On the Importance of Statistical Thinking and Exploratory Data Analysis in Modern Biomedical Research

Music City Center 

The 20th century's digital progress has significantly transformed scientific research. Biomedical research in particular has benefitted from new measurement technologies that make it possible to observe molecular entities we previously could not. A common feature of these new technologies is that they generate large and complex datasets. For example, instead of focusing on one gene at a time; now, we can examine all genes together, shifting the approach from testing specific hypotheses to exploring and discovering new insights. However, the complexity of these data demand statistical expertise to discern meaningful patterns from chance or subtle systematic error, underscoring the critical role of statistics in biomedical research. Unfortunately, biomedical education has not kept pace with the demand for data analysis skills. In this talk I will showcase various examples to illustrate the vital role of statistical analysis and effective data visualization in the realm of genomics.