Dear Statistics Friends, please think about Global health and statistics
On April 7 we celebrate the World Health Day, with the concept of "Health for All". We would like to amend this saying to "Health and Statistics for all", as both health and statistics go hand-in-hand. For both there are broad global inequities, that can be attacked in part with improvements in
research methods training.
"Until we get equality in education, we will not have an equal society" (Sotomayor)
A few years ago we started to celebrate World Health Day with the simple concept that to improve health, people needed to know the definition of health.
"Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity". (WHO)
http://www.pitt.edu/~super1/globalhealth/What%20is%20Health.htm
We concluded that the WHO Definition is most beautiful, but sadly many statistics, medical , public health, and all students were never taught this. It is difficult to conceptualize that many statistical trainees and doctors across the world do not know what "What health is". We have been working to change this. Eugene Shubnikov from Russia created this beautiful poster with the WHO Definition of health translated into 75 different languages. We encourage you on this wonderful WHO Day to share this poster and definition of health with your faculty and students. Please let us know your experience and send this to me at ronaldlaporte@gmail.com.
Statistical Equity
Statistical equity refers to the study and causes of differences in the quality of science and scientific methods across different definitions.
We believe that for World Health Day fostering equity that we should also recognize on this day the importance of developing global equity in science and statistics research.
"If we cannot now end our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity" (JF Kennedy)
Nearing completion of the largest statistical library in the world
We are very close to finishing the BA Serageldin research methods library. The ASA and 267 statisticians been wonderful in supporting this. We have a 2.1 million emails of scientists, a 16,000 book and virtual library (largest in world) and the beta testing of the loan system have all been completed. We will shortly have available the Web Loan page where one can visit and identify and request research methods materials. The system once established will be a model system for sharing statistics and scientific methods research throughout Africa and Asia. This will be the first time where a student in Mali will have the same access to research methods as a student in Princeton. We thank all statisticians. Our goal is to have this up and running by the BioVision meeting at the end of April https://www.bibalex.org/bva2018/home/home.aspx. We hope you can come!
Science for all, 2030. Teach your children well about the WHO Definition of Health.
"Do your little bit of good where you are; it is these little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world" (D. Tutu)
Ron, Faina, Ismail, Eugene, Francois, Vint, Gil, Youssef, Eric, Diana, Amira, Passant, Shalkar, Musa, Francis, Ali, Takvani, Soni, Eman, Samar, Ahmed, Saeed, Hend, Lamia, Mary, Wen-Ta, Fritz