WUSS will once again be offering a full menu of optional pre- and post-conference training classes on a variety of topics taught by seasoned experts. Classes are not included in conference registration and must be added separately.
Each half-day class is just $100 with your WUSS 2026 conference registration (or $125 if registering for classes only). This is a terrific value given the quality of instruction for which WUSS has become well-known!
Don’t miss this chance to maximize your experience at WUSS 2026!
| Course Title (click for description) | Instructor(s) (click for bio) |
Time |
| Tuesday, Sep. 1, 2026 – HALF DAY MORNING | ||
| Claude Code with SAS 9: Using Agentic AI to solve real-world SAS Problems | Joe Matise | 8:00 AM – 11:30 AM |
| Fifty-Five Functions to Supercharge your SAS Code | Joshua Horstman | 8:00 AM – 11:30 AM |
| Advanced Statistical Modeling in R | CANCELLED | 8:00 AM – 11:30 AM |
| Thursday, Sep. 3, 2026 – HALF DAY AFTERNOON | ||
| Mastering Statistical Hypothesis Testing in the Age of AI: Comparative Analytics with Python, R, and SAS | Ryan Paul Lafler & Miguel Angel Bravo |
1:30 PM – 5:00 PM |
| SAS Macro Automation for Healthcare and Pharma Reporting | Chary Akmyradov | 1:30 PM – 5:00 PM |
| Creating Custom Graphs Using SAS and R | CANCELLED | 1:30 PM – 5:00 PM |
Course Descriptions
Claude Code with SAS 9: Using Agentic AI to solve real-world SAS Problems
Joe Matise
Tuesday, September 1, 2026
8:00 AM – 11:30 AM PDT
In this hands-on workshop, we will walk students through setting up Claude Code inside VS Code to connect to a SAS 9.4 installation, provide tools to do this themselves in various different environments, and use Claude Code to write SAS code for data exploration, data cleaning, report writing, and visualizations.
No specific AI knowledge is required for this course. Any level of SAS knowledge is appropriate for this course; we will have two tracks for beginners versus advanced users.
Users with an Anthropic subscription will use their Anthropic API key; users without a key will be instructed prior to the course to sign up for a free API key through OpenRouter.ai.
Fifty-Five Functions to Supercharge your SAS Code
Joshua Horstman
Tuesday, September 1, 2026
8:00 AM – 11:30 AM PDT
The SAS System includes an extensive collection of DATA step functions that can provide great utility and convenience for the programmer. Many of these functions are relatively new and unknown. In this half-day course, we ll look at some SAS functions that should be in every programmer s toolbox. Each function will be presented with concrete examples so you ll be able to take what you ve learned and put it to use right away. We will cover functions from a broad range of categories such as string manipulation, logic and program control, dates and times, metadata, and much more. This course is suitable for beginning SAS programmers, but even seasoned veterans will probably find something new!
Mastering Statistical Hypothesis Testing in the Age of AI: Comparative Analytics with Python, R, and SAS
Ryan Paul Lafler, Miguel Angel Bravo
Thursday, September 3, 2026
1:30 PM – 5:00 PM PDT
This hands-on workshop provides a practical introduction to statistical hypothesis testing, comparative statistical programming, and reproducible analytical workflows across Python, R, and SAS . As AI-enabled analytics, automated modeling workflows, and open-source tools become more common across regulated and research environments, professionals need the statistical foundation to evaluate results, validate assumptions, interpret model behavior, and determine whether analytical conclusions are reliable.
Designed for data scientists, statisticians, statistical programmers, analysts, researchers, students, and professionals working in clinical, healthcare, pharmaceutical, policy, regulatory, operational, and applied research settings, this workshop focuses on selecting appropriate statistical tests, evaluating assumptions, interpreting results, and implementing accepted hypothesis testing techniques across multiple programming environments.
Attendees will gain practical experience applying parametric and nonparametric statistical testing methods that support well-defined Statistical Analysis Plans (SAPs), reproducible analytics, and defensible reporting. Through guided examples and hands-on exercises, attendees will compare how equivalent statistical workflows are implemented in Python, R, and SAS, including differences in syntax, output, diagnostics, assumptions, and interpretation.
Key Topics covered in this workshop include:
- Exploratory data analysis (EDA), data summarization, visualization, and preprocessing across Python, R, and SAS
- The role of hypothesis testing in SAP-driven analysis, regulated analytics, research, and AI-enabled analytical workflows
- Statistical significance, practical significance, clinical significance, and effect size interpretation
- Selecting appropriate parametric and nonparametric tests based on research questions, data structure, and model assumptions
- Comparing two groups using Welch s two-sample t-test and the Mann-Whitney U test
- Comparing multiple groups using one-way ANOVA and the Kruskal-Wallis test
- Factorial ANOVA models, interaction effects, model assumptions, and diagnostic checks
- Cross-language implementation patterns for Python, R, and SAS
This workshop helps attendees move beyond running isolated statistical procedures and understand how
hypothesis testing supports analytical planning, reproducible workflows, AI-enabled analytics, and defensible decision-making. By the end of this workshop, attendees will understand how to select, implement, diagnose, compare, and interpret common statistical tests across Python, R, and SAS.
All registered attendees will receive non-redistributable PDF slides, fully documented Python and R notebooks, SAS programs, and workshop datasets so they can reproduce the analyses and continue practicing after the workshop.
SAS Macro Automation for Healthcare and Pharma Reporting
Chary Akmyradov
Thursday, September 3, 2026
1:30 PM – 5:00 PM PDT
SAS macros are one of the most powerful tools for transforming repetitive programming into reusable, validated, and scalable workflows. This 3.5-hour post-conference course introduces a practical, healthcare- and pharma-focused approach to building macro-powered reporting systems in SAS 9, SAS Studio, and SAS Viya, using real-world examples from clinical and statistical programming workflows.
Participants will begin with core macro concepts, including macro variables, parameters, scope, macro debugging options, and reusable macro design. The course then connects these fundamentals to project automation using automatic SAS macro variables, including environment-specific values generated by Base SAS, SAS Enterprise Guide, and Viya/Studio. Attendees will learn how to use startup programs, autoexec-style process flows, project folder detection, standardized directory creation, and library assignment to build reproducible project infrastructure.
The second half of the course focuses on metadata-driven reporting and custom table generation. Participants will learn how to use DICTIONARY tables, variable metadata, macro iterators, and reusable summary macros to automate common clinical reporting tasks such as frequency tables, chi-square/Fisher exact tests, t-tests, Wilcoxon tests, and Table 1-style outputs. A dedicated module demonstrates how to use ODS TRACE ON and ODS OUTPUT to identify SAS output table names, capture procedure results, and wrap them into custom macro functions for production-ready reporting.
The course concludes with a bonus section on using AI responsibly to support SAS macro development, documentation, validation planning, code review, and teaching workflows. This course is designed for beginner-to-advanced SAS users who want to move beyond writing individual programs toward building efficient, reusable, and auditable macro-based systems.
