TSHS at JSM 2023 Recap

TSHS JSM, by Amanda Ellis, PhD, University of Kentucky.

The 2023 JSM was held on August 5th -10th in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Teaching Statistics in the Health Sciences section of the ASA sponsored a variety of exciting events. Events included:

• Two invited sessions; “Teaching Communication Skills to Biostatistics Students Across Different Contexts” and “Curricular Innovations for Formal Training in the Soft-Skills of Biostatistical Collaboration”

• Two topic contributed sessions; “Mentored Scholarship: Building Strong Statistical Training Plans for Career Development Awards” and “Teaching Data Science and Statistics to Scientists in Other Fields”

• A Roundtable lunch; “Identifying Real Life Datasets to Demonstrate Data Equity in Biostatistics Curriculum”

• Three posters; “A Pilot Study to Assess Faculty and Students' Perception and Attitudes Towards Statistics in Health Sciences Graduate Programs”,” Improving Evidence-Based Biostatistics Education and Practice in Medical Research”, and “Setting up Peer Feedback Environment in Introductory Biostatistics Classes” presented during the contributed poster session.

Dr. Darsy Darssan, Lecturer in Biostatistics at the University of Queensland, Australia, was chosen as the 2023 winner of the TSHS Best Contributed (Poster) Presentation for his poster, “Setting up a Peer Feedback Environment in Introductory Biostatistics Classes.”

The TSHS Mixer and Business meeting was held on August 7th and began with attendees enjoying a variety of hors d’oeuvres and refreshments sponsored by STATA. After attendees had a chance to mingle, Maria Ciarleglio, Chair of TSHS, gave a warm welcome and invited all present to participate in the door prize drawing, excluding TSHS officers who were not eligible.

The event also showcased the recipients of section awards, including the following individuals:

• Dr. Lucy D’Agostino McGowan, Assistant Professor of Statistics at Wake Forest University, the 2023 recipient of the Young Investigator Award.

• Dr. Hadiza Galadima, Assistant Professor of Biostatistics at Old Dominion University, the 2023 recipient of the Outstanding Teaching Award.

• Dr. Jose-Miguel Yamal, Professor of Biostatistics and Director of the Coordinating Center for Clinical Trials at the University of Texas School of Public Health, the 2023 recipient of the Distinguished Achievement Award. (Note, not able to attend)

Subsequently, drawings took place for a variety of door prizes, which included statistical software and textbooks provided by both STATA and Cambridge University Press. The recipients of these door prizes expressed great appreciation for their prizes!