Held on 5 September 2024, RSS Conference, Brighton
At this year’s Royal Statistical Society Conference in Brighton, this session revisited a topic first explored by the late Sir David Cox. His seminal paper, presented at the 50th anniversary of the Italian Statistical Society, examined the evolving dynamics between statisticians and "substantive research workers." This session aimed to assess how much progress has been made in the 35 years since that paper and whether the challenges identified by Cox still persist.
Professor Mona Kanaan from the University of York opened the session by posing a thought-provoking question: to what extent do the issues highlighted by Sir David Cox still resonate today, and what advancements have been made? To frame the discussion, she referenced a previous initiative she had been involved in, which focused on the career progression of medical statisticians. The findings of this initiative were published in Significance in an article titled “Always on Tap but Never on Top”. The article underscored the fact that medical statisticians are often undervalued as collaborators in clinical research projects. In response to these concerns, the RSS Medical Section recently distributed a survey to explore the current state of relationships between medical statisticians and clinicians.
Christiana Kartsonaki from the University of Oxford followed with a detailed presentation on the survey’s background and methodology. The survey, designed to assess the nature of collaboration between medical statisticians and clinicians, garnered responses from over 200 statisticians but only 10 clinicians—despite considerable effort from the RSS Medical Section to encourage broader participation. This discrepancy in responses was revealing in itself.
The demographic data showed that two-thirds of the statistician respondents, and all of the clinicians, were based in the UK. The respondents represented a wide range of ages and genders. Interestingly, most statisticians reported finding their collaborations with clinicians to be productive and relatively smooth, though the low clinician response highlighted a potential gap in perceptions between the two groups.
Nathan Green from University College London provided a synthesis of the survey’s qualitative findings, identifying several recurring themes. These included: Communication and expectations, time constraints, funding issues, misunderstanding of roles, gaps in education, attitudes and culture, dynamics in interpersonal and professional collaboration. Quotes from respondents were used to illustrate these points, highlighting both the successes and ongoing challenges in the collaboration between medical statisticians and clinicians.
Catey Bunce, a statistician at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, offered her reflections on these themes, drawing direct parallels with Sir David Cox’s original paper. She noted how much of Cox’s analysis remains pertinent today, particularly his observations on the need for clearer communication and mutual understanding between statisticians and clinicians.
To foster further dialogue, Professor Kanaan led an interactive exercise using Mentimeter, inviting attendees to share their thoughts on the issues raised. The audience generally concurred with the findings, adding valuable insights and suggestions for how to improve the collaboration between statisticians and clinicians.
The session concluded with an open discussion, which sparked lively debate and the sharing of personal anecdotes. The insights from both the survey and the session will feed into future conversations and initiatives aimed at strengthening the relationship between medical statisticians and clinical researchers.
Organised by the RSS Medical Section, this session provided a reflective yet forward-looking assessment of how far we have come in bridging the gap between statisticians and clinicians. It is clear that building stronger, more equitable partnerships will remain a key focus for future efforts.