Advances throughout the biomedical sciences rely to an increasing degree on the principles and methods of statistical analysis. The ability of a lab or clinic to generate data often outpaces its ability to fully analyze that data; and this can limit research progress. The research mission of our program is to pursue the most important problems at the interface between statistics and biomedical science - the problems of biostatistics.
The aims of our interdisciplinary training program are to recruit and provide predoctoral training in cardiovascular and pulmonary biostatistics to talented students who are interested in careers in biomedical science. The demand is high for scientists with this expertise. In contrast with traditional biostatistics training, the proposed program will emphasize and further support the interdisciplinary elements of biostatistical research. We have a successful Summer Institute for Training in Biostatistics for mathematically talented undergraduates, exposing them to the excitement and opportunities in cardiovascular and pulmonary biostatistics. After one year we have gotten students quite interested in graduate school. This proposal would provide training grant support for these students to come to our University of Wisconsin program. We request support in year one for two trainee slots, ramping up to four in year three. The trainees will engage in course work and """"""""lab rotations"""""""" until suitably prepared for dissertation work. Through course work, pre-dococtoral trainees will learn theoretical, methodological, and practical underpinnings of statistics, and also relevant topics in biology, bioinformatics, clinical investigation, population-based investigation, and the responsible conduct of research. In a novel lab rotation system, trainees will become familiar with the biomedical context surrounding active investigations. Those who succeed in the program will be well positioned for further success in academia, government or industry. Contributing to the program are leading research/training departments, a high level of collaborative research across many disciplines, and a proactive approach to increasing the domestic supply of undergraduates through summer internship programs. Relevance: Being a science concerned with the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data itself, statistics will play a vital role in resolving the information bottleneck facing biomedical scientists. We know that biostatistics has a critical role to play in modern cardiovascular and pulmonary medical science, and so we have designed an interdisciplinary training program to most effectively train the next qeneration of biostatisticians. (End of Abstract) ? ? ?
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