CANSSI/SSC Cross-Country Tour | The Role of Statisticians and Statistical Thinking in the Pandemic Era

Dr. Lehana Thabane, Vice-President of Research at St Joseph’s Healthcare—Hamilton; Scientific Director of the Research Institute at St Joseph’s Healthcare; Professor of Biostatistics and Former Interim Chair/Associate Chair of the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact at McMaster University
Hosted by Dr. Joanna Mills Flemming, CANSSI Associate Director, Atlantic Region

Friday, October 14 | 12:00–12:45 p.m. ET
McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario
On Zoom

This event is past. WATCH THE VIDEO RECORDING

Presentation Abstract: COVID-19 has been the biggest challenge of our lifetime so far. “Statistical thinking” in health is about advancing the welfare or health of society through research—optimal use of information to plan, diagnose, prevent, treat, and manage health conditions. One of the key roles of a statistician is to support the design of primary studies to generate the evidence, and systematic reviews synthesizing the evidence to guide policy. Like all scientists, when the pandemic hit, I had to pivot my own research to focus on it. I will share my involvement in several COVID-19 research collaborations:

1. What the purpose of the project was
2. What the key findings were (if available)
3. What lessons I learnt from these collaborations

About Lehana Thabane: Dr. Lehana Thabane is a Vice-President of Research at St Joseph’s Healthcare—Hamilton; Scientific Director of the Research Institute at St Joseph’s Healthcare; Professor of Biostatistics and Former Interim Chair/Associate Chair of the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact at McMaster University. He is an Elected Member of the International Statistical Institute, Fellow of the American Statistical Association, Fellow of the Society for Clinical Trials, Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, and Honorary Foreign Associate Member of the Academy of Science of South Africa. He is the current President of the Society for Clinical Trials for 2022–2023. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Pilot and Feasibility Studies; and he is a member of the editorial board for many journals including Trials, and Clinical Trials. With an h-index > 100, Dr. Thabane has co-authored over 1,000 peer-reviewed manuscripts and mentored over 200 MSc/PhD students.