The Biomedical Research Pyramid: A Model for the Practice of Biostatistics

Abstract

Biostatisticians apply statistical methods to solve problems in the biological sciences. Successful practioners of biostatistics have advanced technical knowledge, are skilled communicators, and can seamlesslessly integrate with interdisciplinary scientific teams. Despite the breadth of skills required for success in this field, most biostatistics education programs place heavier emphasis on development of technical skills than skills necessary for collaborative work, including critical thinking, writing, and public speaking. Our master’s degree program in biostatistics aims for stronger integration of education in collaborative work alongside development of technical knowledge in biostatistics. Toward that end, we propose a model that provides students with a mental map for practicing biostatistics, and that can serve as a tool for faculty to create hands-on learning experiences for biostatistics students. The model helps students organize their knowledge of biostatistics, unifying the technical and collaborative aspects of the discipline in a single framework that can be applied across the broad array of activities that biostatisticians engage in. In this article we describe the model in detail and provide an initial assessment of whether the model might meet its intended purpose by applying the model to a common task for practicing biostatisticians and biostatistics students: describing the results of a medical research study.

Administrative Considerations Pertaining to the Use of Creative Methods of Student Assessment: A Theoretically Grounded Reflection from a Master of Biostatistics Program

“…In their first year all students take a statistical theory course sequence, a data analysis sequence, a programming sequence, and a practice of biostatistics sequence (Neely et al, 2022). Overall, the curriculum is designed around the "ABCs of biostatistics": namely, Analytical skills, Biological knowledge, and Communication, with the emphasis on communication being one of its distinguishing features (Troy et al, 2021(Troy et al, , 2022.…”

A Curriculum Review of Programming Courses in a Master of Biostatistics Program

“…Collaborative biostatisticians work on a broad range of problems in medicine and public health, including drug development (e.g., laboratory research and human clinical trials), studies of disease etiology, health disparities, and more. The work of a collaborative biostatistician involves research study design and implementation, data analysis, and interpretation of results (Pomann et al, 2020(Pomann et al, , 2022Samsa et al, 2018;Troy et al, 2021). Entry into the field typically requires a master's degree (O*Net OnLine, n.d.).…”

Biomedical Researchers Should be Taught Statistics Differently than Biostatisticians in Training: Illustration of a Module within a Clinical Research Seminar Course

“…We have taught statistics to CIs and biostatisticians in multiple settings (Neely et al, 2022;Pomann et al, 2022;Samsa et al, 2012;Samsa, 2018;Samsa et al, 2018, Samsa, 2020, Samsa, 2021Troy et al, 2021;Troy et al, 2022a, Troy et al, 2022bTroy et al, 2023;Troy et al, 2024). Among them are two masters' programs.…”