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Advocating for the Profession: The ASA Wants Your Recommendations

1 December 2020 1,425 views One Comment

What issues would you identify as opportunities for ASA science policy work? Are there policy issues in which more statistical perspective or input would benefit the process and/or product? What’s happening in your community (geographical or otherwise) about which the ASA’s input could be instrumental? How can the ASA raise the profile of statisticians to inform evidence-based policymaking?

If you have responses to any of these questions, the ASA wants to hear from you! Through this column, I wish to emphasize the opportunity of—indeed, the importance of—ASA members providing input and engaging in ASA science policy work.

Advocacy for the ASA means supporting the profession of statistics, encouraging the engagement of statisticians, providing the perspectives of the ASA as it relates to issues on which we have expertise, or urging a particular course as it relates to the ASA perspective.

To recommend a topic for ASA advocacy, you can email the ASA director of science policy. Alternatively, you can contact the ASA executive director, a board member, the ASA Scientific and Public Affairs Committee (SPAAC), or another relevant ASA committee with your request. After receiving a request, the ASA will respond through the following actions:

  1. Assess whether the topic meets the criteria provided by the board in 2017.
  2. Consider the likelihood of success, which includes asking whether we can leverage concern in our broader community.
  3. If a topic meets the board criteria and appears to be a relevant issue the ASA can influence, we assess whether it is in accordance with a board statement or previously board-approved action or the board must be consulted on the specific issue.

The ensuing actions the ASA could take include responding to calls for comments, writing a letter, issuing a board statement, requesting more information, meeting with key officials, and issuing a whitepaper.

In addition to SPAAC, other ASA committees and sections help ensure ASA science policy and advocacy work engages broad and relevant expertise across the association. For health policy issues, the ASA Health Policy Statistics Section is the group to be consulted, whereas issues relating to climate change are relevant to the ASA Advisory Committee on Climate Change Policy (ACCCP). Other frequently consulted committees include the Advisory Committee on Forensic Science, Privacy and Confidentiality Committee, Committee on Funded Research, and Scientific Freedom and Human Rights Committee.

Besides suggesting topics for ASA science policy work, you can also get involved by serving on a committee, raising ASA advocacy issues with your elected officials, or being a science policy fellow with the ASA or through the AAAS program. You could also seek out a federal advisory committee matching your expertise and ask to be nominated by the ASA.

To keep abreast of ASA science policy work, you can read the science policy section of the Member News—emailed monthly to ASA members—monitor the news and highlights section of the ASA science and policy homepage, follow @ASA SciPol on Twitter, connect with me on LinkedIn, and watch for updates in Amstat News

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