Creating and Sustaining Effective Pipeline Initiatives to Increase Diversity in Biostatistics: The ENAR Fostering Diversity in Biostatistics Workshop

Abstract

Biostatisticians with advanced degrees are highly sought after. Employment opportunities in the fields of mathematics and statistics are expected to increase dramatically by 2028. Underrepresentation of minorities in biostatistics has been a persistent problem, yielding a demographic landscape that differs substantially from the general U.S. population. In some instances, students may have the appropriate quantitative skills, but are unaware of biostatistics and in other instances, students may not yet have the appropriate quantitative background, but are intellectually capable and willing to shore up those skills once they learn about biostatistics as a viable, exciting career option. Therefore, to ensure robust scientific advancement, there must be a concerted effort to increase the pipeline of intellectually talented persons available with exposure to the appropriate quantitative skills who are interested in careers in biostatistics. The overarching goal of this article is to discuss the development, implementation, and impact of a federally funded pipeline initiative aimed at increasing the number of underrepresented minorities successful in graduate training and professional careers in biostatistics as well as establishing effective mentoring and networking relationships. Our findings provide a roadmap for the development of sustainable initiatives to promote diversity in biostatistics and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields more broadly. Supplementary files for this article are available online.

Methods for building a staff workforce of quantitative scientists in academic health care

“…An often‐underappreciated benefit of these pathways is their capacity to reach diverse populations and ultimately increase the number of underrepresented minorities in the workforce. Benn et al (2020) published an evaluation of the Eastern North American Region (ENAR) Fostering Diversity in Biostatistics Workshop, which provided a roadmap for sustainable initiatives to promote diversity in quantitative fields. In 2022, Stanford's BERD partnered with three diverse regional institutions to enable internships for statistics graduate students within the Stanford Quantitative Sciences Unit to provide exposure to collaborative research.…”

“…Benn et al (2020) published an evaluation of the Eastern North American Region (ENAR) Fostering Diversity in Biostatistics Workshop, which provided a roadmap for sustainable initiatives to promote diversity in quantitative fields. In 2022,…”

Comments on “The Statistician in Medicine” by Austin Bradford Hill

“…It is why I feel it is still important that institutions have programs in place that promote diversity with respect to gender, race and ethnicity. These ideas are well articulated in a recent article 3 that describes ENAR's annual diversity workshop, that has been running successfully now for 20 years. It is important to realize that progress in fostering diversity is uneven across the world.…”