About Biostatistics Demystified

Statistics is the mathematical science of collection, cleaning, analysis, interpretation, and reporting of data. More specifically, biostatistics is the application of statistical methods to data originating in the health domain. The focus of this site is specifically biostatistics but in general the concept applies to statistics in any field.

BiostatisticsDemystified.com.au was born from our belief that biostatistics should not necessarily be exclusively the domain of biostatisticians. Rather, non-statisticians should be able to conduct their own simple analysis for their own use, including students needing to apply some biostatistics for academic purposes, and business managers or analysts wishing to gain a better understanding of business data that is of interest to them.

Notably, none of this offsets the need to engage/employ qualified statisticians to undertake formal statistical analysis that is required for publication or to drive informed business decision making.

Vision

Our vision is to deliver sufficient knowledge and understanding of statistical methodologies and processes to allow non-statisticians to perform their own informal analysis of data that is of interest to them.

Many aspects of statistics are shrouded in mystery which engenders an air of intrepidation in those who have not had at least some initial grounding in the subject matter of statistics. Much of this mystery arises from the statistical lexicon and jargon that permeate the subject matter. In delivery of our vision we aim is to cut through a lot of the language and jargon through simple practical examples that clearly highlight the underlying methods.

Bio

I am a biostatistician with many years of experience in clinical research and development (pharmaceuticals) across numerous therapeutic areas including mental health, oncology, endocrine, infectious diseases, and cardiology. Most recently, I was responsible for the data linkage of a massive cardiac registry, with over two million patients with all state and territory administrative and emergency data, and the federal (AIHW) mortality, MBS and PBS data collections.

Have worked in the medical/health space for 30+ years.

  • I hold masters degrees in medical statistics, infectious diseases, and management.

  • I have worked across private enterprise in Big Pharma, public (state government) health authority (NSW Health), and private NFP research organisations.

  • Also an accomplished project manager in the health space having successfully run numerous high profile enterprise level projects delivering clinical research capabilities to the organisation.

Customers

Our customer base includes:

  • University students in non-mathematical/statistical disciplines who would benefit from some statistical knowledge for completion of assignments and dissertations. Notably, this would include students in:

    • The health sciences e.g., medicine, psychology, physiotherapy, biomedical engineering

    • Various branches of engineering where the Design of Experiments (DOE), a statistical method used in the optimization of designs, processes, and products, is critical to success.

  • Managers:

    • Business managers who wish to gain a better understanding of their business data without the need to engage a professional statistician, at least initially.

  • Educators:

    • Who do not have the time, desire, or need to undertake formal education in biostatistics but wish to broaden their knowledge either just out of interest, or in order to be able to better help their students.

Processes

The initial release of this site covers many core topics in biostatistics. as listed on the site’s homepage. The site also includes:

  • Aa contact page through which members are encourage to report errors or issues with the site or simply to make general comments.

  • A BLOG page for members to post and discuss topics of interest.

Subsequent updates and releases will include:

  • New subject matter content.

  • Delivery of fully downloadable code and data.

  • General tools for conducting simple statistical tests.

Site Access & Security

Full site access is via membership. The long-term vision for biostatistics.com.au is both deep and wide. The nominal site membership of AUD$9.95 is just to enable ongoing site maintenance and development. Upon sign-up for membership your email address will be your user id and you will be prompted to create a secure password.

Secure payment is via a highly reputable global payment processing service, Stripe. Payment is via credit/debit card or Paypal.

Upon establishing your membership you will have to login using your credentials to get access to the site membership homepage and the full content.