Presenter: Haley Hedlin, PhD
Clinical trials are essential to improving health and making strides in medicine; however, ethical and safety issues are common. Participants are potentially exposed to experimental treatments and at times may also belong to a vulnerable population. For this reason, independent oversight is crucial. Data and Safety Monitoring Boards (DSMBs, also called Data Monitoring Committees) are charged with playing this vital role of providing such oversight and upholding the integrity of the trial.
Haley Hedlin is a Senior Biostatistician and the Associate Director for the Clinical Trials Program within the Quantitative Sciences Unit in the Department of Medicine at Stanford University. The Quantitative Sciences Unit is a group of collaborative data scientists who work on a wide range of studies. In her position, she collaborates closely with clinical researchers to design and implement studies and apply statistical methods across the fields of medicine and public health. She has interacted with dozens of DSMBs in the role of an independent statistician presenting to the DSMB; as a DSMB member and chair; and as a clinical trialist whose trial is being overseen by a DSMB.