

The Effective Statistician - in association with PSI
Alexander Schacht and Benjamin Piske, biometricians, statisticians and leaders in the pharma industry
The podcast from statisticians for statisticians to have a bigger impact at work. This podcast is set up in association with PSI - Promoting Statistical Insight. This podcast helps you to grow your leadership skills, learn about ongoing discussions in the scientific community, build you knowledge about the health sector and be more efficient at work. This podcast helps statisticians at all levels with and without management experience. It is targeted towards the health, but lots of topics will be important for the wider data scientists community.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 7, 2025 • 22min
Reimagining Clinical Trials with Synthetic Data and Digital Twins
Interview with Holger Fröhlich
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
✔ What synthetic data actually is – and what it isn’t
✔ The benefits and challenges of using synthetic data in clinical research
✔ Real-world use cases, from early dementia diagnosis to trial simulation
✔ How digital twins could help predict patient outcomes
✔ Why synthetic data might be especially useful in areas with limited patient access
✔ The regulatory and ethical considerations we’ll need to navigate
Resources & Links:
🔗 Fraunhofer SCAI - AI in Data Analysis and Simulation (AI-DAS)
🔗 Cynthia Project (IHI)
🔗 PredictOM Project
🔗 IDERHA Project
🔗 CERTAINTY Project (Virtual Twins)
🔗 The Effective Statistician Academy – I offer free and premium resources to help you become a more effective statistician.
🔗 Medical Data Leaders Community – Join my network of statisticians and data leaders to enhance your influencing skills.
🔗 My New Book: How to Be an Effective Statistician - Volume 1 – It’s packed with insights to help statisticians, data scientists, and quantitative professionals excel as leaders, collaborators, and change-makers in healthcare and medicine.
🔗 PSI (Statistical Community in Healthcare) – Access webinars, training, and networking opportunities.
Key Publications from Holger and Team:
🔗 A synthetic data generation framework for Alzheimer's disease
🔗 Generative learning for deep biomarker discovery
🔗 Longitudinal digital twins in Parkinson’s Disease
🔗 Digital twins for clinical research – opportunities and limitations
Join the Conversation:Did you find this episode helpful? Share it with your colleagues and let me know your thoughts! Connect with me on LinkedIn and be part of the discussion.
Subscribe & Stay Updated:Never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Effective Statistician on your favorite podcast platform and continue growing your influence as a statistician.

Apr 3, 2025 • 13min
Working in an english work environment as a non-native speaker
Friday Episode with Alexander
🧠 What You’ll Learn:
✔ How I improved my English on the job (despite not having great grades in school)
✔ Why consuming high-quality English content (like podcasts, TED Talks, and books) made a big difference
✔ Tips for writing regularly—even journaling—and using tools like ProWritingAid
✔ How slowing down when speaking actually makes you sound more confident
✔ Why making mistakes is part of the process—and doesn’t reflect on your intelligence
✔ Simple phrases I use to clarify or ask questions in meetings
✔ How to shift your mindset from perfection to communication
✔ The power of practicing with others and surrounding yourself with supportive people
🔧 Who It's For:
✔ If you’re working in a global team, attending meetings in English, or just want to become more confident in how you communicate at work, this episode is for you—especially if English isn’t your first language.
🎯 Final Thought:
Being a non-native speaker means you’re already multilingual—and that’s a strength. With practice and the right mindset, you’ll thrive in any English-speaking work environment.
Resources & Links
🔗 ProWritingAid – A helpful writing assistant tool I personally use🔗 The Effective Statistician Academy – I offer free and premium resources to help you become a more effective statistician.🔗 Medical Data Leaders Community – Join my network of statisticians and data leaders to enhance your influencing skills.🔗 My New Book: How to Be an Effective Statistician - Volume 1 – It’s packed with insights to help statisticians, data scientists, and quantitative professionals excel as leaders, collaborators, and change-makers in healthcare and medicine.🔗 PSI (Statistical Community in Healthcare) – Access webinars, training, and networking opportunities.
Join the Conversation:Did you find this episode helpful? Share it with your colleagues and let me know your thoughts! Connect with me on LinkedIn and be part of the discussion.
Subscribe & Stay Updated:Never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Effective Statistician on your favorite podcast platform and continue growing your influence as a statistician.
Let’s keep learning, growing, and making an impact—Reach your potential, lead great science, and serve patients. Just be an effective statistician.

Mar 31, 2025 • 27min
R-shiny - how to set it up effectively and avoid common mistakes
Interview with Daniel Sabanés Bové
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
✔ Why interactive visualizations are such a game changer
✔ How R-Shiny makes scenario planning and data exploration easier
✔ What to consider before you even start coding
✔ Common mistakes to avoid with larger Shiny apps
✔ How to structure your code for long-term success and maintainability
✔ Tips to improve usability and ensure better stakeholder engagement
**We also discuss**:
✔ The TEAL framework by Roche for clinical trial analysis
✔ How to use AI to quickly generate Shiny prototypes
✔ Tools like shinytest2 and the Shiny UI Editor
✔ Why designing for your user’s workflow is critical
✔ When it’s time to call in an expert for help
Resources & Links
👉 Shiny Apps:
teal framework
Lessons for Shiny Apps Tutorial
Shiny Assistant
Shiny UI Editor
Tours of Shiny apps
RPACT Cloud
🔗 Rconis
🔗 The Effective Statistician Academy – I offer free and premium resources to help you become a more effective statistician.
🔗 Medical Data Leaders Community – Join my network of statisticians and data leaders to enhance your influencing skills.
🔗 My New Book: How to Be an Effective Statistician - Volume 1 – It’s packed with insights to help statisticians, data scientists, and quantitative professionals excel as leaders, collaborators, and change-makers in healthcare and medicine.
🔗 PSI (Statistical Community in Healthcare) – Access webinars, training, and networking opportunities.
Join the Conversation:Did you find this episode helpful? Share it with your colleagues and let me know your thoughts! Connect with me on LinkedIn and be part of the discussion.
Subscribe & Stay Updated:Never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Effective Statistician on your favorite podcast platform and continue growing your influence as a statistician.

Mar 27, 2025 • 19min
3 personal stories of how soft skills have helped me as a statistician
Dive into the transformative power of soft skills in statistics. Discover why traditional terms may be misleading and what they should be replaced with. Learn how trust can be established in just 15 minutes and hear a tale of a data visualization that received a standing ovation. Experience a negotiation win that redefined value perception. Explore how being part of a community can cultivate these essential skills, ultimately enhancing your impact as a statistician.

9 snips
Mar 24, 2025 • 21min
R-packages - best practices and useful tools
Daniel Sabanés Bové, a statistician from Roche and Google and founder of Arconis consulting, discusses the transformative power of creating R packages for code reuse and collaboration. He shares insights on overcoming common coding challenges and emphasizes that starting to write packages might happen sooner than you think. With tools like usethis and testthat, Sabanés walks through his process from idea to launch. He also highlights the vibrant R community, filled with creativity, collaboration, and fun elements like hex stickers.

Mar 20, 2025 • 17min
Delegating programming tasks - how SOPs help and hinder

Mar 17, 2025 • 44min
Statistics and Market access - from foes to friends
Interview with Necdet Gunsoy
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
✔ Necdet’s Journey
✔ Breaking Down Key Market Access Concepts
✔ The Real Cost of Poor Collaboration
✔ How We Can Work Together More Effectively
✔ Looking Ahead: The Impact of Joint Clinical Assessment (JCA)
Why You Should Listen
If you work in biostatistics, health economics, or market access, this episode is packed with practical insights to help you collaborate more effectively. Whether you're a statistician looking to better support HTA submissions or a market access professional trying to understand statistical challenges, you’ll walk away with actionable strategies that can make a real difference.
Resources & Links
Resources & Links: 🔗 Necdet Gunsoy on LinkedIn🔗 EviMed🔗 The Effective Statistician Academy – I offer free and premium resources to help you become a more effective statistician.🔗 Medical Data Leaders Community – Join my network of statisticians and data leaders to enhance your influencing skills.🔗 My New Book: How to Be an Effective Statistician - Volume 1 – It’s packed with insights to help statisticians, data scientists, and quantitative professionals excel as leaders, collaborators, and change-makers in healthcare and medicine.🔗 PSI (Statistical Community in Healthcare) – Access webinars, training, and networking opportunities.
Join the Conversation:Did you find this episode helpful? Share it with your colleagues and let me know your thoughts! Connect with me on LinkedIn and be part of the discussion.
Subscribe & Stay Updated:Never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Effective Statistician on your favorite podcast platform and continue growing your influence as a statistician.

Mar 13, 2025 • 13min
Beyond logic - how to convince others of your ideas
Discover how logic alone falls short in persuasion. Learn the vital role emotions play in decision-making and why credibility is essential for influence. Get practical strategies to make your arguments resonate with different audiences, from clinical project managers to medical leaders. Uncover techniques for presenting innovative trial methodologies that captivate attention and build trust. Join a community of like-minded data leaders to further enhance your influencing skills.

Mar 10, 2025 • 33min
P-value and confidence intervals - the good, the bad, and the ugly
In this insightful discussion, Kaspar Rufibach, an expert in statistical hypothesis testing, dives into the often-misunderstood world of p-values and confidence intervals. He explores the historical debates between Fisher’s and Neyman-Pearson’s approaches, shedding light on their practical implications. Kaspar shares real-world examples from clinical trials, emphasizing the risks of misinterpretation and the importance of clear communication. His tips for applying statistical concepts effectively can enhance collaboration with clinicians and strengthen the integrity of research.

Mar 6, 2025 • 14min
Building the Influence as a Statistician in a Clinical Trial Team
Friday Episode with Alexander Schacht
Key Points:
Building Influence
Negotiation
Trust Pillars
Collaboration
Proactivity
Impact
Actionable Strategies
Building influence as a statistician isn’t just about being heard—it’s about driving better decisions, improving team dynamics, and ultimately making a greater impact on patient outcomes. The strategies I share in this episode will help you strengthen your influence, gain trust, and collaborate more effectively.
So don’t just listen—take action! Tune in now, and if you found this valuable, share it with friends and colleagues who can benefit. And if you’re serious about leveling up your leadership skills, check out the Medical Data Leaders Community (MDLC) for expert guidance and a network of like-minded professionals.