Why ANCOVA Beats Change From Baseline—Always - 3/30/2026
This post shows, both intuitively and mathematically, why adjusting for baseline using ANCOVA is always more efficient than analyzing change from baseline.
From Potential to Actuality: What Drug Development Gets Right - 3/23/2026
A reflection on how drug development and applied statistics have transformed unrealized human potential into longer, fuller lives.
Ceding Decision-Making to the Most Risk-Averse - 3/16/2026
Investment decisions in drug development require different statistical frameworks than regulatory submissions—applying regulatory standards (multiplicity control, single pre-specified estimands) to staged investment decisions cedes control to the most risk-averse stakeholder and kills promising drugs.
Statistics On Statistics - 3/9/2026
Rigorous empirical research using 100 clinical datasets proved we could save 20% on trial costs, but the statistical community dismissed it as irrelevant—here's why 'statistics on statistics' remains valid.
Always Be Scouting - 3/2/2026
The most effective means of building an exceptional team is through strategic relationship-based hiring rather than reactive resume reviews and references. It uses the field of statistics as an example how.
The Only Counter to Ignorance- 2/23/2026
This essay shows the roles to engage to combat this never-ending concern.
The Blank Canvas and the Copyist: Why Statistics is Losing Its Ability to Analyze - 2/16/2026
Pharmaceutical statistical organizations have become so focused on regulatory process that they've lost the ability to actually analyze data, and it's setting up failures no one sees coming.
Develop Baby Develop - 2/9/2026
Imagine Billie Bob Thornton portraying a biotech CEO—now imagine learning about drug development risk along the way.
Statistics Without Intuition - 2/2/2026
This essay argues that introductory statistics should prioritize numerical literacy and interpretation over mathematical and computational procedures.
Thinking Slowly About Baseline Data- 1/19/2026
When we have time to think, mathematics can clarify choices that instinct alone cannot resolve.
When Clever Math Meets Bad Biology: Why sophistication cannot rescue weak premises- 1/12/2026
The history of creatinine clearance shows that scientific progress comes less from refining formulas than from improving the biological quantities they are meant to estimate. A model is useful for conveniently estimating the underlying biology.
The Lucky Seventh Lever- 1/5/2026
Its luck was revealed in childhood; its power lies in knowing where unequal allocation helps, and where it cannot.
Before We Panic: Thinking Clearly About FDA’s One-Trial Proposal- 12/29/2025
This blog shows how to reason quantitatively about FDA’s proposed policy change instead of defaulting to either alarm or celebration.
Raising Tens into Hundreds- 12/22/2025
From crime fiction to sufficient statistics, why every layer of modeling necessarily blurs information rather than creating it.
Christmas Bonus Blog: 12 Games, Infinite Lessons- 12/16/2025
What a few college football games reveal about weighing evidence, applying models, and making informed decisions — lessons that extend far beyond the field.
The Thing Formerly Known as Statistics - 12/15/2025
Statistics did not disappear; one of its creations has become powerful, and with that power comes responsibility we are currently failing to take seriously.
Don’t Drive Your Mustang at the Speed Limit: Making Full Use of Clinical Trial Data - 12/8/2025
A guide to avoiding wasted potential in clinical trials by leveraging repeated measures and integrating pharmacology and biological insights into analysis.
Rituals, Traditions, and Six Key Design Levers - 12/1/2025
Thanksgiving stories lead to a broader lesson: knowing all possibilities allows one to apply six critical levers for smarter study design.
Credibility Is Not Implicit — It Must Be Earned: Practical Advice for Statisticians Aiming to Improve Drug Development - 11/24/2025
Being a technically great statistician is not enough: before your skills can shine, you must open the door that allows you to establish credibility with each scientist you work with and then establish it.