Rima Izem and Richard C. Zink

Imagine radio statistics, a radio station that would allow you to tune in to a pitch for the latest statistics paper or book; hear a book review; or hear about upcoming conferences, training, or workshops. Tuning in will help you stay abreast of what is new in the statistical sciences whenever convenient—on your morning jog, on your commute to work, or while you are waiting for your statistics program to compile. The podcasts by the Biopharmaceutical Section are a step toward making radio statistics a reality.

Podcasting is a continuing education tool of our time. What is a podcast? The online Oxford Dictionary defines it as “a multimedia digital file made available on the Internet for downloading to a portable media player or computer.” Our goal with the podcasting initiative is to contribute audio content for our members that is free and convenient and will enhance everyone’s continuing education experience in statistics.

Our initial podcasts are interviews addressing a variety of topics. Jingyee Kou and Alan Hartford, 2012 Biopharmaceutical Section FDA-Industry Workshop co-chairs, discuss the goals of the workshop, the special way sessions are included in the program, and events that were introduced in 2012 and how they were received by workshop participants. Stan Altan and Tim Schofield describe the motivation behind the special nonclinical issue of Statistics in Biopharmaceutical Research. They also define nonclinical statistics and discuss the unique challenges for statisticians working in this area.

A recent podcast is an interview with Stephen Senn at the 2013 Statisticians in the Pharmaceutical Industry (PSI) Annual Meeting. We briefly discussed his recent Statistics in Medicine paper, “Seven Myths of Randomisation in Clinical Trials,” and he shared his thoughts about his participation in the plenary session titled “This House Believes That Drug Development and Regulation Should Become Fully Bayesian.” The last podcast is an interview with Biopharmaceutical Section chair Amit Bhattacharyya. He introduces the section and describes his long-term volunteering roles and goals for the section in 2013. To access these and other podcasts, visit the Biopharmaceutical Section page of the ASA Community.

We need to hear from our best sources of future content: You! Is there a special topic, such as nonclinical statistics, you would like to share with a wider audience? Is there a particularly interesting or timely panel session coming up at the Biopharmaceutical Section FDA-Industry Workshop or Joint Statistical Meetings you would like to highlight? Have something to get off your chest? Let us know! We can record interviews in-person or over the phone, or even tutor you on how to record your comments. Of course, we are happy to have volunteers, should you be interested in developing content. Contact Rima Izem at rima.izem@fda.hhs.gov or Richard Zink at richard.zink@jmp.com to share your ideas.