The aim of the training program in cancer biostatistics is to educate predoctoral and postdoctoral students in statistical theory and methods as applied in laboratory, clinical, and epidemiological studies who can become the future leaders in biostatistical and collaborative cancer research. Clinical and basic science investigators in cancer research with positions in academia, government, and industry have increasingly sought biostatistical expertise over the past three decades. However, the number of trained individuals has not adequately kept up with the demand. In training biostatisticians, this program will take advantage of the strong tradition at the University of Wisconsin in the Statistics Department, which is known for combining both theory and application in statistical research, in the University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center (UWCCC), which has long recognized the value of statistical expertise, and in the Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics. The Department of Biostatistics, created to foster biostatistics research and collaboration with medical investigators, provides the critical interaction between the Statistics Department and the University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center. Currently, nine out of the fifteen faculty members of the Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics have joint appointments in the UWCCC. Nine also have joint appointments with the Department of Statistics. The Statistics Department awards an M.S. and Ph.D. in Statistics with emphasis in Biostatistics. Predoctoral trainees will be expected to have completed a baccalaureate degree with a major in mathematics, statistics, or computer science. All predoctoral trainees must be graduate students in Statistics to be eligible. Selection into this training program will be made by the Biostatistics Committee, based on academic records, Graduate Record Examination scores, and recommendations by the Statistics Department Admission Committee. Students must fulfill all the usual Ph.D. Statistics degree requirements plus complete additional courses in biostatistics. They will also obtain practical experience by attending various colloquia in the UWCCC and by participating in consulting projects in cancer. Continued support for four predoctorates and one postdoctorate is proposed. A faculty mentor on specific cancer related projects as well as is/her own statistical research. A new addition to this proposal is to develop a course in statistical methods for genetics and molecular biology research.
