Fall 2016
Seminars are held on Thursdays at 4:00PM. Please note the location for each event in the schedule below. For questions about the seminar schedule, please contact Antai Wang.
Date: October 20, 2016
Speaker: Larry Tang
Department of Statistics,
George Mason University
Title: "ROC Curve and Likelihood Ratio in Diagnostic Medicine and Forensics"
Abstract:
In the first part of this talk I will present methods to estimate and compare biomarker accuracy. The methods account for the correlation and clustering structure of the ROC data. The finite sample performance is evaluated through simulation studies, and the methods are illustrated through real life examples. The second part discusses the applications of the ROC curve and the resulting likelihood ratio in Forensics. Misidentification in high-profile cases such as the Madrid bombing raises the concern about the lack of a scientific foundation and transparency. Such concern is highlighted in the 2009 National Research Council report which calls for the need to quantify the weight of fingerprint evidence. I will discuss the relationship between the receiver operating characteristic curve and the likelihood ratios commonly used in forensic statistics.