Announcements

Call for Submissions: Journal for Survey Statistics and Methodology

Special Issue: Survey Research from Asia-Pacific, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and the Caribbean

Guest Editors:  Carolina Franco, Mamadou Diallo, Sunghee Lee, Denise Britz do Nascimento Silva

The Journal for Survey Statistics and Methodology seeks submissions for a special issue on survey research from Asia-Pacific, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and the Caribbean

Survey research stands to benefit from examining the richness of applications, ideas, and contributions from investigators around the world.  This issue aims to highlight work from locations that are typically underrepresented in JSSAM and other leading journals.  In keeping with the theme of the special issue, it is desirable for at least one of the authors in a submission to be working in one of the regions covered, and applications must use data primarily from these regions. The issue will showcase interesting survey papers from various countries.  

We seek papers from the targeted regions on the usual topics covered in the journal.   These include papers on Survey Statistics, Survey Methodology, and Applications.  The Survey Statistics section presents papers on innovative sampling procedures, imputation, weighting, measures of uncertainty, small area inference, new methods of analysis, and other statistical issues related to surveys. The Survey Methodology section presents papers that focus on methodological research, including methodological experiments, questionnaire design and testing, methods of data collection, interviewer effects, nonresponse and recruitment protocols, responsive designs, new data sources, and use of paradata. The Applications section contains papers involving innovative applications of methods and providing practical contributions and guidance, and/or significant new findings.  In addition to the general topics above, the issue also seeks papers on survey methods and statistics in multinational, multiregional, and multicultural contexts, and on capacity building efforts. 

Submissions to the special issue are welcomed through September 30, 2024. Upon submission manuscripts will be peer-reviewed in accordance with standard journal practice and will be published online soon after acceptance. See this information flyer.

 Electronic copies of the manuscripts should be uploaded at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jssam following the manuscript preparation instructions. To ensure consideration in the special issue, authors must include a cover letter that clearly states that the manuscript has been submitted for consideration for the special issue on “Survey Research from Asia-Pacific, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and the Caribbean.”  Queries about this special issue should be directed to Carolina Franco at franco-carolina@norc.org.

Announcements List

  • June virtual meeting - technical talk on DSMBs

    Join the Central Indiana Chapter for a virtual lunchtime meeting on June 10, 2026. Our special guest speaker will be Dr. Frank Rockhold who will be speaking on the fundamental aspects of Data Monitoring Committees.
          title:  Data Monitoring Committees in Clinical Trials: Realities and Myths
          speaker: Frank W. Rockhold, Ph.D.
                          Professor of Biostatistics, Duke University School of Medicine
          date:  Wednesday, June 10, 2026
          time:  Noon - 1:00 pm ET
          cost:  FREE
          register:  register on Zoom
    Abstract
    Over the past seven decades, the randomized clinical trial (RCT) has evolved to serve as the benchmark for the evaluation of new pharmaceuticals, medical devices, procedures, and behavioral interventions. Correspondingly, the role of the Independent Data Monitoring Committee (IDMC) as proposed in ICH E9, also known as the Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB), which was outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki and first formally recommended by the Greenberg Report in 1967, has similarly advanced. IDMCs are responsible for reviewing the complete body of evidence—including emerging unblinded safety (risk) and efficacy (benefit) data—and may recommend modifications to the RCT or early termination when there is evidence of harm or compelling changes to benefit-risk. The IDMC also has the responsibility to monitor and ensure trial integrity on behalf of the patients. The utilization of IDMCs continues to rise. Alongside this increased adoption over the last five to six decades, there has been an expansion in the use of independent statistical reporting groups (ISRGs), which supply interim reports for IDMC review. Despite substantial growth, there remains a notable shortage of clinical and statistical scientists with the necessary training and expertise to serve as members of IDMCs or provide ISRG-type support. 
     
    This presentation will outline fundamental aspects of DMC operations, including typical responsibilities, committee composition, meeting structure, operational policies, and current issues—both emerging and controversial—in data monitoring. The objective of this discussion is to enhance understanding of DMC responsibilities and address the ongoing challenges and misunderstandings within the clinical trials community.
     
    Speaker
    Frank Rockhold is Professor of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics at Duke University School of Medical. His 50+ year career includes senior research positions at Lilly, Merck, and GlaxoSmithKline, where he retired as Chief Safety Officer and Senior Vice President of Global Clinical Safety and Pharmacovigilance. Dr. Rockhold is internationally recognized for his expertise in clinical trial design, safety and pharmacovigilance, public data disclosure, and scientific transparency. He has presented at FDA Advisory Committee meetings, Japanese and European regulatory agencies, National Academy of Medicine, and the White House Office of Technology and Science. He is formerly an advisor to the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute as part of the Affordable Care Act.
     
    Dr. Rockhold is past President of the Society for Clinical trials, past Chairman of the board for CDISC and is currently Chairman of the Board of the Frontier Research Foundation and an advisor to EMA. He is coauthor of the ICH (International Council for Harmonization) E9 (Biostatistics) and E10 (Control Groups) guidelines and he has more than 250 publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals and more than 350 presentations and seminars at Scientific Symposia. Frank has served on and chaired more than 100 independent data monitoring committees.
     
    Dr. Rockhold holds a BA in Statistics from The University of Connecticut, an ScM in Biostatistics from The Johns Hopkins University, and a PhD in Biostatistics from the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University. He is an Elected Fellow of the American Statistical Association, the Society for Clinical Trials, and the Royal Statistical Society. He is an Accredited Professional Statistician, PStat®, and a Chartered Statistician, CStat.

  • New Discord Channel

    ASA has a brand new Discord channel just for students! Be part of the conversation in StatChat on Discord using the invite code ZnaBsxuG57.

  • Chapter meeting - Professional development series

    The Central Indiana Chapter will have an in-person meeting on Thursday, April 09, 2026 at DORIS Research in Indianapolis. Our guest speaker will be Gary Sullivan from Espirer Consulting. As part of our professional development series, Gary will be giving a presentation on leadership development for statisticians and data scientists. The presentation will start at approximately 5:00 and last about 1 hour. But be sure to arrive early and stay afterwards for some light refreshments and networking with other data professionals.
     
        speaker:  Gary Sullivan, PhD
        title:  Leadership Development for Every Statistician
        date:  Thursday, April 09, 2026
                   4:30 - 6:30 pm ET
        place:  Doris Research
                     536 E Market St
                     Indianapolis, IN
        cost:  FREE
        register: register on Zeffy 
     
    Gary is the co-developer and primary instructor for The Effective Statistician Leadership Program - a leadership training program aimed at pharmaceutical professionals. In 2018, Gary founded Espirer Leadership Consulting LLC after a 28-year career at Eli Lilly & Co. His company provides leadership training, coaching, and advising to statisticians and quantitative scientists. His clientele include over a dozen pharmaceutical companies and clinical research organizations and he has taught to over a 1,000 professionals. His programs focus on how to improve one's communication, presentations, strategic thinking, and business acumen. Gary earned his PhD from Iowa State University. During his time at Lilly, he held various technical and administrative roles retiring in 2017 as the Senior Director of Non-Clinical Statistics.
     
    Abstract
    Most leaders become leaders by studying, getting the right coaching and mentoring, developing and applying the proper skills, and continuously learning and growing through that process. In this talk, Gary will present how to get started on your journey to leadership and the needed skills and behaviors for you to grow as a leader. Specifically, Gary will focus on three primary questions:
          What is leadership?
          What skills do leaders have?
          How do you develop and apply these skills?
    Leadership development is a journey that takes many years and it may seem overwhelming at first. Gary will discuss some easy ways to get started quickly and to make progress fast.