What do biostatisticians need to know about race, ethnicity, sex, and gender?
Lauren Samuels, PhD VUMC
"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." These words, often (mis)attributed to Mark Twain*, apply especially to the challenge that collaborative biostatisticians face in dealing with the constructs of race, ethnicity, sex, and gender. Many of us routinely incorporate one or more of these constructs into our analyses. Yet although we work hard to keep up with the latest developments in biostatistics and our medical research areas, those four key constructs can seem so basic and obvious that we never question whether our knowledge about them might be out-of-date (or may even have been incorrect to begin with). This seminar will provide an overview of current scientific understandings of race, ethnicity, sex, and gender and a critical examination of relevant policies from journals and funding agencies. (Please note that the title of the seminar notwithstanding, non-biostatisticians are, as always, welcome to attend.)
*https://quoteinvestigator.com/2018/11/18/know-trouble/