The Effective Statistician - in association with PSI

Will AI Replace Statisticians? The Future of Statistics in Pharma

Will artificial intelligence make statisticians obsolete—or make our expertise even more valuable? In this episode, I speak with independent statistical consultant Chris

How to Build an Effective Patient-Reported Outcome Strategy for Clinical Trials

How can we build a patient-reported outcome strategy that captures the patient voice and strengthens clinical development? In this episode of The Effective Statistician

How the R Consortium Is Transforming Regulatory Submissions and AI in Clinical Trials

In this episode, I talk with Ning Leng, Ph.D., Director II, Data and AI Acceleration Group, Data & Statistical Sciences at AbbVie, about the growing role of the R Consort

Project Optimus and what you need to know about it

Cancer treatments have changed dramatically over the past decade, but have our dose-finding strategies kept pace? In this episode, I speak with Dr. Ayon Mukherjee, who l

Unlocking Growth: The Power of Coaching and Mentoring for Statisticians

In this insightful interview, Emma May and Alun Bedding explore the nuances of coaching and mentoring, sharing personal stories, frameworks, and practical tips to enhance

Understanding and Mitigating Endpoint Bias in External Control Arms

External control arms are becoming increasingly important in drug development, but creating valid comparisons requires more than matching patient populations. In this ep

The Future of Statistical Methodology in Drug Development

This episode features three leading statistical methodology experts discussing the role, impact, and future of methodology groups in the pharmaceutical industry. They exp

Rethinking Programming Validation and Traceability in Clinical Trials

In this episode of The Effective Statistician, I speak with Andrew (Andy) York about the evolving world of programming validation, traceability, and quality assurance in

How Applied Improvisation Develops and Reinforces Interpersonal Skills

In this episode, Alun Bedding speaks with Richard Zink about how **applied improvisation** can help statisticians become more effective communicators and leaders. They e

What does a clinical lead expect from a statistician?

Episode Overview In this episode, I speak with Anna Mosikian, a physician by training and Global Clinical Program Lead working at the intersection of clinical developmen

Measuring Trust – A Key to Effective Leadership

Trust is one of the most fundamental elements of effective leadership—and yet, most organizations don’t measure it properly. In this episode, I speak again with my good

Choosing and Interpreting PROs and COAs – A Guide for Clinical Trial Statisticians

In this episode, I sit down with Rachael Lawrance to dive into a topic that has become absolutely central to clinical research: patient-centered outcomes. When I first s

How Statisticians Can Build Trust and Lead with Emotional Intelligence

In this episode of The Effective Statistician, Alun Bedding speaks with Emma May about the skills that truly differentiate effective statisticians from great leaders. Wh

The Evolving Role of Generative AI in Pharma

Generative AI is moving fast—and in pharma, it’s no longer just a buzzword. In this episode of The Effective Statistician Podcast, I speak with Manuel Cossio about how Ge

Kicking Off 2026: Gratitude and What’s Ahead

As we start 2026, I want to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who has been part of The Effective Statistician podcast. This episode features my co

Why to present better and how as a statistician

In this episode, I talk with my long-time friend and frequent guest, Kaspar Rufibach, about a skill that quietly determines how much impact we really have: presenting and

External control arms - how to get to a good one

In this episode, I’m joined by Deepa Jahagirdar, Associate Research Principal at Cytel, to explore what it really takes to build a good external control arm (ECA). Deepa

Top 9: Non-parametric analyses - much more than just the Wilcoxon test!

Why this episode made our all-time Top 9: If you’ve ever thought “non-parametric = Wilcoxon/Mann-Whitney and that’s it,” this conversation will happily destroy that myth.

How to communicate results from adaptive studies simple, but still correct

Adaptive designs let us learn earlier, stop smarter, and protect patients—but they also make communication tricky. In this episode, Kaspar Rufibach and I dig into what “s

Introduction to adaptive designs and ICH E20

In this episode, I’m joined once again by my friend and frequent guest, Kaspar Rufibach, to talk about a topic that’s been around for decades but is gaining fresh attenti