BASUG Quarterly Meeting Announcement
Topic: Elementary
Statistics: The why and wherefore of all of those numbers
When: Wednesday, October 4, 2006, 8:15 AM– 12:00 PM
noon (Note: This is one of 2 BASUG
events being held on that day. To find information
on the training that BASUG is offering, go to Training: SAS Tools
and Techniques)
Where: Holiday Inn Newton
399 Grove Street
Newton, MA
(Directions below)
How: INDIVIDUAL, ON-LINE REGISTRATION REQUIRED. NO EMAIL!
To register for this meeting, please visit: http://www.basug.org/register.php3
Contact: If you have questions about the meeting contact Bridget Neville (Bridget_Neville@dfci.harvard.edu) or Robert Rosofsky (Robert.Rosofsky@verizon.net)
Agenda:*
|
8:15 - 8:45 |
Sign in and Refreshments |
|
8:45 - 9:00 |
Meeting Announcements and Introductions |
|
9:00 –9:45 |
The statistics and programming
for “Table 1” by Gheorghe Doros, Ph.D. |
|
9:45 – 10:00 |
Break |
|
10:00
– 10:45 |
When you get hit by a car . . .
by Constance Elson |
|
10:45 – 11:00 |
Break |
|
11:00 – 11:45 |
Programmers
and Analysts: The Yin and Yang of
Policy Research by
Nancy Burstein |
|
11:45 – 12:00 |
Final questions and closure |
*These times are approximate and subject to change; check the BASUG website (www.basug.org) for updated information.
Abstracts and Bio
Many medical research articles contain a
table that contrasts a set of patient characteristics with the main risk
factor(s) under study. Such a table is
usually one of the first tables in the article and is usually referenced as
Table 1. The results presented in this
table are requested by the researchers soon after the data is collected and
gives investigators the first indications of the success and validity of the
study. In this presentation, I will
discuss some of the statistics used in such tables, as well as some of the SAS
programming that I find useful when constructing such tables.
Gheorghe Doros earned a Ph.D. in Statistics
from Yale University in May 2004. He spent
one year and a half in the Toxicology Department at Eli Lilly and Company. In January 2006 he took a position in the
Biostatistics Department at Boston University as Assistant Professor. He is a self taught SAS programmer and he
has been using the software since 1999.
Using a set of multi-site clinical data collected on trauma patients, we will discuss how some very basic statistical methods can be used to look for significant associations among variables measuring patient demographics, injury type, initial response to injury, and outcome. We show how the data types of the variables suggest which SAS procedures to use and we also see how far one can get using just two workhorse procedures: PROC CORR and PROC GLM. The technology now exists to profile a patient’s entire genomic state shortly after injury. We conclude with a brief discussion about efforts to incorporate this information into a prognosis for patient outcome.
Constance Elson was Associate Professor of Mathematics at Ithaca College (Ithaca NY) for several decades. After leaping recklessly into a major mid-life career change, she is currently part of a research team at the Massachusetts General Hospital Biostatistics Center, using SAS and statistics to study the genetics of the human response to inflammation after trauma.
Successful policy research requires continuous communication between the programmer and the analyst. The programmer needs to understand the objectives of the research, and the analyst needs to understand the flow of the data processing. While unspoken assumptions on either side can lead to disaster, integration of the process can lead to remarkable synergy. This presentation describes some concrete ways in which you, the programmer, can help achieve that goal.
Nancy Burstein is a Principal Scientist and Fellow at Abt Associates Inc., a social science research firm in Cambridge. In her 27 years at Abt she has designed and directed analyses of many federal and state programs in the areas of income maintenance, food and nutrition assistance, health care, child care, and workforce participation. Trained as an economist, she is an amateur SAS programmer.
BASUG MEMBERSHIP
Keep your BASUG Membership up-to-date! Print out a membership form from our website, and bring it with you to the meeting (along with your check). Please note that we have discontinued Corporate Memberships - we now provide only Individual Membership at $25 annually. For more information on our membership policy, or to print out a form visit: http://www.basug.org/basugj.shtml
Directions to the Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn, Newton
399 Grove Street
Newton, MA 02462
617-969-5300
From Boston: Take I-90 West to Exit 15, then take Route 128 South (I-95) 1/4 mile to Exit 22. When you exit, stay right and bear right at the fork onto Grove Street. Hotel is on your left.
From South of Boston: Take Route 128 North (I-95) to Exit 22. When you exit, stay right and bear right at the fork onto Grove Street. Hotel is on your left.
From Western Mass: Take I-90 East to Exit 14, then take Route 128 South (I-95) 1/4 mile to Exit 22. When you exit, stay right and bear right at the fork onto Grove Street. Hotel is on your left.
From New Hampshire: Take I-93 South to Route 128 South (I-95), follow for approximately 15 miles to Exit 22. When you exit, stay right and bear right at the fork onto Grove Street. Hotel is on your left.
From Rhode Island: Take I-95 North to Route 128 North (I-95). Follow to Exit 22. When you exit, stay right and bear right at the fork onto Grove Street. Hotel is on your left.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
The hotel is adjacent to the Riverside T Station. From Kenmore Square take the Green Line D (Riverside) to the Riverside stop. The hotel is adjacent to the T Station.
The hotel is also accessible from downtown Boston via Express Bus #500 (EXPRESS BUS Riverside - Downtown Via Mass. Turnpike.).
See www.mbta.com for detailed bus route and schedule. Bus drops off at Riverside T Station. Hotel is adjacent to the T Station.
BASUG CONTACTS BASUG's Mail Address: BASUG PO Box 253 Boston, MA 02117To email our Webmaster: basugwm@basug.org