CHANCE Highlights
Statistics in Health, Medicine Examined
Michael Larsen, CHANCE Editor
T
he interaction between to scientific visualization. Burtin’s data set was
statistics and health and the basis of the graphics contest announced
medicine is well-repre- in the previous issue. Winners of the graphics con-
sented in the winter issue of test will be announced in the next issue. Wainer
CHANCE. Articles and columns presents Burtin’s original and his own graphical
concern measuring health dispari- interpretation of the data in this issue. In Mark
ties, studying sleep and sleep dis- Glickman’s Here’s To Your Health column, Todd
orders, defining and measuring Nick and Shannon Saldaña discuss pharmaco-
disability, using machine learning genetics and pharmacogenomics. Besides being
in medical diagnosis, comparing a dream of Scrabble players, these words refer
effectiveness of antibiotics, and to developments at the frontier of science and
the emerging fields of pharmaco- medicine. These are rich and challenging areas for
genetics and pharmacogenomics. statistical collaboration.
Ken Keppel and Jeff Pearcy Two articles have sports themes. Bill Hurley
describe Healthy People 2010, a examines the first-year performance of hockey sen-
national initiative to coordinate sation Jussi Jokinen and how one can assess excep-
health imprhlhi ovement and prevent disease. Of course, tional performance. This article could provide nice
you have to measure disease rates if you want to examples of regression to the mean and shrinkage
judge performance. How many data sources do you estimators for instructors. Lawrence Clevenson and
think are involved? Numerical examples contrast Jennifer Wright compute expected returns to punt-
absolute and relative measures of disability. ing or going for a first down on fourth down in
Two articles concern sleep research. Despite the professional football. Several assumptions and sta-
common theme, the two articles differ significantly tistical modeling of probabilities of various events
in data and methods. Brian Caffo, Bruce Swihart, are required. This work was part of Wright’s master’s
Ciprian Crainiceanu, Alison Laffan, and Naresh degree paper.
Punjabi discuss data on transitions among sleep To complete the issue, Jonathan Berkowitz
states gathered during overnight laboratory obser- brings us his Goodness of Wit Test column puzzle.
vations. Statistical matching plays an important role Berkowitz gives us the hint that some degree of pat-
in the design. James Slaven, Michael Andrew, Anna tern recognition in the answers to clues will be use-
Mnatsakanova, John Violanti, Cecil Burchfiel, and ful (and fun!).
Bryan Vila report on a study involving actigraphy In other news, issues of CHANCE are now
measurements on a large group of police officers. online, as well as printed, for subscribers and librar-
The officers wear monitors, which record activity ies. Issues from 2008, in addition to the first issue of
levels every minute, for 15 days. Statistical measure- 2009, are available. I am glad the process of getting
ments of data quality are important in this study. CHANCE online has begun. One of my goals for
How would you define disability? How would 2009 is to see a substantial portion of past issues
you measure it in a sample survey? Michele Connolly of CHANCE added to the subscriber online con-
explains why statistical description of disability in tent. Doing so will make CHANCE more accessible
the population is both complicated and important. and useful to subscribers and attractive to poten-
Michael Cherkassky examines two machine learn- tial authors. After looking at the online version by
ing, or statistical learning, methods for use in medi- logging into Members Only and visiting the maga-
cal diagnosis. Cross validation is used to aid model zine at
www.amstat.org/publications—including
selection. Methods are applied to three data sets. issues from 2008—please feel free to share your
Cherkassky is a high-school student and award win- impressions and suggestions by sending an email to
ner in the 2008 ASA Intel International Science and
chance@iastate.edu.
Engineering Fair. I look forward to your comments, suggestions,
In the Visual Revelations column, Howard and article submissions in 2009. ■
Wainer tells us about Will Burtin’s contributions
20 AMSTAT NEWS MARCH 2009
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