The Effective Statistician - in association with PSI

How Statisticians Can Build Trust and Lead with Emotional Intelligence

23 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

pisode Summary In this episode of The Effective Statistician, Alun Bedding speaks with Emma May about the skills that truly differentiate effective s...

The Evolving Role of Generative AI in Pharma

20 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 Ma...

Kicking Off 2026: Gratitude and What’s Ahead

06 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 ep...

Why to present better and how as a statistician

01 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

External control arms - how to get to a good one

27 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 con...

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

10 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 wil...

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

27 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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

Introduction to adaptive designs and ICH E20

20 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Leadership, Influence & Presenting: Human Skills That Make Statisticians Effective

29 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is a little different because Alun turns the microphone toward me. After 456 episodes, it feels both strange and exciting to be the “gu...

Top 8: The Single Arm Studies and What are the Alternatives?

15 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I’m excited to reshare one of our most-played conversations—the one where Norwegian regulator/HTA leader Anja Schiel and I get very practical abou...

Top 7: How to work with a physician within Pharma to become a valuable partner

08 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As statisticians in pharma, one of the most important professional relationships we can build is with our physician colleagues. When this partnership ...

Top 6: What is EU HTA and why should statisticians care?

01 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is one of our most downloaded episodes ever, and I’m excited to bring it back in this replay. In this conversation, I spoke with Lara Wolfson (...

Top 5: The analysis of adverse events done right

25 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We’re bringing back one of our most downloaded episodes ever – a deep dive into how adverse events should be analyzed properly. This conversation ...

Replay: R vs SAS - which is the better tool in pharmaceutical research

11 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this special replay of one of our all-time most popular episodes, we dive deep into one of the most debated topics in the pharmaceutical industry: ...

Replay: The Chimp Paradox

04 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this special replay episode — the top 3 most downloaded of all time — I’m again joined by Stuart McGuire as we explore The Chimp Paradox by P...

Replay: Is data science something for you?

28 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode ranks as the #2 most downloaded of all time—and for good reason. As data science continues to disrupt and redefine the healthcare and p...

Replay: Things we would like to have known before we started with RWE

21 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode originally struck a chord with statisticians around the world—and for good reason. Whether you’re just starting with real-world evide...

AI and Statistics Start-ups: Opportunities and Challenges

30 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this thought-provoking keynote recording, Manjari Narayan takes us on a journey through one of the most pressing and promising intersections in mod...

Combining RCT and RWD – applications in rare diseases and practical recommendations

23 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this special keynote episode, I’m excited to share the recording of Professor Tim Friede’s thought-provoking presentation from The Effective St...

Real-World Evidence vs. Randomized Trials: Can We Emulate Accuracy?

16 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this keynote episode, Professor Sebastian Schneeweiss from Harvard Medical School shares groundbreaking insights from his extensive research into e...

The Power of Networking

09 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of The Effective Statistician, Alun Bedding takes the mic to explore one of the most underrated yet transformative tools in any profes...

Inclusion for All: Rethinking Success, Neurodiversity, and Accessibility in the Workplace

02 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Alun Bedding welcomes Emma Crawford for a powerful and personal conversation about building inclusive workplace cultures—ones where...

Daily updated systematic literature reviews - the future of oncology

19 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How can oncologists and healthcare professionals keep up with the ever-growing body of research to make the best decisions for patients? In this epis...

A novel approach for finding predictive biomarkers

12 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I’m joined by Julia Geronimi from Servier and Dr. Pavel Mozgunov from the University of Cambridge to explore a topic that’s absol...

A Webinar Recording: Redefining the Role of Statisticians in a World of Real-World Data and AI

05 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this special episode, I’m sharing the recording of a webinar I co-hosted with Cytel on March 20, 2025. I was joined by an expert panel of leaders...

RWE and JCA - how do they go together

28 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I’m excited to welcome back Katrin Kupas, a statistician with deep expertise in Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and real world e...

Why and how you can promote more students become statisticians

21 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As someone who found my way into statistics late—only halfway through university—I often wonder: what if more young people knew about this path ea...

Clarifying confusions around interim, primary, final, and other analyses in clinical trial

14 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Group sequential trials, interim analyses, final analyses, updated analyses… what do these terms actually mean, and why is there so much confusion? ...

Reimagining Clinical Trials with Synthetic Data and Digital Twins

07 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Prof. Holger Fröhlich, who leads the AI and Data Science Group at the Fraunhofer Institute and i...

Working in an english work environment as a non-native speaker

03 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I’m diving into a topic that’s very personal to me—working in an English-speaking environment as a non-native speaker. If you’...

R-shiny - how to set it up effectively and avoid common mistakes

31 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I’m once again joined by Daniel Sabanés Bové for a deep dive into one of the most impactful tools for statisticians working with ...

3 personal stories of how soft skills have helped me as a statistician

27 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I’m sharing three personal stories where soft skills—or better yet, human skills—made a huge difference in my work as a statist...

R-packages - best practices and useful tools

24 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I’m joined once again by Daniel Sabanés Bové to talk all about R packages—why they’re so useful, when to create one, and how ...

Delegating programming tasks - how SOPs help and hinder

20 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Statistics and Market access - from foes to friends

17 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I welcome back Necdet Gunsoy, who’s now in a new role as the founder of EviMed, a boutique consultancy specializing in health econo...

Beyond logic - how to convince others of your ideas

13 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of The Effective Statistician podcast, I dive into the art of persuasion. As statisticians and data scientists, we often rely on logic...

P-value and confidence intervals - the good, the bad, and the ugly

10 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of The Effective Statistician, I sit down with Kaspar Rufibach to tackle a topic that affects statisticians every day—how to interpr...

Building the Influence as a Statistician in a Clinical Trial Team

06 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of The Effective Statistician, I dive into a crucial skill—building influence within a clinical trial team. As statisticians, we oft...

Effective self-management and taking care of your mental health

03 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I know firsthand how challenging it can be to manage a heavy workload while maintaining mental well-being. In this episode of The Effective Statistici...

Taming AI for Biostatistics: Darko Medin on Bio AI Works & Reliable AI Models

27 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to another episode of The Effective Statistician! Today, I sit down with Darko Medin to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming bi...

Slow Productivity

24 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of The Effective Statistician, I explore Slow Productivity by Cal Newport—a book that challenges how we think about work and efficie...

Behind the Scenes of Writing a Book About Casual Inference

17 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of The Effective Statistician, I talk with Justin Belair about the process of writing a book on causal inference, one of the hottest t...

What Is The MDLC and How It Will Help You?

10 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of The Effective Statistician, I introduce the Medical Data Leaders Community (MDLC)—a powerful new resource for statisticians, data...

Endless To-Do Lists

06 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Do you ever feel like your to-do list keeps growing no matter how much you check off? I’ve been there—busy all day but still feeling unproductiv...

Struggling With A Full Calendar?

03 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of The Effective Statistician, I tackle the challenge of a packed calendar head-on. If back-to-back meetings, endless calls, and cons...

Breaking Free from the Beliefs Keeping You Stuck in Long Hours

30 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of The Effective Statistician, I tackle a challenge that many of us face—working long hours and feeling stuck in an endless cycle of...

What Are GAMS and How Can You Leverage Them?

27 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of The Effective Statistician, I explore how GAMS—the General Algebraic Modeling System—can solve complex optimization problems an...

Why Becoming a Long-Haul Leader Matters

23 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Are you tired of rushing through endless meetings, juggling countless tasks, and feeling like the grind never stops? Do you wonder if all this hustle ...

Negotiation for Statisticians: Advocating for Yourself and Your Work

20 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to another episode of The Effective Statistician podcast! Today, I tackle the essential skill of negotiation—a tool we statisticians use ev...

Trust

16 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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

Behind the Pages: How I Wrote 'How to Be an Effective Statistician'

13 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 new...

Imposter Syndrome

09 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this Friday edition of The Effective Statistician podcast, Alun Bedding tackles the pervasive issue of imposter syndrome. He shares his own experie...

Learn, Do, Reflect, and Start Again! How to Become a Better Leader

06 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

2025 Lifestyle Planning

19 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 asp...

Early Development and The Dose Selection in the Immune-oncology

16 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How do we find the right dose in immune-oncology trials? Is the traditional “maximum tolerated dose” approach still enough, or should we also fo...

Sharpen The Saw

12 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 chal...

Why is it important to measure exposure to digital health interventions and how to tackle the challenge

09 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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

Why Do Clinical Trials Impact the Climate Heavily and What We Can Do About It?

03 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 Impe...

Introduction to Dealing with Non-proportional Hazards

25 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Have you faced the challenge of dealing with non-proportional hazards in survival analysis? In this episode, I team up with Kaspar Rufibach, a stati...

How Real Leaders Help Their People Grow Professionally and As a Person

18 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Introduction to Episode: "How Real Leaders Help Their People Grow Professionally and Personally" What does it take to be a great leader? How do you...

Clinical Development of Gene Therapies

11 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What makes gene therapy so different from traditional drug development? How do we address safety when each patient only receives a single dose? An...

Statistical Topics in Gene Therapy

04 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What if we could target genetic diseases at their root, offering lifelong cures instead of temporary solutions? And what role do statisticians play ...

Clinical Development Plans

28 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What does it take to create an effective clinical development plan? How do our early decisions shape the path of a compound through clinical phases? A...

The Most Important Things You Need to Know About AI And ML

21 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Have you wondered how large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT are transforming the way we work? How can AI tools boost efficiency in statistics an...

Can Statisticians Contribute to Moving Out of The Statistics Function?

14 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Are you a statistician looking to expand your career beyond the statistics department? Do you want to know how your data expertise and strategic thi...

How Notion Can Help You With Productivity

07 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Are you trying to boost your productivity and organize your tasks more efficiently? In this episode of The Effective Statistician, I talk with Taina...

Statistical Software Engineering

30 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What can statisticians gain from the world of software engineering? How can coding practices from companies like Google help us enhance the quality o...

Prediction Modeling

23 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Are you curious about how predictive models forecast future outcomes? Or how do experts build and test these models to ensure they’re reliable? In...

How AI Can Help Us with Our Day-to-day Work! Experiences with Copilot

16 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How can artificial intelligence simplify your daily work? How do tools like GitHub Copilot streamline tasks for statisticians and data scientists? I...

Better Delivery of Presentations

12 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Are you feeling nervous about delivering your next presentation? Do you dread the moment you step in front of an audience? You’re not alone. But wh...

The Best Learnings From One of The Most Influential Statisticians

09 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I dive into some key questions: How does luck influence our careers? How do we stay humble while continually learning and growing? Wh...

Crafting Better Slides

05 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Do your slides overwhelm your audience with too much information? Are they cluttered, and distracting from the message you want to deliver? In this e...

The Role of AI in Clinical Development

02 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Are you curious about how artificial intelligence is transforming clinical research? Do you want to know how statisticians can use AI to improve heal...

Three Areas You Must Address in Your Presentation

29 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Do you ever wonder what makes a presentation truly resonate with your audience? What turns a simple delivery into something unforgettable? In this ep...

Bridging IT and Statistics: A Guide for Statisticians

26 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever questioned how biostatistics and IT intersect, or why managing this relationship can feel so challenging? In this episode, I sit down wi...

5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Opening PowerPoint

22 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Are you ready to elevate your presentation skills? Do you know the key steps to create a presentation that drives action? What if a few simple questio...

Overcoming Challenges of Working Effectively Together: Pharma And Small Providers

19 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we’re diving into some intriguing questions: How can big pharmaceutical companies and small providers work together more effectively? What hi...

Digital Transformation And Innovation (Part 2)

12 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this exciting continuation of our series on digital transformation and innovation, we dive deeper into the crucial role of policies in driving succ...

Digital Transformation And Innovation (Part 1)

05 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever wondered why some digital transformation efforts fail miserably while others succeed brilliantly? Are you curious about the key element...

The Role of Coaching For Your Career And Success

29 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever wondered how coaching can impact your career and success? Are you curious about the differences between coaching and mentoring and how ...

Benefit-Risk

23 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Are you curious about how benefit-risk assessments in healthcare evolve? Do you wonder how patient preferences shape these evaluations? Today, I spe...

How And When To Leverage Integrated Evidence Plans (Part 2)

18 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Are you curious about how to leverage integrated evidence plans (IEPs) effectively? Do you want to know how statisticians can meet the diverse eviden...

How And When To Leverage Integrated Evidence Plans (Part 1)

15 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Are you ready to explore the dynamic world of integrated evidence plans (IEPs) with me? Have you ever wondered how pharmaceutical companies align the...

Topics We Are Looking For The Conference in Fall 2024

11 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Are you ready to elevate your statistical skills and network with industry leaders? Interested in presenting your research or learning from the best ...

Project Management And Collaborations With Statisticians

08 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever wondered how project management and collaboration between statisticians and clinical operations professionals impact clinical trials? W...

R-Tool For Bayesian Statistics in Early Phase

04 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever wondered how we make crucial decisions in the early phases of clinical trials? How can a Bayesian framework enhance these decisions? ...

Accreditation to the Statistician - FENstatS

01 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Are you looking to elevate your career as a statistician? Curious about how accreditation can enhance your professional status and build trust in you...

Why And How to Network As A Statistician

27 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Do you ever wonder how networking can boost your career as a statistician? Are you an introvert who finds the idea of networking daunting? In this e...

Managing Hype in Statistics

24 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Navigating New Teams: Building Trust and Avoiding Pitfalls

20 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I tackle an important question: How can you effectively integrate into a new team? Drawing from my own experiences and recent discus...

The Current State Of EU HTA: Large Challenges Ahead!

17 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Are you curious about the current state of EU Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and the challenges it faces? Wondering how upcoming changes will imp...

Take Control of The Perceptions Others Get From You Online!

13 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to another Friday episode! Today, I want to talk about something crucial—your digital footprint. And no, I'm not talking about your carbon f...

The FAIRification Of Research In Real-World Evidence: A Practical Introduction To Reproducible Analytic Workflows Using

10 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How can you ensure your data and analytic workflows are reproducible and transparent? What are the FAIR principles, and why are they crucial for real...

Trust - The Fundament of Your Success And How To Built It (Part 3)

06 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever wondered what truly makes someone trustworthy? How does one's character play a role in building trust? Why do actions speak louder tha...

From Company Culture to Data-Driven Decisions

03 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I talk with Mat Davies from Jazz Pharmaceuticals about the powerful intersection of company culture and data-driven decision-making. ...

Trust - The Fundament of Your Success And How to Build It (Part 2)

30 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever wondered how to build lasting trust within your team? What are the essential steps to ensure your colleagues see you as reliable and s...

Trust - The Fundament of Your Success And How to Build It (Part 1)

23 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever wondered why some teams function seamlessly while others struggle with every task? What secret ingredient makes collaboration smooth a...

Exploration Or Explanation: 10 Key Differences For Data Visualisations

21 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Are you curious about how to tailor your data visualizations to either explore new insights or clearly explain your findings to different audiences? ...

How To Convince Others By Not Making This Mistake!

16 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever struggled to convince others about the value of your ideas? Do you find it challenging to communicate why your product or service stand...

What You Can Expect And How You Can Contribute To The Conference In November 2024

13 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Are you ready to shape the future of statistics in healthcare? How can you contribute to and benefit from our upcoming November 2024 conference? Thi...