Can you describe a research project where you applied biostatistical methods to address a real-world public health issue?
When the pandemic struck in 2020, the Governor of Colorado reached out to the School of Public Health to provide guidance on where the pandemic might be headed. This required developing an interdisciplinary team of experts, including biostatistics, to develop a model that would project the course of COVID19 severe hospitalizations in Colorado. This was very impactful work that demonstrated the impact of biostatistics in public health.
How do you engage students in biostatistics to ensure they grasp complex concepts?
I'm a big believer in trying to introduce real-world cases to students in class, irrespective of the level of the class. With all the emphasis on AI and deep learning approaches in our society, the time is rife as an educator to present these to students. The catch is tailoring the example to the background and abilities of the students.
How do you stay updated with the latest advancements in biostatistics?
It's a combination of reading articles, talking to people and attending conferences and workshops. One disruptive format I would like to call out are blogs. For many statisticians and data scientists in our field (e.g., Andrew Gelman, Simon Couch), their blogs have provided nice introduction to various topics in data science, causal inference and AI. Given my age, I easily qualify as an adult learner, and having these resources available allows me to learn about topics at my own rate.
What has been one of the biggest lessons you've learned in your academic or research career?
Be willing to adapt.
Why did you choose biostatistics (or informatics/data science) as a field, and what keeps you passionate about your work?
After high school, I had the chance to do an internship at a childhood cancer center data coordinating center. My job was to file paper patient records from cancer clinical trials into their folders. The group consisted of 5 Ph.D.-level biostatisticians/epidemiologists along with M.S.-level statistical analysts, programmers, data managers and administrative staff. Seeing the impact that this group could have on human health while being trained primarily quantitatively was an important influence in my career choice.
Learn More
To read more about Dr. Debashis Ghosh, visit his faculty profile on the Colorado School of Public Health website.
Stay tuned for more features in our Get to Know Your B&I Faculty series!