Introduction to Statistical Consulting

1 Unit

What challenges are faced by a Biostatistician working in a collaborative and consulting environment? In order to successfully interact with a client, in addition to a solid foundation in statistical methods, the consultant needs to be prepared to deal with issues such as ill-posed research questions, unrealistic expectations on the part of a client, difficulty in understanding the subject of the consultation, thorny ethical issues, and many others. Courses on statistical consulting are essential components of graduate programs in Statistics. Other courses teach students statistical methods and how to use them to address various problems, but those problems are presented by course instructors who typically have as the goal teaching the appropriate choice and utilization of available statistical tools. This course prepares students to the challenges involved in 'real life' consulting situations, exposing the students to different encounter types, while honing their communication and statistical skills and raising their awareness of their professional responsibilities.