Web-Based Training Program Continues to Be Successful

Shailaja Suryawanshi, Merck & Co., Satrajit Roychowdhury, Novartis Inc., and Rick Peterson, ASA

In-depth topic reviews and training using webinars have become a standard teaching tool for the Biopharmaceutical Section. It and the ASA Center for Statistics Education launched the program in March of 2007 to provide an alternative to live training courses. With budget cuts that affect travel-related activities and individual training costs across the board, webinars have emerged as a low-cost way to deliver training. Additionally, travel time constraints for live training sessions are alleviated, allowing members to participate in smaller focused groups.

Webinars offered this year have included the following topics and presenters:

• Impact of Phase 2 Dose-Finding Study Design on Phase 3 Probability of Success and Net Present Value by James Bolognese, Cytel, Inc.
• Comparing Strategies for Trials with High Placebo Response by Anastasia Ivanova, The University of North Carolina
• Bayesian Evidence Synthesis in Drug Development by David Ohlssen and Heinz Schmidli, Novartis, Inc.
• Introduction to Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic Modeling for Statisticians by Alan Hartford, Agensys

The program has attracted a broad audience of industry statisticians, academic researchers, government statisticians, and graduate students, with both attendees and presenters indicating ativan online no rx that the webinars are convenient. A few hundred people participate in each webinar, with many taking advantage of wider localized audience participation using a single registration fee. Currently, most participants are based in the United States, but there is hope of organizing sessions that will allow participation from countries in other time zones.

Based on feedback received by the organizers, the low cost of each webinar is one of the most attractive features of the program. The Biopharmaceutical Section subsidizes the program to provide its members with the lowest possible rate. The registration fee for section members is $44. The fee for other ASA members is $59, but they have the option of joining the Biopharmaceutical Section for $8 and receiving the section member rate. The registration fee for non-ASA members is $74.

For more information about the web-based training program, visit the ASA website. Additional materials and interactive options are available on the Biopharmaceutical Network website.

The section is working on the 2013 program and encourages readers to share their suggestions for future webinars by emailing ASA Education Programs Associate Rick Peterson at rick@amstat.org.