statistical consulting. Students will:

* To explain the importance of statistical consulting and its usefulness in the public health environment
* How to improve their understanding of an unfamiliar topic and translate researchers' questions into a statistically testable set of hypotheses
* To choose the best statistical approach for answering a collaborator's questions
* Ways of communicating effectively by clearly explaining statistical concepts
* To understand ethical considerations for statisticians
* To appropriately analyze and interpret analyses for dissemination materials, such as brief reports or results sections of manuscripts
* Understand the importance of statistical consulting and its usefulness in the public health environment.
* Apply techniques to improve their understanding of an unfamiliar topic and translate researchers' questions into a statistically testable set of hypotheses.
* Evaluate the best statistical approaches to address collaborators' questions and apply such techniques.
* Apply effective communication by clearly explaining statistical concepts.
* Understand ethical considerations faced by statisticians.
* Create analyses and results for dissemination to the client and other stakeholders.

### Course Preparation
Prerequisites: PM510 or equivalent course (this course assumes familiarity with basic statistics and regression analysis)
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## Assessments

### Grading Breakdown
There are three broad categories of activites for this course:

| Category | Points |
| :--- | :--: |
| Weekly Activities | 5ea x 13 |
| Final Project | 35 |
| Total | 100 |
* Skills development for consultants, which will prepare the student to interact with a client and improve the quality of their consultations.
* Skills development for presenting statistical results, which will improve the effectiveness of the statistician being able to communicate results to their client.
* Participation in a real consultation as a group with an investigator client at USC.

Students will receive credit for the course if they achieve >80 points.
This course is graded credit/no credit and there is no point breakdown. Instead, student must complete <u>all</u> of the following:

#### Weekly Activities
Students will participate in weekly activities to improve their consulting and statistical analysis skills. In order to get the most of these activities, students must complete required pre-class preparation, which may include reading articles, excerpts from the textbook, or watching videos. Students will use the information from these pre-class preparation activities in the live session, and will receive credit if they actively participate in at least 10 sessions. Partial credit will be given if the student attends but does not actively participate in a live class session.

#### Investigator Meeting
Students will be meeting with a collaborator at USC (e.g., from Keck School of Medicine, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, etc.) and will work on a project as a group. Any meeting with the investigator is mandatory. Because this course teaches skills applicable in a consulting setting, students must be on time for the meeting and must be an <u>alert, active participant</u> with their <u>camera on</u>.

#### Final Presentation
The final day of class will be a presentation to the client collaborator. Students will present in groups, and each student must contribute to the presentation. At the end of the meeting, there will be a brief period for the students and client to provide feedback on the experience.

### Late Submission Policy
Many of the assignments pertain to preparation for in-class activities, so late assignments are not accepted. There may be opportunities to make up assignments in rare circumstances.

### Description of Assessments
**Pre-Class Activities** should be completed before class meets as we will discuss this content during class and/or the content is necessary for understanding the in-class materials. This may include readings, videos, or analyses.
**In-Class Activities** will focus on developing skills for statistical consultations (e.g., client-consultant role-playing, group discussion, interacting with an investigator, presenting results, etc.) or other discussion-type questions.
**The Final Project** will take the form of a presentation to address the researcher's question from the consultation. In PM516a you will develop a presentation within groups and present it on the last day of class. In PM516b you will complete an analysis report and present it on the last day of class.

Please upload one document containing the responses to all of the week's questions by midnight on the day class meets.

## Course Schedule
| **Week** | Topic |
| :-: | :-- |
|**Week 1** <br /> M 8/21 | Communication |
|**Week 2** <br /> M 8/28 | Exploratory Analysis |
|**No Class** <br /> 9/4 | Labor Day
|**Week 3** <br /> M 9/11 | Practice Consultations |
|**Week 4** <br /> M 9/18 | Investigator Meeting |
|**Week 5** <br /> M 9/25 | Statistical Mistakes |
|**Week 6** <br /> M 10/2 | Communicating Statistical Concepts |
|**Week 7** <br /> M 10/9 | Project Check-In |
|**Week 8** <br /> M 10/16 | Practice Consultations II |
|**Week 9** <br /> M 10/23 | Presenting Statistical Information |
|**Week 10** <br /> M 10/30 | The Statistician's Role |
|**Week 11** <br /> M 11/6 | The Practice of Statistical Consulting |
|**Week 12** <br /> M 11/13 | Ethics |
|**Week 13** <br /> M 11/20 | Project Check-In |
|**Week 14** <br /> M 11/27 | Investigator Meeting: Final Presentation |
Assignments cannot be completed outside of the in-class context. However, there may be opportunities for alternate make-up assignments in rare circumstances.

[## Course Schedule](content.md)

## Statement on Academic Conduct and Support Systems
### Academic Conduct
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# Week 1 - Monday, August 21
# Week 1

## Communication

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# Week 10 - Monday, October 30
# Week 10

## The Statistician's Role

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# Week 11 - Monday, November 7
# Week 11

## The Practice of Biostatistical Consulting

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# Week 12 - Monday, November 13
# Week 12

## Ethics

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📖 [I Fooled Millions Into Thinking Chocolate Helps Weight Loss. Here's How.](https://gizmodo.com/i-fooled-millions-into-thinking-chocolate-helps-weight-1707251800)<br />

* Bohannon’s study had small sample size, they didn’t bother to balance age and gender across treatment groups, they examined multiple possible outcomes, and they didn’t report that at the termination of the study the two groups had lost the same amount of weight. Which of these faults is the biggest concern for you and why?
* Journalists are pressured to write on interesting, sensational stories (think of all the “click bait” on the internet). Bohannon reports that “if you lay out the information just right, you can shape the story that emerges in the media almost like you were writing those stories yourself.” That said, who has the most responsibility in ensuring that a study’s findings are reported accurately?
1. Bohannon’s study had small sample size, they didn’t bother to balance age and gender across treatment groups, they examined multiple possible outcomes, and they didn’t report that at the termination of the study the two groups had lost the same amount of weight. Which of these faults is the biggest concern for you and why?
2. Journalists are pressured to write on interesting, sensational stories (think of all the “click bait” on the internet). Bohannon reports that “if you lay out the information just right, you can shape the story that emerges in the media almost like you were writing those stories yourself.” That said, who has the most responsibility in ensuring that a study’s findings are reported accurately?

🎥 [The Potti Case](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5sZTNPMQRM)
* Who stands most to lose in cases when inaccurate or misleading studies are published?

#### Preliminary Report

* Create a draft of your analysis report.

3. Who stands most to lose in cases when inaccurate or misleading studies are published?

### Complete During Class

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# Week 13 - Monday, November 20
# Week 13

## Project Check-In

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# Week 2 - Monday, August 28
# Week 2

## Exploratory Analysis

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# Week 3 - Monday, September 11
# Week 3

## Practice Consultations

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# Week 4 - Monday, September 18
# Week 4

## Investigator Meeting

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# Week 5 - Monday, September 25
# Week 5

## Statistical Mistakes

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* p-hacking
* Multiple comparisons
* Over-interpreting non-significant results
* Correlation and causation
* Correlation and causation

Be ready to identify statistical mistakes for scenarios that will be presented in class.
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# Week 6 - Monday, October 2
# Week 6

## Communicating Statistical Concepts

&#x27A4; This week we will learn ways to effectively communicate results of your statistical analysis.
&#x27A4; This week we will learn techniques to effectively communicate results of your statistical analysis.

### Before Class

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# Week 7 - Monday, October 9
# Week 7

## Analysis Check-In

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# Week 8 - Monday, October 16
# Week 8

## Practice Consultations & Personality Types

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# Week 9 - Monday, October 23
# Week 9

## Presenting Statistical Information

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