IAM-PIMS-MITACS Distinguished Colloquium -Bayesian Statistical Reasoning

In this talk I'll (a) provide an overview of the history of probability and statistics, shedding some light on a 19th- and 20th-century dispute between two probabilistic schools (frequentist and Bayesian), (b) explain why a fusion between the two approaches is better than a fight between them, and (c) give examples of Bayesian inference, prediction and decision-making in the context of several case studies from medicine and health policy, illustrating the fusion just mentioned. Non-statisticians interested in the history of mathematics (and science) may find the talk worthwhile, and there will also be points of potential technical interest for both applied mathematicians and statisticians.