In this Friday edition of The Effective Statistician, Alun Bedding takes center stage to discuss a topic central to leadership and personal influence: Trust.

With his characteristic insight and practical approach, Alun explores how trust forms the foundation of effective leadership, regardless of one’s title or position. Drawing on real-world examples and actionable strategies, he highlights the habits and choices that help build trust, foster authenticity, and inspire those around us.

Whether you consider yourself a leader or not, this episode will challenge you to think differently about your role and influence. Tune in and discover how trust can transform your personal and professional life.

Welcome to a brand-new year and an exciting new episode of The Effective Statistician!

I’m thrilled to kick off 2025 by sharing some incredible news—I’ve written a book! After years of planning, false starts, and a lot of learning along the way, How to Be an Effective Statistician is finally complete and will officially launch on January 15th. In this episode, I take you behind the scenes of how the book came to life. I’ll share why I wrote it, how it’s structured, and the practical insights it offers for statisticians, data scientists, and other quantitative professionals.

Whether you’re looking to improve communication, manage challenges, or simply be more effective in your role, this book was designed with you in mind. I’ll also give you all the details about the book launch party, where we’ll celebrate, learn, and connect.

Join me as I reflect on this journey and what it means for our community!

In this Friday edition of The Effective Statistician podcast, Alun Bedding tackles the pervasive issue of imposter syndrome. He shares his own experiences with self-doubt, offering listeners a transparent and relatable perspective on how these feelings can affect even accomplished professionals.

Drawing insights from Dr. Steve Peters' The Chimp Paradox and other tools, Alun explains how our "inner chimp" drives insecurities and outlines actionable steps to regain control.

What makes a great leader?

How do you build trust, influence others, and create real value in your organization?

In this episode of The Effective Statistician, I show you how to grow as a leader by following a powerful cycle: learn, do, reflect, and start again.

Leadership goes beyond authority—it’s about taking action, communicating effectively, and driving meaningful change. I share practical steps you can apply right away to strengthen your skills and make an impact.

If you’re ready to take charge and become a more effective leader, this episode will guide you every step of the way!

Planning for 2025 doesn’t have to be overwhelming—it can be a powerful exercise in aligning your goals with your ideal lifestyle and long-term aspirations. In this episode, Alun Bedding provides actionable strategies and thoughtful insights to help you approach the year ahead with clarity and purpose. Whether you’re aiming to elevate your career, find balance, or simply refine your approach to goal-setting, this episode is packed with ideas you won’t want to miss. So, listen now and take the first step toward making 2025 your most impactful year yet. And if you found this episode valuable, don’t keep it to yourself—share it with friends and colleagues who could benefit from these transformative strategies!

How do we find the right dose in immune-oncology trials?

Is the traditional “maximum tolerated dose” approach still enough, or should we also focus on efficacy?

In this episode of The Effective Statistician, I talk with Teppo Huttunen, a seasoned statistician and co-founder of the boutique CRO, Estimeds. We uncover the shortcomings of the conventional three-plus-three design and explain how the Bayesian Optimal Interval (BOIN) design gives us more flexibility and better insights. Teppo shares practical tips on dose optimization and highlights the critical role statisticians play in shaping smarter, evidence-based decisions for phase two trials.

If you want to learn how we can balance safety, efficacy, and practical challenges in oncology studies, this episode is for you!

Are you feeling stuck or overwhelmed in your work as a statistician?

Do you wonder how to stay sharp and maintain balance while tackling complex challenges?

In this Friday episode of The Effective Statistician, my co-host for, Alun Bedding, takes the lead to unpack the concept of "sharpening the saw," inspired by Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Alun dives into the art of continuous renewal—physical, mental, social, and spiritual—to help you stay proactive and effective. He shares practical tips, personal insights, and lessons from recent PSI webinars, offering actionable steps to improve focus and boost productivity.

Listen in and discover how small, intentional changes can sharpen your edge as a statistician!

Welcome to this episode of The Effective Statistician! Today, I explore an exciting and rapidly growing field: digital health interventions.

Have you ever wondered how to define engagement with these tools?

Why does measuring engagement matter so much for their success?

And how can statisticians solve the unique challenges that come with this digital space?

I speak with Jack Elkes, a PhD researcher focused on digital health, to answer these questions. Together, we tackle the complexities of these interventions, their use in areas like mental health, and how tools like cluster analysis help make sense of multidimensional data. With over 10,000 mental health apps already on the App Store, this field expands rapidly, creating opportunities and challenges.

If you want to know how engagement in digital health connects to marketing strategies or how these tools reshape decentralized trials, you’ll find plenty of insights here. Let’s dive in!

Have you ever thought about how clinical trials affect the environment?

I hadn’t, until I spoke with Annie Wright, a first-year PhD student at Imperial College who is passionate about greener research. In this episode, we uncover how clinical trials contribute to climate change, from travel emissions to operational inefficiencies. We dive into practical actions statisticians and researchers can take to reduce the carbon footprint of trials, like adopting decentralized approaches and streamlining study designs.

Join us as we explore how to transform clinical research into a more sustainable practice while still delivering valuable scientific outcomes.

Have you faced the challenge of dealing with non-proportional hazards in survival analysis?

In this episode, I team up with Kaspar Rufibach, a statistical methodology expert, to break down what proportional hazards mean, why the assumption often fails, and how you can tackle these situations effectively.

We explain key concepts like hazard functions, discuss practical ways to analyze and visualize survival data, and share strategies for designing better clinical trials.

Whether you’re working on your first survival analysis or refining your approach, this episode will equip you with the tools to address non-proportional hazards confidently.