During the past half-century, exponential families have attained a
position at the center of parametric statistical inference. Theoretical
advances have been matched, and more than matched, in the world of
applications, where logistic regression by itself has become the go-to
methodology in medical statistics, computer-based prediction algorithms,
and the social sciences. This book is based on a one-semester graduate
course for first year Ph.D. and advanced master's students. After
presenting the basic structure of univariate and multivariate
exponential families, their application to generalized linear models
including logistic and Poisson regression is described in detail,
emphasizing geometrical ideas, computational practice, and the analogy
with ordinary linear regression. Connections are made with a variety of
current statistical methodologies: missing data, survival analysis and
proportional hazards, false discovery rates, bootstrapping, and
empirical Bayes analysis. The book connects exponential family theory
with its applications in a way that doesn't require advanced
mathematical preparation.