Welcome

Thank you for stopping by and welcome to my blog! I'm truly glad you're here!

Your feedback means a great deal to me. Whether it's praise, constructive criticism, or thoughtful suggestions, I genuinely appreciate your input. While giving or receiving criticism is not always easy, I believe that honest feedback, shared in a positive manner, can be a powerful catalyst for growth and improvement. Your insights will help shape the direction of this blog, and I'd love to hear from you.

What Defines a Good Clinical Statistician?

I recently attended a leadership training session where a colleague shared an experience involving a physician on a Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) who questioned the qualifications of the committee statistician. The physician was concerned because the statistician often remained quiet during routine DMC meetings, which typically focus on safety issues. My colleague, however, was confident that the statistician was fully qualified for the role. This raises an interesting que

Nov 142 min read

Don't Compromise Control Groups

Randomized, double-blind, controlled trials (RCTs) are widely considered the gold standard for modern intervention-based clinical...

May 242 min read

Understanding FDA Recommendations for Covariate Adjustment in Randomized Clinical Trials

In May 2023, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued final guidance on adjusting for covariates in randomized clinical trials...

Aug 25, 20246 min read

A Cautionary Note on Correlation Analysis Using Post-Treatment Predictors

When a clinical trial demonstrates positive efficacy results, there is often interest in conducting various post-hoc analyses, including...

Aug 23, 20242 min read

The Pathological Distribution Behind the Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

A recent LinkedIn post by a fellow statistician caught my attention. The author touted the appealing concept of NNT, which is widely understood, but apparently overlooked a serious statistical problem: the commonly used naive estimator of NNT has an ill-behaved (pathological) distribution, making it particularly challenging to draw valid statistical inferences. Sadly, in my view, the use of NNT in medical research has become another example of a poor practice embraced by many

Jun 9, 20243 min read

Be a free thinker and don't accept everything you hear as truth. Be critical and evaluate what you believe in.

― Aristotle

Hi, I’m Andrew

A statistician passionate about sharing thoughts and ideas on statistical issues in drug development. I believe that we're trained for critical thinking rather than simply following, and that we bear a unique responsibility in a world shaped by randomness and uncertainty. This belief is what drives this blog. I'm committed to delivering content that's not only interesting but also thought-provoking and intellectually engaging.