Goals: The JHU Department of Biostatistics proposes a joint MHS-PhD built upon the existing Bioinformatics MHS and Biostatistics PhD programs. The program's goal is to produce graduates that will be full scientific partners on interdisciplinary biomedical research teams. This will be achieved by integrating rigorous training in biostatistics and bioinformatics design and analysis methods with training and direct participation in translational and cross-disciplinary research in molecular and population genetics. Strengths: The JHU biomedical research and education environment is internationally recognized in all areas required to meet our goal. Our program will be built on the successful PhD program in Biostatistics and MHS program in Bioinformatics, and will draw additional strength from the PhD programs in Applied Mathematics &Statistics, Human Genetics, and Genetic Epidemiology. Institutional support includes an outstanding biocomputing infrastructure and a dry laboratory space that provides a common intellectual and physical environment for researchers in all computational aspects of molecular and population genetics to work together with our trainees. Our methodological core faculty has an established record of research in a broad spectrum of design and data analysis problems in genetics and genomics, often coupled with a high-impact substantive research agenda, and a demonstrated record of collaboration and contributions to translational research. Plan: The integrated MHS/PhD program has a straightforward overall structure, consisting of four parallel sequences of courses in Genetics, Computing, Statistical Methods, and Theory, complemented by a laboratory rotation, an internship-based MHS capstone project and the PhD theses. The proposed coursework allows for considerably increased flexibility compared to standard biostatistics curricula and includes substantial additional interdisciplinary training. Training grant support will be provided for up to six trainees per year. Each will be supported for the initial 3 years;research assistantships will fund the remaining period. The program will be housed in the Department of Biostatistics and be supported by faculty in the Departments of Biostatistics, Applied Mathematics &Statistics, Epidemiology, Molecular Microbiology &Immunology, and Oncology.
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