Saturday, February 25
PS3 Poster Session 3 and Continental Breakfast Sat, Feb 25, 8:00 AM - 9:15 AM
Conference Center AB

Variations in Statistical Practice Between North-American Stat Labs (303469)

*Eric Vance, University of Colorado at Boulder 

Keywords: statistical consulting, statistical collaboration, training, biostatistics, career development

This poster presents the findings of a large, innovative, and important study of the practices of the 200+ academic statistical consulting and collaboration centers (“stat labs”) in North America. The purpose of this study is fivefold: 1) to determine which stat labs exist in North America, 2) to understand their structure and services, 3) to categorize them into groups of similar peers to 4) foster sharing of knowledge of the practice of statistics and how to better train students in their practice of statistics, and to 5) build a stronger community of stat labs.

We found that practices within stat labs regarding administrative organization, services provided, personnel working in the stat lab, funding and support, and training of stat lab personnel vary widely. Interestingly, even among groups of stat labs with very similar organizational structures, numbers of clients, and funding levels, practices vary widely. Examining and understanding the reasons for such widespread variation will help to identify best practices for managing and funding stat labs, and for training those who work in them. These results have important implications for the career development of future generations of statistical practitioners.