Professionalism Counts, August 2022

Where Can I Find Bias CE?

The Academy has recently received several questions about where members can obtain continuing education (CE) on bias. As a reminder, the revised U.S. Qualification Standards released last fall requires 1 hour of CE each year on bias topics, which include “content that provides knowledge and perspective that assist in identifying and assessing biases that may exist in data, assumptions, algorithms, and models that impact Actuarial Services. Biases may include but are not limited to statistical, cognitive, and social biases.”

The Academy has recently hosted several webinars and issued several papers that could qualify as bias CE. Indeed, the Committee on Qualifications would like to remind you that CE—including bias CE—can be obtained through self-study as well as by attending webinars and other events.

As always, it is up to each actuary to determine what CE is relevant to his or her practice.1 Following is a list of Academy webinars and papers released so far this year that could qualify for bias CE.

[Subhed] Webinars

• “Big Data and Algorithms in Actuarial Modeling and Consumer Impacts: Six Questions and Answers for Actuaries"
   
• "What Is Unfair Discrimination in Insurance?"
   
• "Correlation Versus Causation: Clarifying the Differences & Implications"

[Subhed] Papers 

• Issue paper: Big Data and Algorithms in Actuarial Modeling and Consumer Impacts
   
• Issue paper: An Actuarial View of Correlation and Causation—From Interpretation to Practice to Implications

• Discussion brief: Health Equity from an Actuarial Perspective—Managing Population Health

• Discussion brief: Health Equity from an Actuarial Perspective—Provider Contracting and Network Development

• Issue brief: Sourcing Protected Class Information in P&C Insurance

We encourage you to avail yourself of these offerings—and to check out those of other actuarial organizations of which you are a member.

1 Continuing education is “relevant” if it (1) broadens or deepens an actuary’s understanding of one or more aspects of the work an actuary does; (2) exposes an actuary to new and evolving techniques for addressing actuarial issues; (3) expands an actuary’s knowledge of practice in related disciplines that bear directly on an actuary’s work; or (4) facilitates an actuary’s entry into a new area of actuarial practice. Ultimately, it is an actuary’s responsibility to make a reasonable, good-faith determination of what continuing education opportunities will enhance an actuary’s ability to practice in a desired field.