Colloquium: Statistical considerations in assessing prescribing practices: an application to the child welfare system
Join us next Tuesday, February 25 for our next invited speaker of the semester!
Dr. Rameela Raman will be presenting virtually at 11 AM through Zoom.
Dr. Rameela Raman is an Associate professor of Biostatistics and Nursing at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. She received her Ph.D. in Biostatistics from the State University of New York at Buffalo in September 2011. Prior to joining the faculty at Vanderbilt, she was a pre-doctoral research affiliate at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute for four years. Dr. Raman is currently the senior biostatistician for the Center of Excellence for Children in State Custody as well as the Tennessee Emerging Infections Program. Her research interests lie in statistical computing, clinical trials, biostatistics consulting and repeated measures methodology. Dr. Raman’s talk is entitled “
Statistical considerations in assessing prescribing practices: an application to the child welfare system.”
Abstract:There is widespread concern that psychotropic drugs are prescribed to children in the United States at an alarming rate. Given the traumatic experiences that most children in state custody have experienced, it is not surprising that many exhibit behavioral issues rooted in abuse or neglect. Although it is every states’ policy that psychotropic medications be prescribed and administered only when medically necessary, children in state custody are particularly vulnerable to over-prescription at stunningly high rates, far higher than children in the general population. In this talk, I will provide an overview of my collaboration with the Department of Children’s Services and use it as a motivating example to discuss statistical considerations in assessing prescribing practices. I will provide an overview of how statistical techniques in this area have evolved through the years, recent methodological advances and ongoing work. The challenges and areas for future research and development will be highlighted.
For Zoom meeting information please contact Dr. Sarah Lotspeich at lotspes@wfu.edu