11/22/2013

Post date: Dec 5, 2013 2:19:43 AM

Speaker: Dr. Rajeshwari Sundaram, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Branch, NICHD/NIH

Topic: Statistical analysis of multistage model with applications to spontaneous labor in women: Part II

Multistage models are used to describe individuals passing through succession of “stages” corresponding to distinct states (e.g., healthy, diseased, dead). The resulting data can be considered as a form of multivariate survival data containing information about the transition times and the stages occupied. The example of progression of labor through various stages of cervical dilation can be viewed as a multistage data. However, challenges exist due to incomplete nature of data caused by women not being observed continuously. We will talk about estimating various quantities of interest, namely stage occupation probabilities as well transition probabilities in presence of various missing mechanisms. In particular, we will heavily focus on the motivating example of progression of labor and identify problems of scientific interest that require new methods development.