St. James Ballroom
Effective Communication for Statistical Consulting (303904)
*Danielle Guffey, Baylor College of Medicine
Charles Minard, Baylor College of Medicine
Kristen Staggers, Baylor College of Medicine
Keywords: statistical consulting, collaboration, communication
Communication is key in consulting and collaborative research. When statisticians don’t ask the right questions during consultations, this can lead to choosing an inappropriate analysis. Even when the right questions are asked, the collaborators do not always understand why we make certain recommendations. Many collaborators are new to research and need more guidance on thinking through their research question. We will explore ways to facilitate open communication including: a research proposal template which guides the collaborator through the research process, questions that lead to open dialogue, and the importance behind our recommendations. Topics will include repeated measures, correlated data, and the timing of variable collection. Specifically the focus will be on helping collaborators understand the importance of accounting for correlated data in the analysis, and if the inclusion of repeated measures aids in answering the underlying question. Motivating examples come from clinical research, but can be applied to any industry.