Introducing
Expert Statistical Scientist at Roche
Kaspar is an Expert Statistical Scientist in Roche’s Methods, Collaboration, and Outreach group, and is located in Basel.
He does methodological research, provides consulting to Roche statisticians and broader project teams, gives biostatistics training for statisticians and non-statisticians in- and externally, mentors students, and interacts with external partners in industry, regulatory agencies, and the academic community in various working groups and collaborations.
He has co-founded and co-leads the European special interest group “Estimands in oncology” (sponsored by PSI and EFSPI, which also has the status as an ASA scientific working group, a subsection of the ASA biopharmaceutical section) that currently has 39 members representing 23 companies, 3 continents, and several Health Authorities. The group works on various topics around estimands in oncology.
Kaspar’s research interests are methods to optimize study designs, advanced survival analysis, probability of success, estimands, and causal inference, estimation of treatment effects in subgroups, and general nonparametric statistics. Before joining Roche, Kaspar received training and worked as a statistician at the Universities of Bern, Stanford, and Zurich.
More on the oncology estimand WG: http://www.oncoestimand.org
More on Kaspar: http://www.kasparrufibach.ch
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Managing Hype in Statistics
with Kaspar Rufibach
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the constant waves of innovation in our field?
How do we, as statisticians, manage the hype surrounding new trends like AI and machine learning?
Today, I’m thrilled to have Kaspar back on the show! We explore these recurring waves of innovation that promise to revolutionize our industry—from data mining and big data to real-world evidence and, most recently, AI and machine learning. These trends often come with high expectations, pressuring us to validate our value amid the hype.
We discuss the pressures we face within organizations, the importance of rigorous and honest assessments, and strategies for building trust and reputation.
Join us as we navigate the complexities of managing hype and maintaining our vital role in drug development.
Key Points of the Episode:
- Innovation Waves: Data mining, big data, real-world evidence, AI, machine learning.
- Hype Management: Handling initial excitement, and realistic expectations.
- Pressure on Statisticians: Validation of value, skepticism from stakeholders.
- Rigor and Honesty: Importance of rigorous assessments, and clear assumptions.
- Building Trust: Establishing credibility within organizations.
- External Pressure: Influence of consultants and external vendors.
- Practical Examples: Futility analysis, real-world data usage.
- Proactive Approach: Staying ahead of trends, internal and external communication.
- Reputation and Networking: Internal trust, external credibility.
- Implementation Challenges: Balancing innovation with practical application.
- Educational Initiatives: Internal seminars, panel discussions, expert invitations.
- Simple Solutions: Focusing on fundamental, proven methods.
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