phd thesis in biostatistics

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Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Offered By: Department of Biostatistics

Onsite | Full-Time | 5 years

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• Katherine Sanchez, PhD, LCSW
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About the PhD in Biostatistics Program

The PhD in Biostatistics provides training in the theory of probability and statistics in biostatistical methodology. The program is unique in its emphasis on the foundations of statistical reasoning and data science. Students complete rigorous training in real analysis-based probability and statistics, equivalent to what is provided in most departments of mathematical statistics and in advanced data science.

PhD candidates are required to pass a comprehensive written examination covering coursework completed at the end of their first year. Research leading to a thesis may involve development of new theory and methodology, or it may be concerned with applications of statistics and probability to problems in public health, medicine or biology.

Application Fee Waivers: We are able to offer a limited number of application fee waivers. Learn about the eligibility criteria and how to apply for a waiver .

PhD in Biostatistics Program Highlights

Conduct and publish original research.

on the theory and methodology of biostatistics

Apply innovative theory and methods

to the solution of public health problems

Serve as an expert biostatistician

on collaborative teams of investigators addressing key public health questions

Teach biostatistics effectively

to health professionals and scientists as well as to graduate students in biostatistics

What Can You Do With a PhD In Biostatistics?

Sample careers.

• Assistant Professor
• Postdoctoral Fellow
• Data Scientist
• Statistician
• Biostatistician

Curriculum for the PhD in Biostatistics

Browse an overview of the requirements for this PhD program in the JHU  Academic Catalogue  and explore all course offerings in the Bloomberg School  Course Directory .

Admissions Requirements

For general admissions requirements, please visit the How to Apply page. This specific program also requires:

Prior Coursework

Calculus and linear algebra; accepted applicants are also strongly encouraged to take real analysis before matriculating

Standardized Test Scores

Standardized test scores are  not required and not reviewed  for this program. If you have taken a standardized test such as the GRE, GMAT, or MCAT and want to submit your scores, please note that they will not be used as a metric during the application review.  Applications will be reviewed holistically based on all required application components.

Vivien Thomas Scholars Initiative

The  Vivien Thomas Scholars Initiative (VTSI)  is an endowed fellowship program at Johns Hopkins for PhD students in STEM fields. It provides full tuition, stipend, and benefits while also providing targeted mentoring, networking, community, and professional development opportunities. Students who have attended a historically Black college and university (HBCU) or other minority serving institution (MSI) for undergraduate study are eligible to apply. To be considered for the VTSI, you will need to submit a SOPHAS application ,VTSI supplementary materials, and all supporting documents (letters, transcripts, and test scores) by December 1, 2023. VTSI applicants are eligible for an  application fee waiver , but the fee waiver must be requested by November 15, 2023 and prior to submission of the SOPHAS application.

Admitted PhD students are automatically considered for full funding, including five years of full tuition coverage, a paid research assistantship and individual health insurance.

Need-Based Relocation Grants Students who  are admitted to PhD programs at JHU starting in Fall 2023 or beyond can apply to receive a $1500 need-based grant to offset the costs of relocating to be able to attend JHU.   These grants provide funding to a portion of incoming students who, without this money, may otherwise not be able to afford to relocate to JHU for their PhD program. This is not a merit-based grant. Applications will be evaluated solely based on financial need.  View more information about the need-based relocation grants for PhD students .

Questions about the program? We're happy to help. 

Academic Administrator Mary Joy Argo 410-614-4454 [email protected]

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Digital Commons @ USF > College of Public Health > Epidemiology and Biostatistics > Theses and Dissertations

Epidemiology and Biostatistics Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2023 2023.

Gender Differences in Episodic Memory in Later Life: The Mediating Role of Education , Sara Robinson

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Nonparametric Estimation of Transition Probabilities in Illness-Death Model based on Ranked Set Sampling , Ying Ma

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Bayesian Multivariate Joint Modeling for Skewed-longitudinal and Time-to-event Data , Lan Xu

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Identifying Barriers and Facilitators to Improve Hepatitis C Virus Screening , Linh M. Duong

Quantifying the Impact of Chronic Stress on Racial Disparities in Cardiovascular Disease , Nnadozie Emechebe

A Review of American College Campus Tobacco or Smoke free Policies: A Case Study of a Large Urban University , Sarah E. Powell

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Evolutionary Dynamics of Influenza Type B in the Presence of Vaccination: An Ecological Study , Lindsey J. Fiedler

Respiratory Infections and Risk for Development of Narcolepsy: Analysis of the Truven Health MarketScan Database (2008 to 2010) with Additional Assessment of Incidence and Prevalence , Darren Scheer

Multimodal Treatment and Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Trends, Utilization and Survival Effects in Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma – a Propensity Score Analysis , Ovie Utuama

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Flowgraph Models for Clustered Multistate Time to Event Data , Kristin Hall

Impact of Obesity and Expression of Obesity-Related Genes in the Progression of Prostate Cancer in African American Men , Mmadili Nancy Ilozumba

Angiostrongylus cantonensis: Epidemiologic Review, Location-Specific Habitat Modelling, and Surveillance in Hillsborough County, Florida, U.S.A. , Brad Christian Perich

Strategies to Adjust for Response Bias in Clinical Trials: A Simulation Study , Victoria R. Swaidan

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Sleep and Alzheimer’s disease: A critical examination of the risk that Sleep Problems or Disorders particularly Obstructive Sleep Apnea pose towards developing Alzheimer’s disease , Omonigho A. Michael Bubu

Deployment, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy among U.S. Active-Duty Military Women , Michelle C. Nash

Ambient Ozone and Cadmium as Risk Factors For Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia , Rema Ramakrishnan

Ambient Benzene and PM2.5 Exposure during Pregnancy: Examining the Impact of Exposure Assessment Decisions on Associations between Birth Defects and Air Pollution , Jean Paul Tanner

Bayesian inference on quantile regression-based mixed-effects joint models for longitudinal-survival data from AIDS studies , Hanze Zhang

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

Sleep Duration Patterns from Adolescence to Young Adulthood and their Impact on Asthma and Inflammation , Chighaf Bakour

Efficiency of an Unbalanced Design in Collecting Time to Event Data with Interval Censoring , Peiyao Cheng

Association between Folate Levels and Preterm Birth in Tampa, Florida , Carolyn Heeraman

HIV/STIs and Intimate Partner Violence: Results from the Togo 2013-2014 Demographic and Health Surveys , Anthony H. Nguyen

Incidence, Persistence, and Recurrence of Anogenital α- Mucosal HPV Infections (HPV 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52 and 58) , Shitaldas J. Pamnani

Factors Associated with Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and Multiple STI Co-infections: Results from the EVRI HIV Prevention Preparedness Trial , Ubin Pokharel

Hidden Markov Chain Analysis: Impact of Misclassification on Effect of Covariates in Disease Progression and Regression , Haritha Polisetti

Association of Known and Unknown Oncoviruses with External Genital Lesion (EGL) Manifestations in a Multinational Cohort of Men , Shams Ur Rahman

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Low-Risk Cesarean Deliveries in Florida , Yuri Combo Vanda Sebastiao

The Effects of Personal and Family History of Cancer on the Development of Dementia in Japanese Americans: The KAME Project , Adam Lee Slotnick

Rhabdomyosarcoma Incidence and Survival in Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics from 1973-2013: Analysis from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program , Heather Tinsley

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Assessment of the impact of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder on Type 1 Diabetes , Kellee Miller

Bayesian Inference on Longitudinal Semi-continuous Substance Abuse/Dependence Symptoms Data , Dongyuan Xing

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Statistical Analysis and Modeling of PM 2.5 Speciation Metals and Their Mixtures , Boubakari Ibrahimou

Elective Early Term Delivery and Adverse Infant Outcomes in a Population-Based Multiethnic Cohort , Jason Lee Salemi

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Uncontrolled Hypertension and Associated Factors in Hypertensive Patients at the Primary Healthcare Center Luis H. Moreno, Panama: A Feasibility Study , Roderick Ramon Chen Camano

An Analysis of the Association between Animal Exposures and the Development of Type 1 Diabetes in the TEDDY Cohort , Callyn Hall

Multiple Calibrations in Integrative Data Analysis: A Simulation Study and Application to Multidimensional Family Therapy , Kristin Wynn Hall

Mother- to - Child Transmission of HIV and congenital syphilis: A snapshot of an Epidemic in the Republic of Panama , Lorna Elizabeth Jenkins

A Latent Mixture Approach to Modeling Zero-Inflated Bivariate Ordinal Data , Rajendra Kadel

Associations of Perceived Stress, Sleep, and Human Papillomavirus in a Prospective Cohort of Men , Stephanie Kay Kolar

Influence of Maternal Thyroid Dysfunction on Infant Growth and Development , Ronee Elisha Wilson

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

Bayesian Inference on Mixed-effects Models with Skewed Distributions for HIV longitudinal Data , Ren Chen

Linear Mixed-Effects Models: Applications to the Behavioral Sciences and Adolescent Community Health , Lizmarie Gabriela Maldonado

Statistical Estimation of Physiologically-based Pharmacokinetic Models: Identifiability, Variation, and Uncertainty with an Illustration of Chronic Exposure to Dioxin and Dioxin-like-compounds. , Zachary John Thompson

Evaluation of Repeated Biomarkers: Non-parametric Comparison of Areas under the Receiver Operating Curve Between Correlated Groups Using an Optimal Weighting Scheme , Ping Xu

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

The Natural History of Human Papillomavirus Related Condyloma In a Multinational Cohort of Men , Gabriella Anic

Characterization of the Serologic Responses to Plasmodium vivax DBPII Variants Among Inhabitants of Pursat Province, Cambodia , Samantha Jones Barnes

Disparities in Survival and Mortality among Infants with Congenital Aortic, Pulmonary, and Tricuspid Valve Defects by Maternal Race/Ethnicity and Infant Sex , Colleen Conklin

Case-Control Study of Sunlight Exposure and Cutaneous Human Papillomavirus Seroreactivity in Basal Cell and Squamous Cell Carcinomas of the Skin , Michelle R. Iannacone

Assessing the Relationship of Monocytes with Primary and Secondary Dengue Infection among Hospitalized Dengue Patients in Malaysia, 2010: A Cross-Sectional Study , Benjamin Glenn Klekamp

Gender Differences in Lung Cancer Treatment and Survival , Margaret Anne Kowski

An examination of diet, acculturation and risk factors for heart disease among Jamaican immigrants , Carol Renee Oladele

Indicators of Early Adult and Current Personality in Parkinson's Disease , Kelly Sullivan

Theses/Dissertations from 2010 2010

Does Patient Dementia Limit the Use of Cardiac Catheterization in ST-Elevated Myocardial Infarction? , Marianne Chanti-Ketterl

Extending the Principal Stratification Method To Multi-Level Randomized Trials , Jing Guo

Serum Antibodies to Human Papillomavirus Type 6, 11, 16 and 18 and Their Role in the Natural History of HPV Infection in Men , Beibei Lu

Evaluation of Common Inherited Variants in Mitochondrial-Related and MicroRNA-Related Genes as Novel Risk Factors for Ovarian Cancer , Jennifer Permuth Wey

DNA Methylation and its Association with Prenatal Exposures and Pregnancy Outcomes , Jennifer Straughen

Theses/Dissertations from 2009 2009

Cardiovascular risk factors for mild cognitive impairment , Michael Malek-Ahmadi

Additive Latent Variable (ALV) Modeling: Assessing Variation in Intervention Impact in Randomized Field Trials , Peter Ayo Toyinbo

Theses/Dissertations from 2008 2008

A Comparison of Community-Based Centers versus University-Based Centers in Clinical Trial Performance , Cynthia R. Stockddale

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Biostatistics Department Theses and Dissertations

Permanent uri for this collection, recent submissions.

• 1 (current)

More detailed information is available below, in the Department of Biostatistics Student Handbook , and in the School of Public Health's Policies and Procedures Memorandum on the PhD degree .

Program Overview | Entrance Requirements | Student Evaluations | Research and Teaching Assistantships | Seminars | Scientific Minor | Recommended Curriculum | School of Public Health's Policies and Procedures Memorandum on the PhD degree |  School of Public Health Course Search Engine | Academic Ethics

Incoming students without a strong background in basic biology are strongly encouraged to register for the course Introduction to the Biomedical Sciences (260.600), held in advance of the first term each year during the latter part of August. (Click here to search for course times and descriptions.)

Students in the Bloomberg School of Public Health are expected to abide by the highest levels of academic and research integrity.   The Johns Hopkins Academic Ethics Code can be found at:  https://my.jhsph.edu/Resources/PoliciesProcedures/ppm/PolicyProcedureMemoranda/Students_01_Academic_Ethics.pdf

All students must complete an online module to familiarize themselves with this code. (See http://apps2.jhsph.edu/academicethics/Login.aspx?ReturnUrl=/academicethics/WelcomeLoggedIn.aspx ).

As stated in the Academic Ethics Code, "violations of academic integrity include, but are not limited to: cheating; plagiarism; knowingly furnishing false information to any agent of the University for inclusion in the academic record; violation of the rights and welfare of animal or human subjects in research; and misconduct as a member of either School or University committees or recognized groups or organizations."

For a Biostatistics student, abiding by the Academic Ethics code includes:

Graduate Programs in Biostatistics

PhD in Biostatistics

The Biostatistics PhD program emphasizes both didactic and experiential learning. Program years 1 and 2 will include theoretical and applied classroom work in the core mathematical statistics and biostatistics courses, with additional electives in mathematics and/or computer science, and in the life sciences. The core courses incorporate classroom projects in theory and data analysis, and introduce literate programming and reproducible research practices. Year 2 requires a set of Biostatistics Rotations under the tutorship of a faculty mentor, using data drawn from collaborative projects in biomedical or public health sciences, with required oral and written presentations. The student will select, by the end of year 2, a primary advisor from among participating program faculty. Additional training in the biomedical area of application will occur in years 3 and 4. Throughout, the student will participate in presentations and discussions in a seminar series and journal club. The PhD thesis, completed in years 3-4 and potentially 5, will contain an original contribution of quality that would be acceptable for publication in the biostatistics literature, which extends the theory or methodology of biostatistics, or extends biostatistical methods to solve a critical problem in applied disciplines.

Degree requirements include 64 units of coursework from Mathematical Statistics (24 units), Biostatistics (29 units), Life Sciences (8 units) and Electives (3 units), and training in Human Subjects Research and Ethics. 

• PhD Milestones & Sample Program of Study
• PhD Course Requirements
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Biostatistics, PhD

Bloomberg school of public health, program overview.

The PhD program of the Johns Hopkins Department of Biostatistics provides training in biostatistical methodology and practice, grounded both in the theory of probability and statistics and in advanced data science. The program is unique in its broad emphasis spanning the foundations of statistical reasoning through data science and in providing rigorous training in both real analysis-based probability and statistics, equivalent to what is provided in most departments of mathematical statistics and in data science principles and practice.

The Department of Biostatistics PhD program prepares persons who have demonstrated excellence in mathematics, engineering, and the natural or social sciences to become research biostatisticians in academia, industry, or government. PhD graduates:

• Conduct and publish original research on the theory, methodology and practice of biostatistics and data science;
• Translate methodological advances into software and other tools by which to disseminate these into practice;
• Apply innovative theory and methods to the solution of public health problems;
• Serve as expert biostatisticians and data scientists on collaborative teams of investigators addressing key public health questions;
• Teach biostatistics and data science effectively to health professionals and scientists as well as to graduate students in biostatistics.

Program Requirements

Course location and modality is found on the BSPH website .

The core curriculum consists of the following components:

All PhD students are required to:

• Take at least 14 courses from the core course list above. The 14 courses should contain at least a one-year sequence of Methods (140.751-754), a one-year sequence of Theory (140.646-649 or 140.721-724 or 140.731-734), and a one-year sequence of Data Science (140.776/777/628/629 or 140.644/777/778/779). The 14 courses should contain no more than 4 introductory-level courses (140.646-649, 140.776/628/629).
• In addition to the 14 core courses, take 16 credits of advanced PhD elective courses.
• Take at least 18 credit units of formal coursework in courses outside the Department of Biostatistics. At least nine of these credits must be taken in the School of Public Health.
• Take Current Topics in Biostatistics Research (140.860), Academic & Research Ethics at BSPH (550.860), Responsible Conduct of Research (550.600), and Epidemiologic Inference in Public Health I (340.721).

Students who use the one-year sequence of introductory-level probability and statistical theory (140.646-649) to fulfill requirement (1) must also take the half-year sequence of advanced data science (140.711-712).

Students who use the one-year sequence of introductory-level data science (140.776/777/628/629) courses to fulfill requirement (1) must take at least two advanced-level probability (140.721-724) and two advanced-level statistical theory (140.731-734) courses.

Student Evaluations

The Department is committed to providing every opportunity for its students to successfully complete the academic program of their choice. To support students in progressing toward the degree and to further their educational experience, the Department offers a comprehensive written examination at the end of the first year and a practice oral exam, usually taken no later than six months after the end of the fourth term of the second year. See the Department of Biostatistics Student Handbook for more details about the first-year PhD comprehensive exam.

The main purpose of the practice examination is to evaluate students' ability to communicate statistical ideas and concepts. Students should prepare a paper/proposal related to their potential thesis topic. In addition, the University requires students to successfully complete a preliminary oral examination, typically taken at the beginning of the third year where a thesis proposal is presented and discussed, and an oral thesis defense, where the completed thesis is defended in a public forum.

Research and Teaching Assistantships

The Department of Biostatistics offers teaching and research assistantships to its PhD students on a competitive basis. All PhD applicants (US and international) are ranked based on their merits; top candidates are offered admission. All students who matriculate are provided with assistantships that last five years and include full tuition, health insurance, and a living stipend. Students in their second year and following are required to apprentice with faculty as research assistants for up to 19 hours per week and as teaching assistants for 5 hours per week during academic terms. Students find the teaching and research assistantships to be the most valuable part of their PhD experience. At AY22-23 rates, students who apprentice as described above and engage in 40 hour per week research assistantships during non-academic periods, allowing for one month of vacation, earn a stipend of $37,500 to $42,000, graduated by seniority, per year.  

The Department offers a weekly seminar program featuring recent work by outstanding statistical scientists from around the world. Attendance is required for all graduate students. One seminar per month may be designated to be part of the Biostatistics "Grand Rounds" series, which features statistical analyses addressing important public health questions.

In addition, first-year graduate students are required to complete the Current Topics in Biostatistics Research course ( 140.860 ), where faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and senior students from the Department present their research, with a focus on the public health and scientific questions driving the work, why the research makes a difference for the subject area and how to translate the research into practice. 

Recommended Curriculum

First-year phd students.

In addition to the core courses described in the program requirements, the following curriculum is recommended:

PH.260.600 Introduction to the Biomedical Sciences

"Cells to Society" modules, if applicable*

PH.550.860 Academic & Research Ethics at BSPH

PH.140.840 Special Studies and Research Biostatistics (credits as needed in order to get to at least 16 credits total)

PH.140.860 Current Topics in Biostatistics Research

Second Term

Fourth term, second-year phd students.

PH.340.721 Epidemiologic Inference in Public Health I (if not taken the first year)

PH.550.600 Living Science Ethics - Responsible Conduct of Research

PH.550.860 Academic & Research Ethics at BSPH (if not taken in a previous term)

PH.140.840 Special Studies and Research Biostatistics (Credits as needed in order to get to at least 16 credits total)

"Cell to Society" modules, if applicable*

Select one or both of the following:

PH.140.820 Thesis Research Biostatistics (credits as needed in order to get to at least 16 credits total)

Third-Year PhD Students

Coursework in scientific/statistical electives/special studies for a minimum of 16 credits per term

Fourth-Year PhD Students

* Students are required to take eight 552.xxx “Cells to Society” courses (552.601.81, 552.603.81, 552.607.81, 552.608.81, 552.609.81, 552.610.81, 552.611.81, 552.612.81) by the end of Year Two.

Doctoral Student Policies

Below covers policies regarding academic performance of doctoral students that are specific to the Department of Biostatistics. Students also must satisfy the academic standing requirements of the Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg School of Public Health. 

For a full list of program policies, please visit the PhD in Biostatistics page where students can find a link to our PhD handbook.

Academic Standing and Exams

Doctoral students are expected to stay in good academic standing throughout their PhD studies.

Students are expected to maintain grades of B or higher in core classes. Any core class with a grade lower than a B will need to be retaken.

First year students maintaining B grades in core classes can sit for the first year Departmental exam. Students with any grades lower than a B in core classes must receive approval from the graduate committee to sit for the exams. In the event that students are denied, possible resolutions include postponing the exam for one year, switching to a master’s program or being required to leave the doctoral program based on a consideration by the faculty of overall academic performance.

In the event of a failure of the exam, students are allowed one retake. Student retakes typically occur in the following year, with exceptions occurring when mitigating circumstances are present, such as a leave of absence. In the event of a failure in the retake, the student will be asked to leave the doctoral program, typically with the option to join the master’s program. The exams, either a first take or retake, are only given once per year at the start of the summer break (typically in early June).

The grading of the Departmental exam is as follows. Passing scores are determined by exam writers after grading with examiners blinded from student names. Students who pass all sections of the exam pass the exam. Students failing one or more sections will be discussed by the faculty as a whole. This discussion will include exam and course performance. Possible resolutions include: declaring the student as passing the exam, declaring the student as having failed the exam, take-home remediation of sections of the exam or a full retake (only available if it is the student’s first attempt at the exam).

To maintain good academic standing, students must complete their school-wide preliminary oral exam by the end of their third academic year before the start of the first term of their fourth year (typically late August or early September depending on that year’s academic calendar).

Full funding for tuition and stipend is provided to PhD students for five years. Students are expected to finish their doctoral programs within this time. Students who do not finish within five years may continue in the program for up to two additional years. In these cases, a 75% departmental tuition scholarship is provided, but students are responsible for the remaining tuition, their own health insurance, and living expenses. Personal office space cannot be guaranteed for students beyond the five-year point. Common areas (Biostatistics Library, Genome Cafe) remain available for use by these students.

Program Changes from PhD to ScM or MHS

In the event that a doctoral student switches to the ScM or MHS programs, the following should be noted.

Funded doctoral students forfeit their funding in the event of a program switch.

Students have the option of switching to part-time status after switching programs. However, visa residency requirements for maintaining full-time student status typically prevent foreign students from being able to switch to part-time.

MHS and ScM students receive a 75% tuition reduction in their second year provided that they have taken 12 credits of courses outside of the Department (of which at least 6 credit hours must come from the School of Public Health courses) and have passed their Departmental exams. Doctoral students considering a program switch should appropriately plan their first year coursework to ensure eligibility for the tuition reduction in their second year. The 75% tuition remission is contingent on passing the first year exams at the master’s level. PhD students who take the doctoral exam and then elect or are asked to switch to a master’s program will be informed whether their performance on the doctoral exam constitutes a pass at the master’s level. Students who are deemed to have not passed at the master’s level will be asked to take the master’s Departmental exam in the subsequent year to fulfill the requirements of the master’s program and will not be eligible for the tuition reduction until the exam requirements have been met. Students will be allowed this one administration of the master’s exam in these circumstances.

Upon successful completion of the Doctor of Philosophy in Biostatistics, students will have mastered the following competencies:

• Apply quantitative methods to public health and scientific problems;
• Examine and apply foundational concepts of probability theory and statistical inference;
• Construct, fit and interpret different types of linear model (LM), generalized linear model (GLM), linear mixed model (LMM) and generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) in the context of scientific and public health applications, and conduct statistical inference in these models;
• Develop foundational insights for applying biostatistical theory and methodology to solve public health and scientific problems;
• Produce a complete data analysis to answer a targeted scientific or public health question.

According to the requirements of the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), all BSPH degree students must be grounded in foundational public health knowledge. Please view the list of specific CEPH requirements by degree type .

Biostatistics PhD

Many issues in the health, medical, and biological sciences are addressed by collecting and exploring relevant data. The development and application of techniques to better understand such data is the fundamental concern of the Group in Biostatistics. The program offers training in theory of statistics and biostatistics, the computer implementation of analytic methods, and opportunities to use this knowledge in areas of biological/medical research. The curriculum is taught principally by members of the Division of Biostatistics (School of Public Health) and the Department of Statistics (College of Letters & Science) and provides a wide range of ideas and approaches to the analysis of data.

Established in 1955, the Graduate Group in Biostatistics curriculum offers instruction in statistical theory and computing, as well as opportunities to rigorously apply this knowledge in biological and medical research. The degree programs offered (listed below) are appropriate for students who have either a strong mathematical and statistical background with a focus in the biomedical sciences, or degrees in the biological sciences with a focus in mathematics and statistics. (The MA degree can be obtained under Plan I or Plan II. The PhD dissertation is administered according to Plan B.)

Master of Arts (MA)

The Masters of Arts Degree in Biostatistics is completed in 4 semesters. Candidates for this degree are expected to earn 48 units with courses in biostatistics, statistics, public health, and biology. Students pursuing the MA degree in Biostatistics will be expected, upon completion of the program, to be well-versed in the following areas:

Understand the foundations of statistical inference, e.g., maximum likelihood estimation, regression.

Have grounding in theoretical framework and ability to apply existing estimators in following categories:

Computational statistics

Multivariate analysis

Categorical data analysis

Survival analysis

Longitudinal data analysis

Causal inference

Clinical trials

Statistical genomics

Statistical computing

Have fluency in statistical programming languages for both analysis using classic methods and implementation of novel methods.

Identify and apply sound and pertinent methods to address statistical inference questions in biological, public health, and medical research.

Effectively communicate research findings, orally and in writing.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

All Biostatistics PhD students are required to hold a master's degree in Biostatistics or a related field. The PhD degree requires 4-6 semesters of course work in biostatistics, statistics, and at least one other subject area (e.g., biology, environmental health, epidemiology). There are no unit or course requirements for the PhD, so a program of courses appropriate to a student's background and interests may be developed. Courses cover traditional topics as well as recent advances in biostatistics and in statistics. Those completing the PhD will have acquired a deep knowledge and understanding of these subject areas. Since graduates with doctorates often assume academic careers in research and teaching, a high degree of mastery in research design, theory, methodology, and execution is expected as well as the ability to communicate and present research findings and area of expertise in a clear, understandable manner.

Many doctoral graduates accept faculty positions in schools of public health, medicine, and statistics and/or math departments at colleges and universities, both in the United States and abroad. Some graduates take research positions, including with pharmaceutical companies, hospital research units, non-profits, and within the tech sector.

Biostatistics Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) with Designated Emphasis (DE)

Students enrolled in the UC Berkeley Biostatistics doctoral (PhD) program are eligible to apply for interdisciplinary study in a Designated Emphasis (DE), which we refer to as the Associated Programs. At UC Berkeley, acquiring a DE is like earning a "minor" with a PhD degree. Applications for Designated Emphasis are reviewed on a rolling basis throughout the year. However, students must apply prior to taking the qualifying exam and are strongly encouraged to begin the application process early in the third semester of graduate study. To be accepted to a Designated Emphasis, you must be a PhD candidate in one of the Associated Programs (e.g., Biostatistics). The two DE programs offered in biostatistics are:

• Designated Emphasis in Computational and Genomic Biology (DE-CGB)
• Designated Emphasis in Computational Science and Data Science and Engineering (DE-CSDE)

The goal of the DE-CGB program is to train a new generation of computational biology researchers by enhancing and facilitating interactions between faculty, postdoctoral scholars and students in the Associated Programs through a flexible and integrated research and teaching environment which transcends traditional departmental boundaries. Upon successful completion of all requirements and dissertation, your transcript and diploma will read, "PhD in Biostatistics with a Designated Emphasis in Computational & Genomic Biology."

The DE in Computational Science and Engineering (CSE) promises to bring a new paradigm to interdisciplinary research and education. The team-oriented approach provides our students with a solid foundation in the different facets of genomic research and ensuing competitive edge for the most desirable jobs in academia and industry, which increasingly require interdisciplinary training by combining high-performance computing, mathematical modeling, scientific and engineering theory, and analysis of large scale databases of observations. Upon successful completion of all requirements and dissertation, your transcript and diploma will read, "PhD in Biostatistics with a Designated Emphasis in Computational Science and Engineering."

Contact Info

[email protected]

2121 Berkeley Way West, 5th floor

Berkeley, CA 94720

At a Glance

Department(s)

Biophysics Graduate Group

Admit Term(s)

Application Deadline

December 4, 2023

Degree Type(s)

Doctoral / PhD

Degree Awarded

GRE Requirements

Biostatistics PhD

Many issues in the health, medical and biological sciences are addressed by collecting and exploring relevant data. The development and application of techniques to better understand such data is a fundamental concern of our program.

This program offers training in the theory of statistics and biostatistics, computer implementation of analytic methods and opportunities to use this knowledge in areas of biological/medical research. The resources of Berkeley Public Health and the UC Berkeley Department of Statistics, together with those of other university departments, offer a broad set of opportunities to satisfy the needs of individual students. Furthermore, the involvement of UCSF faculty from the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology also enriches instructional and research activities.

A PhD degree in Biostatistics requires a program of courses selected from biostatistics, statistics, and at least one other subject area (such as environmental health, epidemiology, or genomics), an oral qualifying examination, and a dissertation. Courses cover traditional topics as well as recent advances in biostatistics and statistics. Those completing the PhD will have acquired a deep knowledge and understanding of the MA subject areas. Since graduates with doctorates often assume academic research and teaching careers, a high degree of mastery in research design, theory, methodology, and execution is expected, as well as the ability to communicate and present concepts in a clear, understandable manner.

The PhD degree program requires 4–6 semesters of coursework, the completion of the qualifying examination and dissertation (in total, a minimum of four semesters of registration is required). Since there are no formal course requirements for the PhD, a program of courses appropriate to a student’s background and interests may be developed with a graduate adviser.

Qualifications

A Master’s degree in Biostatistics or a related field is recommended but not required for admission to the PhD program. Strongly recommended prerequisite courses are calculus, linear algebra, and statistics. Applicants admitted without a Master’s degree may be required to go through the Biostatistics MA curriculum; students can concurrently earn that degree with no additional cost or time to degree. Normative time to degree is 5 years.

Students entering with a relevant master’s degree in biostatistics or statistics must have a faculty advisor who is a member of the Biostatistics Graduate Group committing funding and mentorship support.

GRE Exemption Criteria

GRE General Test scores are required for admission to the Biostatistics PhD program however applicants are exempted from the requirement if they meet all of the following criteria:

• Completed two semesters of calculus for a letter grade and earned a grade of “B” or higher.
• Completed one semester of linear algebra for a letter grade and earned a grade of “B” or higher.
• Completed one semester of statistics for a letter grade and earned a grade of “B” or higher.
• Cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher.
• Overall quantitative/math GPA of 3.0 or higher.
• For students with a Master’s in Biostatistics or a related field, graduate GPA of 3.0 or higher.
• For international students: TOEFL score of 100 or higher OR IELTS score of 7.0 or higher.

Berkeley Public Health also exempts applicants who already hold a doctoral level degree from the GRE requirement.You can find more information on the application instructions page . There is a program page in the Berkeley Graduate Application where you can indicate you meet the criteria for GRE exemption. Applicants who are exempted from the GRE are not at a disadvantage in the application review process.

Many doctoral graduates accept faculty positions in schools of public health, medicine, and statistics and/or math departments at colleges and universities, both in the United States and abroad. Some graduates take research positions, including with pharmaceutical companies, hospital research units, non-profits, and within the tech sector.

Funding and Fee Remission

Prospective students who are US citizens or permanent residents can find more information about applying for an application fee waiver for the Berkeley Graduate Application. Fees will be waived based on financial need or participation in selected programs described on the linked website. International applicants (non-US citizens or Permanent Residents) are not eligible for application fee waivers.

All PhD students are fully funded (including tuition and fees and a stipend or salary) with the exception of Non-Resident Supplemental Tuition (NRST) for the second year, if applicable. NRST is typically waived after the first year of study for PhD students when they advance to candidacy. Information on applying to GSI positions for biostatistics students can be found in the Biostatistics Division student handbook .

Tuition and fees change each academic year. To view the current tuition and fees, see the fee schedule on the Office of the Registrar website (in the Graduate: Academic section).

Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions about funding opportunities for the biostatistics programs.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

The Division of Biostatistics is committed to challenging systemic inequities in the areas of health, medical, and biological sciences, and to advancing the goals of diversity, equity, and inclusivity in Biostatistics and related fields.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Biostatistics

Admissions Statistics

Emeritus faculty, faculty associated in biostatistics graduate group.

• Peter Bickel PhD Statistics
• David R. Brillinger PhD Statistics
• Perry de Valpine PhD Environmental Science, Policy, and Management
• Haiyan Huang PhD Statistics
• Michael J. Klass PhD Statistics
• Priya Moorjani PhD Molecular & Cell Biology
• Rasmus Nielsen PhD Integrative Biology and Statistics
• Elizabeth Purdom PhD Statistics
• Sophia Rabe-Hesketh PhD Education
• John Rice PhD Statistics
• Yun S. Song PhD Statistics; Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences
• Bin Yu PhD Statistics

Doctor of Philosophy in Biostatistics

UCLA Fielding School of Public Health

The PhD in Biostatistics trains biostatisticians to understand and confidently solve difficult scientific data analysis problems in the health sciences from problem conception, through data collection, to choosing the appropriate data analyses, and reporting of results. Rigorous courses are taught by world leaders in their specialties and train students in mathematical statistics, advanced biostatistical methods, big data, machine learning, data science, and statistical computing. The PhD trains statisticians who can develop and apply appropriate statistical methods to solve novel problems in the health field and who can conduct statistical methodological research.

Mathematics preparation for the program should include at least two years of calculus, as well as some linear algebra:

• Mathematics 31A, B - Calculus and Analytic Geometry
• Mathematics 32A, B - Calculus of Several Variables
• Mathematics 33A, B - Matrices, Differential Equations, Infinite Series
• Mathematics 115A - Linear Algebra

More math is always better, particularly for the PhD program, where real analysis (UCLA Math 131A, 131B), and linear algebra (UCLA Math 115A, 115B) are desirable.

The program requires the completion of the following elements:

1. Course Requirements

Unless previously taken, students are required to take the following courses:

• Biostatistics 200 A, B, C: Method in Biostatistics
• Biostatistics 202 A, B: Mathematical Statistics
• Biostatistics 216: Mathematical Methods for Biostatistics
• Biostatistics 250 A, B: Linear Models
• Biostatistics 250 C: Multivariate Biostatistics
• Biostatistics 257: Computational Methods for Biostatistical Research
• Biostatistics 245 & 246: Doctoral Seminar
• Biostatistics 409: Biostatistics Consulting
• Mathematics 131 A: Real Analysis (must be taken in year 1 by students with limited or no prior experience to Real Analysis)
• One 4-unit course in the Department of Epidemiology (either EPI 100 or 200A)
• One 4-unit course in board public health (PH 150/C201 or HPM M242)
• Minimum of 6 4-unit Biostatistics special topics courses from Biostatistics 202C, 210 and above.

2.  Written Examinations

Students must pass 2 written examinations, the PhD preliminary exam and the PhD written advanced qualifying exam.

Failure to secure a passing grade in a maximum of two attempts of the PhD preliminary exam and the PhD written advanced qualifying exam will result in the department recommending the student to the graduate division for academic disqualification.

PhD Preliminary Exam

This exam is offered in September just before fall classes begin. Students typically take this exam at the beginning of their second year of study after completing the related coursework and are expected to pass at a level that predicts successful completion of the PhD program. The exam covers material in the following courses: Biostatistics 200 A, B, and C, and Biostatistics 202 A and B.

• Students must pass the exam at a level expected of doctoral students
• Students have a maximum of two attempts to pass the exam

PhD Written Qualifying Exam

This exam is offered in September just before fall classes begin.The scope of the exam includes material from the following courses: Biostatistics 250 A, B, and C. Students typically take the exam after completing the necessary coursework in the beginning of their third or fourth year of graduate study.

3. Oral Qualifying Exam

The oral qualifying exam evaluates a student’s understanding of statistical theory and ability to apply the theory, and reviews the proposed dissertation topic. The student should prepare a written dissertation proposal that includes background, preliminary work, and a research plan for completing the work. While there are no absolute page requirements, proposals are generally between 15 to 50 pages, with additional pages for figures and references. The proposal should be distributed to members of the dissertation committee in advance of the exam. The proposal is expected to be delivered to committee members at least two weeks before the scheduled oral exam. If the student expects the proposal to be delivered less than two weeks before the exam, the student should obtain advance approval from each committee member. During the oral exam, the student will present and defend the proposed work. The student can expect the majority of the questions to pertain to the proposal, however additional questions may be asked to assess general understanding of biostatistical principles. The overall objective of the exam is to evaluate whether the student has the ability and adequate plans for conducting PhD dissertation research.

4. PhD Dissertation and Oral Defense

The PhD dissertation is original research that advances the field of biostatistics. The dissertation is completed under the guidance of a Department of Biostatistics faculty member who serves as the adviser. Examples of dissertations from previous graduates are available in the Biostatistics Library. After successfully completing a dissertation, an oral examination defending the dissertation is conducted by the dissertation committee. A failed examination may be repeated once on the recommendation of the committee.

The PhD in biostatistics is typically a four-year program following the MS, although some students may complete the program in less time.

The sequence of classes taken during the first year of study depends on the student’s background. Doctoral students establish a sequence of courses in consultation with their academic adviser to best prepare them for the comprehensive exams. 

Graduates from UCLA Fielding's Department of Biostatistics obtain employment as faculty members at universities and as leaders in government research organizations, and pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies locally within California, throughout the United States and across the globe. 

Examples of positions held by graduates include: 

• Tenure-Track Faculty
• Biostatistician
• Statistician
• Research Scientist
• Pharmaceutical/Biotechnology Biostatistician
• Data Analyst
• Data Scientist

View a list of faculty in the Department of Biostatistics.

For the most up to date fees and more information on fee breakdown, visit the  registrar's office .

Please see the cost and aid section of our website for information on awards, scholarships, training opportunities, employment, summer internship funding, and need-based aid. Please note that opportunities listed under 'Summer Internship Funding' are only applicable to MPH students.

Desired Qualifications

In addition to the University’s minimum requirements , competitive applicants are expected to possess strong quantitative skills that can be demonstrated through their coursework and GRE quantitative score. Ideally, successful candidates should have completed at least 30 quarter credits in mathematics and statistics, including multivariate calculus, linear algebra, and calculus-based probability theory.

Admissions Process

Visit the application guide to learn about our admissions process.

Please note:

This information is intended as an overview, and should be used as a guide only. Requirements, course offerings and other elements may change, and this overview may not list all details of the program. 

Admission requirements listed are departmental requirements, and are in addition to the University's minimum requirements. Many programs receive more applicants than can be admitted, so meeting the minimum requirements for admission does not ensure admission. Every effort is made to ensure minimum admissions requirements are up to date - for the most up-to-date information on the University's minimum requirements, please visit the  UCLA Graduate Division .

Fees are subject to change and should be used as a guide only. For the most up to date fees and more information on fee breakdown, visit the  registrar's office.

Three students in Penn State College of Medicine's Biostatistics PhD program are seen in 2019. The three young men are seen leaning against a wall outside the College of Medicine. They are, from left, Daniel McGuire, Vishal Midya and Renan Sauteraud.

• 2021-22 Doctor of Biostatistics Handbook

This handbook serves as an aid to faculty and graduate students in the PhD in Biostatistics program in the Department of Public Health Sciences at Penn State College of Medicine. Information and degree requirements for the Penn State PhD in Biostatistics program and timeline for completing the program are provided.

Additional University requirements can be found in the Penn State Graduate Bulletin ; both students and faculty are encouraged to consult the bulletin for additional information.

Jump to topic

General information.

One of the degree programs offered by PHS at the Penn State University College of Medicine is the PhD in Biostatistics degree. The objectives of the PhD in Biostatistics program are to train students in the theory, methodology, and application of biostatistics. The PhD in Biostatistics degree can lead to careers in academic health centers, federal health research and regulatory agencies, pharmaceutical companies, and biotechnology companies.

The mission of the Department of Public Health Sciences at Penn State College of Medicine is to advance health science through:

• the design, conduct and analysis of population-based biomedical research;
• the support of basic science and clinical research; and
• the education of future generations of health professionals.

The mission of the PhD in Biostatistics program in Public Health Sciences is to fulfill the third arm of the departmental mission.

Completion of the degree indicates that the student will have:

• mastered knowledge in the discipline of biostatistics to perform in a professional, academic or corporate setting;
• demonstrated the ability to master current biostatistical theory and practice, and to develop new biostatistical methodology; and
• demonstrated a work ethic that supports scholarship and promotes the highest standards of academic integrity.

Advisers and Committees

Students in the program are all supported with full tuition and 12-month stipends. As part of receiving a stipend, students are expected to work for the Department up to 20 hours per week. In the first year, however, as students are diligently preparing for the candidacy exam, the required work load is reduced to up to 10 hours per week.

Students will be regularly rotated with different faculty members to support the research and teaching missions of the department. This could, for example, include working as an research assistant in a faculty member’s lab for a few months, followed by serving as a teaching assistant for a course, followed by working on a collaborative grant. During this time, students also are encouraged to discuss areas of research interest with their various faculty mentors and course instructors.

After the student has identified an area of interest for their PhD dissertation topic, a dissertation adviser will be identified as the primary point of contact and will provide academic guidance for the student regarding completion of the dissertation. The dissertation adviser should be identified soon after the student successfully completes the candidacy examination.

The candidacy examination is administered after completion of the first year of coursework.

The program is designed to be completed in four years, though it is possible for a student to complete the program in less time. Students planning to graduate in the spring must electronically file their intent to graduate with the Graduate School in January.

The PhD dissertation must be written and submitted according to the deadlines outlined by The Graduate School . The Graduate School, University Libraries and the graduate faculty of Penn State have established format standards that a dissertation must meet prior to receiving final approval as fulfillment of a graduate requirement. The Office of Theses and Dissertations is the unit of the Graduate School responsible for certifying that the thesis has been prepared in accordance with these established regulations.

The PhD Dissertation Committee for a candidate must consist of four or more active members of the graduate faculty, including at least two faculty members in the Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics in the Department of Public Health Sciences. At least one regular member of the PhD Dissertation Committee must represent a field outside of Biostatistics in order to provide a broader range of disciplinary perspectives and expertise. This committee member is referred to as the “Outside Field Member.” Further information about the structure of the PhD Dissertation Committee and other doctoral requirements at Penn State is available here .

When a PhD candidate has substantially completed all course work, a comprehensive examination is given. The student must be in good academic standing and must be registered as a full-time or part-time student for the semester in which the comprehensive examination is taken. The doctoral candidate who has satisfied all other requirements for the PhD degree will be scheduled by the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services to take a final examination. Normally the final oral examination may not be scheduled until at least three months have elapsed after the comprehensive examination was passed.

Academic Requirements

Each student in the PhD in Biostatistics program is expected to acquire breadth of knowledge in biostatistics. Admitted students in this program already have graduate-level training in statistics/biostatistics such as a master’s degree in biostatistics or statistics.

Additional training in this program includes:

• at least 31 graduate-level course credits as described elsewhere in this handbook; and
• an original dissertation that involves new approaches to biostatistical design and/or analysis that is worthy of publication in peer-reviewed biostatistical journals.

The PhD program requires 31 credits of graduate coursework, comprising of seven 3-credit required courses in biostatistics/statistics, one three-credit elective course in biostatistics/statistics, two 3-credit courses in epidemiology and/or health services & behavioral research; and a 1-credit required research ethics course.

Other courses including special topics and thesis research are made available to students as needed.

Core Curriculum/Candidacy Exam Courses (15 credits)

• PHS 523 Multivariate Analysis (3 credits)
• PHS 524 Longitudinal Data Analysis (3 credits)
• PHS 526 Categorical Data Analysis (3 credits)
• PHS 527 Survival Analysis (3 credits)
• PHS 528 Bayesian Methods (3 credits)

Other Required Courses (7 credits)

• PHS 500 Research Ethics for Clinical Investigation (1 credit)
• PHS 555 Statistical Methods in Public Health II (3 credits)
• PHS 583 Asymptotic Tools (3 credits)

Two EPI/HSR electives (6 credits), one of which should be the PHS 518

• PHS 518 Scientific Communication (3 credits)
• PHS 535 Quality of Care Measurement (3 credits)
• PHS 536 Health Survey Research Methods (3 credits)
• PHS 538 Mixed Methods (3 credits)
• PHS 550 Principles of Epidemiology (3 credits)
• PHS 551 Advanced Epidemiological Methods (3 credits)
• PHS 554 Statistical Methods in Public Health I (3 credits)
• PHS 570 Health Economics & Economic Evaluation (3 credits)

One Statistics Elective Course (selected from the following) (3 credits)

• PHS 517 Mining Genomic Data (3 credits)
• PHS 515 Omics and Precision Medicine (3 credits)
• PHS 516 Statistical Genetics (3 credits)

After the completion of the first year of coursework, each candidate is required to take a candidacy examination, based on the coursework in PHS 523, PHS 524, PHS 526, PHS 527 and PHS 528. The decision to admit or not to admit a student to candidacy will be made by a committee of graduate faculty in the Biostatistics program.

• In addition, a comprehensive examination is administered at the completion of all coursework. It is anticipated that the typical student will require two years to complete the coursework, so such a student will undergo the comprehensive examination during the third year. In planning for the comprehensive exam, the student must prepare:
• A written document (30-plus pages) and give it to the committee one week in advance of the comprehensive exam, and
• A 45-minute presentation of the project.

The written document and the presentation should include an introduction to the project, a literature review, and preliminary results to date.

Finally, a student will have a final oral examination in defense of the PhD dissertation, to occur at least three months after the successful completion of the comprehensive examination.

Students are allowed to transfer up to 10 credits from an external graduate program to fulfill the 31-credit course requirements for the PhD in Biostatistics program.

However, credits earned to complete a previous master’s degree, whether at Penn State or elsewhere, may not be applied to a second master’s or doctoral degree at Penn State.

Additional details are available via The Graduate School .

All PhD candidates will be evaluated on their English competency during their first year by the core curriculum instructors (instructors for Bayesian, Categorical, Longitudinal, Multivariate, and Survival). At the time of grading the qualifying exam, these instructors (who constitute the Qualifying Exam Committee) will be asked to identify any potential English competency concerns based on both oral and written interactions with students. If any concerns are raised, the committee will determine subsequent steps including possibly additional testing and remediation steps. If no concerns are raised, then the student is found to have sufficient English competency per the graduate school requirement.

An original PhD dissertation is required for completion of the PhD in Biostatistics degree. Details about the dissertation requirements are found at the Graduate School website .

The Graduate School reviews the format of the dissertation and does not provide edits to the dissertation for spelling, grammar or punctuation. A PhD dissertation must be submitted electronically. See more information on electronic thesis (eTDs) submissions here .

A minimum grade-point average of 3.0 for all course work is required to fulfill the graduation requirements. One or more failing grades or a cumulative grade-point average below 3.0 may be considered evidence of unsatisfactory scholarship and be grounds for dismissal from the University; see the Graduate Programs Bulletin for details.

If, for reasons beyond the student’s control, a student is prevented from completing a course within the prescribed time, the grade in that course may be deferred with the concurrence of the instructor.

The period during which a grade may be deferred shall not extend, without further approval of the dean of the college, beyond the end of the sixth week of the next semester in which the University is in session. A deferred grade that is not changed to a passing grade by the instructor before the end of this period automatically becomes an F.

Academic Integrity at Penn State is defined in Faculty Senate Policy 49-20 as “the pursuit of scholarly activity in an open, honest and responsible manner.” The University’s Code of Conduct states that “all students should act with personal integrity, respect other students’ dignity, rights and property, and help create and maintain an environment in which all can succeed through the fruits of their efforts. Academic integrity includes a commitment not to engage in or tolerate acts of falsification, misrepresentation or deception. Such acts of dishonesty violate the fundamental ethical principles of the University community and compromise the worth of work completed by others.”

Academic dishonesty (including, but not limited to cheating, plagiarism, or falsification of information) will not be tolerated and can result in academic or disciplinary sanctions such as a failing (F) grade in the course.

Following admittance to a degree program, the student should confer with the head of that major department or program concerning procedures and the appointment of an academic adviser. Consultation or arrangement of the details of the student’s semester-by-semester schedule is the function of the academic adviser. This person may be a member of the doctoral committee or someone else designated by the head of the major program for this specific duty. The academic adviser may be different from the dissertation adviser.

Doctoral Committee

General guidance of a doctoral candidate is the responsibility of a doctoral committee consisting of four or more active members of the Graduate Faculty, which includes at least two faculty members in the major field. The dissertation adviser must be a member of the doctoral committee. The dissertation adviser usually serves as chair, but this is not required. If the candidate is also pursuing a dual-title field of study, a co-chair representing the dual-title field must be appointed. In most cases, the same individual (e.g., dissertation adviser) is a member of the Graduate Faculty in both the major and dual-title fields, and in such cases may serve as sole chair.

At least one regular member of the doctoral committee must represent a field outside the candidate’s major field of study in order to provide a broader range of disciplinary perspectives and expertise. This committee member is referred to as the “Outside Field Member.” In cases where the candidate is also pursuing a dual-title field of study, the dual-title representative to the committee may serve as the Outside Field Member.

Additionally, at least one regular member of the doctoral committee must have a primary appointment in an administrative unit outside the primary appointment administrative home of the student’s dissertation adviser (e.g., for tenure-line faculty, the tenure home) in order to avoid the potential for conflicts of interest. This committee member is referred to as the “Outside Unit Member.” In some cases, an individual may have a primary appointment outside the administrative home of the student’s dissertation adviser and also represent a field outside the student’s major field of study; in such cases, the individual may serve as both the Outside Field Member and the Outside Unit Member.

If the candidate has a minor, that field must be represented on the committee by a “Minor Field Member.” (See also Major Program and Minor Field under DEd — Additional Specific Requirements .)

This committee is appointed by the graduate dean through the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services, upon recommendation of the head of the major program, soon after the student has passed the qualifying exam. The dean may on occasion appoint one or more members of the committee in addition to those recommended by the program chair.

A person not affiliated with Penn State who has particular expertise in the candidate’s research area may be added as a “Special Member,” upon recommendation by the head of the program and approval of the graduate dean (via the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services). A Special Member is expected to participate fully in the functions of the doctoral committee. If the Special Member is asked only to read and approve the doctoral dissertation, that person is designated a special signatory. Occasionally, special signatories may be drawn from within the Penn State faculty in particular situations.

The membership of doctoral committees should be periodically reviewed by the program chair to ensure that its members continue to qualify for service on the committee in their designated roles. For example, if appointments, employment at the University, etc., have changed since initial appointment to the committee, changes to the committee membership may be necessary. If changes are warranted, they should be made as soon as possible to prevent future problems that may delay academic progress for the student (e.g., ability to conduct the comprehensive or final examinations).

The chair or at least one co-chair must be a member of the graduate faculty of the specific doctoral program in which the candidate is enrolled. A retired or emeritus faculty member may chair a doctoral committee if they began chairing the committee prior to retirement and has the continuing approval of the department head or program chair. The primary duties of the chair are: (1) to maintain the academic standards of the doctoral program and the Graduate School and assure that all procedures are carried out fairly, (2) to ensure that the comprehensive and final examinations are conducted in a timely fashion, (3) to arrange and conduct all meetings, and (4) to ensure that requirements set forth by the committee are implemented in the final version of the thesis.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF DOCTORAL COMMITTEES

The doctoral committee is responsible for approving the broad outline of the student’s program and should review the program as soon as possible after the student passes the qualifying exam. Moreover, continuing communication among the student, the committee chair, the research supervisor, and the members of the committee is strongly recommended, to preclude misunderstandings and to develop a collegial relation between the candidate and the committee.

DOCTORAL EXAMINATION

The (entire) committee will prepare and administer the examination, and evaluate the candidate’s performance on the examination. If a committee member is unable to attend the final oral defense, the member may sign as a special signatory. A revised committee appointment form will need to be sent to the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services, 114 Kern Graduate Building, removing the faculty member as a regular committee member and if it is desired to designate that individual as a special signatory, a memo must accompany the revised committee form, requesting that the faculty member be moved to a special signatory. If there are then not enough members serving on the committee (i.e., four or more active members of the Graduate Faculty), another Penn State faculty member will need to replace that member to constitute a legitimate doctoral committee. (Substitutes are not permitted.) These changes and approvals shall occur before the actual examination takes place. The program administrator will notify the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services, providing two weeks’ notice, when the candidate is ready to schedule the comprehensive and the final oral examinations and will report the results of these examinations to that office.

The dissertation adviser, as well as the chair of the doctoral committee (if not the same individual as the dissertation adviser), along with additional members of the committee to total a minimum of three (3), must be physically present at the final oral examination. The graduate student must also be physically present at the exam. (Thus for a five-person committee, two could participate via distance.) No more than one member may participate via telephone; a second member could participate via interactive videoconferencing. The examination request and a request for exceptions must be submitted to the director of Graduate Enrollment Services for approval at least two weeks prior to the date of the exam. Special arrangements, i.e., requirements for meeting participation via distance, must be communicated to the student and the doctoral committee members well in advance of the examination. A favorable vote of at least two-thirds of the members of the committee is required for passing a comprehensive or a final oral examination. If a candidate fails an examination, it is the responsibility of the doctoral committee to determine whether another examination may be taken.

The committee examines the dissertation, administers the final oral examination, and signs the approval page of the dissertation. At least two-thirds of the committee must approve the dissertation.

• Biostatistics PhD Student Directory

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?

Key searches, doctor of philosophy in biostatistics.

Students who enter our PhD program in Biostatistics will learn to creatively apply their knowledge of statistical theory and methodology to statistical problems in the biological and health sciences. Graduates of this program are equipped with the research, teaching, and consulting skills needed for biostatistics careers in industry or academia.

Learning Objectives and Program Overview

USC Course Catalogue

After completing this degree, the student should be able to:

• Identify and develop appropriate statistical designs for biomedical research studies;
• Identify and perform an appropriate statistical analysis of biomedical data to address a given research question;
• Proficiently apply specialized computer software to manage and analyze biomedical data and summarize/interpret results;
• Write a statistical analysis and results sections for a manuscript as part of a research team;
• Describe and develop mathematical and statistical theory underlying biostatistical methods;
• Develop and evaluate new and existing statistical methodology as part of a research team.

All students enroll in a set of core courses that cover biostatistical theory and applications. At the end of the first year, students take a two-day written screening exam assessing mastery of these topics. Students then choose from one of four tracks that will allow them to develop expertise in a specific area:

• Biostatistics Theory
• Statistical Genetics
• Environmental Statistics
• Clinical Trials

Students then take all remaining core and track-specific courses in preparation for the qualifying examination. The qualifying exam focuses on the student’s dissertation topic and includes both a written and oral component. Subsequent efforts are devoted to dissertation research and culminate in the PhD defense. A minimum of 60 units of graduate study is required for the PhD degree; a maximum of 19 of these units may be from research and dissertation.

PhD Characteristics

The USC Graduate School is committed to providing detailed information on the inputs, outcomes, and overall characteristics of its PhD programs, for the purposes of full transparency and to support informed decision-making.

Financial Aid

All students are provided with full financial support, primarily in the form of research or teaching assistantships. Students with these awards are expected to devote 20 hours per week to assigned research or teaching responsibilities in exchange for receiving tuition remission and a monthly stipend. University fellowships are also available to selected students.

Program Director

What excites me about our program is that our faculty and students’ work is motivated by open methodological problems needed to answer real-world questions in medicine and public health. Students work closely with faculty, learning in a hands-on apprenticeship model.

Division Chief

This is an extremely exciting time in the world of biomedical research, with the wide availability of comprehensive data resources and measurement techniques in the fields of genomics, geographic information systems, and mobile devices. We provide state-of-theart statistical training to use such resources in the study of new risk factors, treatments, and prevention of disease.

Student Experiences

Register for an info session, quick links, phd student brittney marian receives f31 award from the national institutes of health, department to premiere second season of preventive pros: the podcast, #2023trojan: meet jingxuan he, doctor of philosophy in biostatistics graduate, #2023trojan: meet yinqi zhao, doctor of philosophy in biostatistics graduate, go back to doctoral programs.

colorado school of public health

Colorado sph.

PhD in Biostatistics

This program will prepare you for advanced study and research in biostatistics. It's a great fit for students with a strong background in mathematics and statistics who are interested in working in health care and biological settings. As a student in this program, you'll function as an independent investigator or co-investigator with researchers in other areas, taking the lead in designing studies and analyses. Our faculty are studying the analysis of longitudinal data, clinical trials, statistical methods in genetics and genomics, causal modeling, treatment of missing data and imputation, image analysis, functional data analysis, and data visualization, which means you can find the mentor who's right for you. 

Quick facts, careers, and skills

When you leave this program, you'll be prepared to teach and carry out research developing new statistical methods.

Quick facts

Program location: CU Anschutz Credit hours: 79 Est. time to complete: 5-6 years (with MS)

Sample careers

Independent research investigator Lead or co-investigator Faculty & more

Skills you'll gain

Applied and theoretical statistics Computational statistics Study design and analysis & more

If you have an MS in Biostatistics or a related field, this program can be completed in three to four years. Typically, you'll spend the first one to two years devoted to coursework and the later years on research and your dissertation. Research and dissertation work involves developing, comparing, and evaluating statistical methods (e.g. methods for analyzing data), typically motivated by an application in healthcare or biology.​ Check out the Department of Biostatistics & Informatics FAQ page for more information about this program.

Required MS biostatistics courses

Required public health courses, ms electives, required phd biostatistics courses, phd electives.

Students are required to enroll in 9 credits of Elective PhD Biostatistics Courses. (Courses not listed require director approval)

Elective health sciences courses

Dissertation, total credits: 80, competencies, phd-bios competencies, support from the department.

The past several years, all PhD students desiring funding have been supported on Research or Teaching Assistantships (RA/TA) that pay a stipend, tuition, and health insurance. Through these positions students conduct independent research as well as receiving real-world research and collaborative experience on a very large and active health sciences campus. PhD students are also required to serve at least one semester as a TA.

Colorado School of Public Health

CU Anschutz

Fitzsimons Building

13001 East 17th Place

Mail Stop B119

Aurora, CO 80045

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Biostatistics & data science

Improving the health of people by interpreting data and transforming it into knowledge..

Explore degree programs

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Leading in a data-driven world

The Department of Biostatistics and Data Science is the academic home for statisticians and data scientists working to help people live better by translating data into public health knowledge .

We believe that the synergy between statistics and data science has the means to revolutionize the way we improve population health and deliver healthcare services. This intersection drives evidence-based decision-making in both research and industry, and already serves an integral role in enhancing the quality of life for people around the world. We equip our students with the knowledge and experiences needed to thrive in this era of Big Data. Our well-established faculty develop and maintain interdisciplinary networks across the Texas Medical Center, and use these relationships to ensure students have the opportunity to tackle real world challenges as part of their education.

“As a biostatistics student at UTHealth School of Public Health, you will develop expertise in the theory and practice of biostatistics, working with faculty who are renowned leaders in statistical theory and its applications to health sciences. Recently we have also developed new education programs in data science, including a Data Science Certificate and an Advanced Data Science Certificate, to develop our students’ ability to analyze and integrate Big Data from biomedical and health sciences.” Dr. Hulin Wu Department Chair

What are biostatistics and data science?

Statistics is a field, with a foundation in mathematics and probability theory, to develop and use the methods, theories and computational algorithms for data collection, analysis, interpretation and presentation to address scientific or business questions, in particular, dealing with the uncertainty and variation of the data.

Biostatistics is a field to develop and use statistical methods, theories and computational algorithms to address the questions from biomedical and health science fields.

Data Science is an interdisciplinary field that uses techniques, methodologies and theories from computer science, statistics, mathematics and other quantitative fields to manage, process, analyze, visualize, integrate and annotate data in order to extract useful knowledge to address scientific questions and/or improve business performance.

Department mission

Preparing the next generation of statisticians and data scientists for a data-driven world.

Biostatistics uses statistical tools and methods to make sense from the vast quantities of data generated by biomedical research and real-world practice. Through classroom instruction and hands-on experience, our students learn to operate in two roles, both as leaders in their field and as expert translators of data and statistics for their project partners and clients. Each role is equally important. As leaders in statistics, our students are primed and ready to use and develop state-of-the-art statistical methods to tackle challenging data problems from real-world projects. As project partners, our students learn to collaborate with biomedical and health science investigators to address scientific questions effectively using statistical and data science methods, and articulate findings to stakeholders in a way that is meaningful and actionable. While our PhD program in biostatistics is among the  top 6 of the largest biostatistics PhD programs in the country,  upon completion of their degree, all of our students are prepared to safeguard public health and improve lives of people in academia, industry, government, and beyond

Department History

Authorized in 1947, the Texas State Legislature appropriated funds for the UT School of Public Health in 1967. The first class was admitted in 1969. Currently it is one of the six schools in  The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), a  public   academic health science center  in  Houston, Texas , which was created in 1972 by The University of Texas System Board of Regents.  It is located in the  Texas Medical Center , the largest medical center in the world.

Read More About Department History

Department contact information

Dr. Hulin Wu (713) 500-9586 [email protected]

Vice-chairs:

Dr. Michael Swartz (713) 500-9570 [email protected]

Dr. Samiran Ghosh (713) 500-9443 [email protected]

Administrator:

Marice Barahona (713) 500-9440 [email protected]

Academic and admissions advisor:

Emmanuel Moon (713) 500-9564 [email protected]

Admission chair:

Dr. Wenyaw Chan (713) 500-9321 [email protected]

Biostatistics and data science research

The Department of Biostatistics & Data Science has a diverse array of statistical and data science research areas available to our faculty and students. A major strength and component of our department is the  Coordinating Center for Clinical Trials (CCCT) , which has a more-than-40-year history of successfully coordinating large multicenter clinical trials and providing comprehensive services for these endeavors. Our   Center for Spatial-Temporal Modeling for Applications in Population Sciences (CSMAPS) is a collaborative and innovative hub which aims to uncover hidden patterns and dynamics within public health data, providing crucial insights across a myriad of public health fields - including infectious disease control, cancer research, mental health research, environmental health, health disparities, chronic disease management, and implementation sciences. We also recently established the  Center for Big Data in Health Sciences (CBD-HS) , which hosts several Big Data research projects, including development of predictive models and heterogeneous data integration methods for Electronic Healthcare Record (EHR) data, insurance claim data, and data from public databases or data repositories.

Our faculty’s research interests and efforts include:

• Clinical Trials
• Experimental and Adaptive Designs
• Survival Data Analysis
• Longitudinal Data from Observational and Epidemiological Studies
• Bayesian Methods in Public Health
• Bioinformatics/Computational Biology
• EHR/EMR, Insurance Claim and Healthcare Data Modeling/Analysis
• Imaging Data Analysis
• GIS/Spatio-temporal Data Analysis
• Risk and Disease Progression Modeling
• Unstructured Data Analysis
• Big Data Analytics
• Data Management, Harmonization and Integration
• Data Visualization and Software Tool Development
• Missing Data
• Stochastic Processes
• Nonparametric statistics
• Time Series Data
• Casual Inference
• Statistical Genetics
• Machine Learning Methods

You can see the research interests for each of individual faculty members on our faculty website .

Degree programs

Designed for professionals working in health care or industries related to public health, research, and biostatistics, the coursework consists of data science, data analytics and predictions, analytic methods, and data management. We offer the following degree programs:

Master of Science (MS)

The MS in Biostatistics and Data Science is a minimum of 36 semester credit hours and is generally a two-year program for full-time students. Training is offered in research design, basic statistical theory, data analysis, computer applications, and statistical consultation. The program emphasizes fundamental statistical approach and methods and computational skills and provides the basis for doctoral level biostatistical studies.

Admission Requirement : Complete multivariate calculus.

• Master of Science in Biostatistics

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The Ph.D. in Biostatistics and Data Science is a minimum of 48 semester credit hours and is generally a four-year, full-time program beyond the Masters of Science degree or a five-year, full-time program beyond the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree. Prepared to become independent investigators, graduates emerge with a full understanding of the development and application of biostatistical analyses to tackle human health and disease crises. The Ph.D. curriculum is designed to allow students to prepare themselves to assume senior statistical positions in governmental or private health research agencies or follow careers in teaching and research.

Admission Requirement: Complete multivariate calculus and a semester of linear algebra.

• Doctor of Philosophy in Biostatistics

Certificates offered

Taking a class or getting a certificate is a great way to enhance your current career skills, or help you decide if pursuing a degree in public health is the right choice for you. Non-degree or certificate courses can count towards a degree program, as long as the courses taken align with the requirements described in the degree program planner.

For non-degree seeking students:

• Data Science Certificate
• Applied Biostatistics in Public Health Certificate
• Advanced Data Science Certificate

For degree-seeking students

Policies & guidelines.

• Dissertation Guideline
• Interinstitutional Course Registration Guidance
• Leveling Course Guidance 
• PhD Dissertation Advisor Qualifications
• Qualifying Exam Eligibility Criteria

Poster/Flyer 

• UTHealth Brochure
• Department Fact Book

Center for Biostatistics Collaboration and Data Services

Our new  Center for Biostatistics Collaboration and Data Services  will provide opportunities for our faculty and students to collaborate and interact with biomedical and health science investigators to address scientific questions using their statistical and data science skills.

Consulting Areas

• Biostatistics consulting and data analysis services
• Data management services
• Data science services

Dr. Vahed Maroufy (713) 500-9588 [email protected]

Meet the Student Association of Biostatistics and Data Science ! 

Dejian Lai, PhD Professor of Biostatistics Faculty Admissions Representative (713) 500-9270 [email protected]

Emmanuel Moon Academic and Admissions Advisor (713) 500-9564 [email protected]

Seminar Series

Upcoming events:, houston seminar: dynamic variability analysis of self-reported data from mobile devices.

Location: $p.location

Time: 12:00 PM

A Special Conference on Biostatistics in the New Era of Data-Driven Sciences

Location: UTHealth Houston School of Public Health Reuel A. Stallones Building 1200 Pressler Street Houston, TX 77030

Time: 9:00 AM

Faculty Lists

• Primary Faculty
• Secondary/Adjunct/Cross Faculty (eligible for PhD student dissertation supervisor)
• Other Secondary/Adjunct/Cross Faculty
• Retired and Emeritus Faculty

DEPARTMENT FACULTY

Experts in education and research.

DR. HULIN WU

Meet the  department chair, a special conference.

With the first class admitted in 1969, the Department of Biostatistics and Data Science at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health is celebrating its 55th Anniversary. For this special milestone in the history of the Department, the conference is organized to invite researchers and alumni in the United States and around the World to come to give talks and discuss problems, share results, identify emerging issues, and establish academic collaboration on Biostatistics and Data Science in the new era of data-driven sciences.

The conference will be held in the home building of the School of Public Health at UTHealth Houston, where many generations of our students have been studying. This is also a home-coming event for our alumni who are a pride of the Department for their successes and achievements.”

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS A Special Conference on Biostatistics in the New Era of Data-Driven Sciences

CENTER OF EXCELLENCE

Support grows for the new uthealth covid-19 center of excellence   .

Bringing together expertise and access to the best clinical care, research trials, discovery science, and public health knowledge, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) has established the  UTHealth COVID-19 Center of Excellence .

READ MORE SPH - Center of Excellence

STUDENT AMBASSADOR

Emily gordon will represent uthealth school of public health   .

Two UTHealth School of Public Health students have been selected by the  Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH)   to join the 2020-2021 cohort of This is Public Health Ambassadors.

READ MORE SPH - Emily Gordon TIPH

PELIMINARY EXAM NEWS

New updates to preliminary exam policy   .

The Department of Biostatistics and Data Science has updated the Preliminary Exam Policy as of April, 2021

READ POLICY SPH - 4/21 Prelim ExamNews

PRELIMINARY EXAM AWARD WINNERS

Congratulations to the recipients of this year's preliminary exam award winners   .

Jiachen Lu, MS, and Shiming Zhang, are the winners of the Highest Overall Score and Highest Theory Score awards, respectively, for this year’s Biostatistics and Data Sciences Preliminary Exam. Congratulations!

READ MORE SPH - PRELIM EXAM AWARDS 2021

RESEARCH UPDATE

Us department of defense recommends funding to department of biostatistics and data science .

The Department of Defense has recommended $750,000 in funding for research led by the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health’s Department of Biostatistics and Data Science. The study, “Leveraging FITBIR Data to Improve Clinical Practice of Severe Traumatic Brain Injury,” is led by Dr. Jose-Miguel Yamal.

READ MORE SPH - Research Update - TDI

SEE OUR IMPACT

Mapping the spread of covid-19 in texas.

A working team of faculty, staff and students recently launched a visualization dashboard which provides real-time data analytics to monitor COVID-19 spread in the state of Texas.

READ MORE SPH - Our Impact - Covid Dashboard

Admissions and Student Services Main: 713-500-9032 [email protected] [email protected]

Austin UTA Building 1616 Guadalupe, Suite 6.300, Austin, TX 78701 Main: 512-482-6160 Austin Admissions

Brownsville SPH Bldg. N 80 Fort Brown, Brownsville, TX 78520 Main: 956-755-0600 Brownsville Admissions

Dallas Trinity Towers 2777 N. Stemmons Freeway, Suite 8400, Dallas, TX 75207 Main: 972-546-2920 Dallas Admissions

El Paso Medical Center of the Americas Foundation 5130 Gateway Boulevard East MCA 110, El Paso, TX 79905 Main: 915-975-8520 El Paso Admissions

Houston 1200 Pressler Street, Houston, TX 77030 Main: 713-500-9050 Houston Admissions

San Antonio 7411 John Smith Drive, Suite 1100, San Antonio, TX 78229 Main: 210-276-9000 San Antonio Admissions

© 2019 - Present University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, All Rights Reserved. UTHealth Houston

News & Events

From c-suite to classroom.

Meet the Class of 2024 

Students in the first cohort of the executive-style MPH in Healthcare Management program in El Paso will graduate in May 2024. Celebrate with us as we share their journeys and explore how they are making an impact on their community.? 

Nearly $4 Million Awarded for Adolescent Cancer Research

Assistant Professor Paula Cuccaro, PhD; Professor Ross Shegog, PhD; and Associate Professor Lara Savas, PhD, were awarded $3,996,163 from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) to develop adolescent cancer prevention research. These awards were part of a $100 million grant to continue Texas's initiatives to build cancer research and represent the country's most significant state initiative to combat cancer.  

School of Public Health Ranked Top 25 Best Public Health School by U.S. News

UTHealth Houston School of Public Health has achieved top 25 ranking among 209 graduate schools of public health, according to the U.S. News & World Report .  

Among publicly-funded institutions offering graduate-level degrees in public health, UTHealth Houston School of Public Health ranks No. 9 nationally, and holds its position as No. 1 in Texas

Brighter Bites: A Model for Community-Academic Partnership to Improve Health

UTHealth Houston School of Public Health Center for Health Equity and Brighter Bites have recently hit the national spotlight through two initiatives- the Harvard Agribusiness Seminar and the White House Challenge to End Hunger and Build Healthy Communities.

PhD Candidate Explores Link Between Protein Intake and Health Outcomes

Ji Yun Tark, MPH, a PhD candidate in epidemiology at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, is investigating the associations between protein consumption and hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD). For Tark, the complex link between nutrition and health outcomes is critical for public health research.

CHPPR and Healthy Futures of Texas Collaborate to Evaluate Impact of Opt-In Sexual Health Education Policy in Texas

CHPPR investigators and Healthy Futures of Texas collaborated to conduct a first-of-its-kind evaluation of a diverse, bipartisan sample of Texas school representatives to determine the impacts of Texas’s new sex education opt-in law, which requires written parental consent for sex education or abuse prevention instruction.

The Buzz on Genome Editing

Diseases transmitted by mosquitoes such as malaria, Zika, and dengue pose significant global public health concerns. Researchers at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health are responding by launching a novel mosquito vivarium to develop genetic strategies for controlling these diseases.  

Study assessing elementary school teachers’ health outcomes and dietary behaviors published

The study found that 32 percent of teachers reported being food insecure, indicating a chronic lack of access to enough food in their household. Teachers consumed less than recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fiber, dairy, and calcium but consumed more sugar than daily recommendations.   

CATCH Healthy Smiles: Transforming Children's Oral Health through Healthy Nutrition and Dental Care

UTHealth Houston School of Public Health's CATCH Healthy Smiles program transforms smiles through nutrition.

Connecting Data Points in Healthcare Management: Juan Nañez

Students in the first cohort of the executive-style MPH in Healthcare Management program in El Paso will graduate in May 2024. Celebrate with us as we share their journeys and explore how they are making an impact on their community.?

International Symposium on One Health Research: Improving Food Security and Resilience

8:00:00 AM - 5:00:00 PM Galveston, TX

Healthcare Utilization Patterns, Readmission Risks, and Medical Costs for Heart Failure-Related Admissions among Colorectal Cancer

10:00:00 AM - 11:30:00 AM WebEx

Dissertation Proposal Defense by Can Li, Towards Equity in Healthcare:Bias Mitigation in Clinical Research via Predictive Modeling

11:00:00 AM - 1:00:00 PM Zoom

Dissertation Proposal Defense by Meenakshi Dasagi, BDS, MPH: A Quantitative Examination of Tobacco and Marijuana Consumption Techn

12:30:00 PM - 2:00:00 PM SPH Austin Campus Room 6.320

Dissertation Proposal Defense by Kai Chen, MS: Bayesian Clinical Trial Design for Early Phase Dose Optimization

1:30:00 PM - 3:00:00 PM Zoom

Epi Exam Jam

11:00:00 AM - 1:00:00 PM RAS Building, 6th floor lobby

12:00:00 PM - 1:00:00 PM $event.location

Employer Info Session: Healthcare Staffing Professionals

12:00:00 PM - 1:00:00 PM RAS W-102B/Webex

Federal Government Practicum Opportunities: Public Health Internship at SAMHSA

12:00:00 PM - 1:00:00 PM Webex

Dissertation Proposal Defense, Margaret Moore: Examining the Impact of Family Functioning on Adolescent Mental Health & Wellbeing

3:00:00 PM - 4:00:00 PM Microsoft Teams

Physical activity, planetary health, and equity: building synergies to maximize impact

12:00:00 PM - 1:00:00 PM GoTo Webinar

Dissertation Proposal Defense by Mackenzie Senn, MPH: Relationship Between Food Insecurity, Diet Quality, Eating Behavior, and BMI

3:00:00 PM - 4:15:00 PM Microsoft Teams

Training Program: UH Community Health Workers Initiative

8:00:00 AM - 2:00:00 PM University of Houston’s Student Center South, 4455 University Drive Houston, TX 77204-3049

Dissertation Proposal Defense by Chunhui Gu: Leveraging Multi-omics to Enhance High-throughput Proteomics via Graph Neural Network

2:00:00 PM - 3:00:00 PM Zoom

Texas Public Health Association 100th Annual Education Conference

8:00:00 AM - 12:00:00 AM Galveston, TX

Dissertation Proposal Defense by Matthew Roth, MPH: Laboratory Testing Delays Association with Emergency Department Length of Stay

10:00:00 AM - 12:00:00 PM Microsoft Teams

Food as Medicine Strategy Summit

8:00:00 AM - 5:00:00 PM The Westin, Washington, DC Downtown

Ph.D. in Biostatistics Program Details

In general, the Ph.D. in Biostatistics includes the following components:

• First year that focuses on basic statistical theory and methods, communication and the biomedical context
• Second year includes more advanced inference and theory of linear models, along with specialized training in categorical data analysis, survival analysis, generalized linear models, and analysis of correlated and longitudinal data
• Five elective courses to broaden the breadth of knowledge with two courses in a ‘cognate’ field such as epidemiology, biology, biophysics, environmental health, genetics, etc., to complement the student's biostatistical area of interest

Important Components

Students are required to complete two research rotations before making a decision on a dissertation advisor. Each research rotation will have a predefined beginning and end, typically starting at the beginning of a semester and lasting until the semester’s end. During each rotation, the student will work with a faculty member on a methodological problem that is of interest to both the student and the faculty and that can be completed within the rotation period. The primary goal of the rotations is to provide students with exposure to different research areas and the ability to evaluate fit with potential dissertation advisors. The student’s initial advisor will assist the student in identifying faculty for research rotations. To balance between having sufficient theoretical knowledge to make the rotations productive and informative and the need to be able to affiliate with a dissertation advisor around the beginning of the third year, students are strongly encouraged to start the research rotations at the end of their first year. Students coming into the program with an appropriate theoretical background may be able to begin research rotations earlier with the approval of the DGS.

Students, with counsel of the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), are expected to decide on the dissertation advisor around the beginning of the third year only after they have completed two research rotations. This timing would allow students sufficient time to develop their dissertation proposal and to pass the oral preliminary examination of their dissertation proposal by the end of the third academic year.

Once the dissertation advisor is selected, the student should work with the advisor to form dissertation committee as soon as the dissertation topic is decided. The dissertation committee must be appointed and approved by the associate dean at least one month (30 days) before the preliminary examination can take place. The committee consists of at least four members with one member, usually the dissertation advisor, designated as chair and majority of members from the student's major research area. At least two members of the committee, including the chair, must have primary or secondary faculty appointments in the Biostatistics & Bioinformatics department. One member of the committee must be from outside the student's main area of research. This designated "minor area representative" could be from another department or program, or from a different research subfield within the degree-sponsoring department or program. The minor area representative should not be directly involved in the student’s area of research focus. A majority of the committee members must be Duke faculty, while all committee members must have a current appointment on the Duke Graduate Faculty (whether employed by Duke or not). This committee, with all members participating, will determine a program of study and administer the preliminary examination.

Before the end of the third year (the end of the third spring term if you enter the program in the fall), PhD candidates will submit a short written proposal on their anticipated area of thesis research to be presented and discussed at the oral preliminary exam. The proposal usually consists of literature review, research questions, and proposed research methods on how the PhD candidates plan to complete the research. It is recommended that the candidate meets with the dissertation committee regularly and has the committee’s approval for the presentation of the preliminary exam. Successful completion of the preliminary exam qualifies the student as a PhD candidate in Biostatistics.   A candidate who fails the preliminary examination may be granted a single re-examination upon recommendation of the dissertation committee and approval of the Associate Dean no sooner than three months and no later than six months after the date of the first examination. The detailed procedures for the preliminary examination can be found  here .

All Duke biomedical PhD students are required to complete 18 contact hours of Responsible Conduct in Research (RCR) training. RCR training is provided by the Office of Biomedical Graduate Education (OBGE). The required curriculum differs for students matriculating in Fall 2020 or later and those who matriculated prior to Fall 2020.

• Requirements for students matriculating in Fall 2020 or later  
• Requirements for students who matriculated prior to Fall 2020  

Distinguishing Features

The Duke program offers several novel features that extend the training of our students beyond that found in a traditional biostatistics program. The core curriculum contains the following novel courses:

• A course sequence ( BIOSTAT 703 and BIOSTAT 706) emphasizing biomedical concepts and communication
• A survey course of modern inferential techniques and theory ( BIOSTAT 911 ) targeted specifically to advanced graduate students
• A student-led seminar, Current Problems in Biostatistics ( BIOSTAT 900 ). Students explore topics in blocks that involve student presentations and invited talks from faculty and other experts in the field

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Dissertation

Fill out our  academic information form  to request information about programs.

Through the dissertation, you will design, implement, complete and report on significant and original, independent research. You will conduct your research under the supervision of your major professor and your supervisory committee.

Your research culminates in a dissertation defense. You must submit the dissertation to your supervisory committee at least one month prior to the final defense. Your major professor will then submit to an outside reader, chosen by the committee, for evaluation. Once the outside review has been completed and the evaluation has been received, the final oral exam will be scheduled where you will present and formally defend your thesis. 

To pass the final oral exam, your supervisory committee members must unanimously agree that you have successfully defended your dissertation and that the research furthers the knowledge of biostatistics.

You must submit copies of your dissertation to the department, to your major professor and to the UB Graduate School. Review the dissertation formatting guidelines in preparation. Copies must be received by the following deadlines:

• The Friday before spring classes for a Feb. 1 degree conferral
• Last day of spring exams for a June 1 degree conferral
• The Friday before fall classes for a Sept. 1 degree conferral

Our Students

Lorin Miller Biostatistics PhD student

Andre Rei Weeks, MPH

Chong Wang, MA

Joseph Consiglio, MA, PhD

Yang Yang, PhD

Sindhuja Sridharan, MS

Mary K. Scheda, BS, MS

Carmen Tekwe, PhD

Yali Zhang, MPH

Huiru Chang, MA

Josh Barback Statistics Minor

Darryl George, MA

• Learn more about a career in statistics

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Doctor of Philosophy in Biostatistics .

The PhD in Biostatistics is jointly administered by the Department of Biostatistics at the School of Public Health and the Department of Mathematics & Statistics at the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. The program is geared toward the graduate student who seeks a career as a professional, academic, or industrial biostatistician in biomedical or epidemiologic sciences. The program meets the needs of the health professional who wishes to continue with public health training and achieve a higher and more specialized degree and the statistician who wishes to specialize in statistical methods for biomedical or epidemiologic applications.

Students who complete the PhD program will gain knowledge in probability, statistical inference and hypothesis testing, the design and conduct of experimental and epidemiological studies, statistical computation, and data analysis. Research interests of the faculty include multivariate analysis, survival analysis, medical statistics, clinical trials methodology, statistical genetics, surveillance, robust statistics, longitudinal data analysis, time series, regression, estimation theory, and the design of experiments.

Program Directors:

• Kathryn Lunetta
• Laura White

Program of Study

Students entering with a bachelor's degree must complete a total of 64 credits. Students entering with a master's degree must complete at least 32 credits.

It is expected that students take courses from both the Biostatistics Department in the School of Public Health and the Mathematics & Statistics Department in the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Upon completion of coursework, each student must pass Qualifying Examinations .

The dissertation work must address a relevant question in statistical methodology and pose a new approach, extend an existing approach, or provide novel application of an existing method. When the dissertation is completed, the candidate defends his or her work before the dissertation committee. More information about the dissertation requirements is available in the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Bulletin .

Program Requirements

Required Core Courses:

• CAS MA 575 Linear Models
• CAS/MET MA 581 Probability
• CAS/MET MA 582 Mathematical Statistics
• GRS MA 781 Estimation Theory
• GRS MA 782 Hypothesis Testing
• SPH BS 805 Intermediate Statistical Computing and Applied Regression Analysis or SPH BS 806 Multivariate Analysis for Biostatisticians
• SPH BS 857 Analysis of Correlated Data
• SPH BS 853 Generalized Linear Models with Applications
• SPH EP 770 Concepts and Methods in Epidemiology

For complete information on the PhD in Biostatistics program of study, please review the PhD Handbook 2023-2024 and the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Bulletin .

Students admitted to the PhD program (post-master or post-bachelor) in Biostatistics at Boston University as a full-time student will receive  five years of financial-aid in the form of fellowship or assistantship support. The financial-aid package will consist of a stipend as well as a scholarship to cover tuition, mandatory fees, and individual basic health insurance. A student will typically be appointed as a Doctoral Research Assistant (RA).

Doctoral Research Assistantship

Eligibility (RA): All eligibility requirements for admission must be met. All qualified PhD applicants (international as well as domestic students) who intend to pursue their education as a full-time student are eligible to receive financial aid through Doctoral Research Assistantship .

How to apply (RA): Eligible individuals who are interested in being considered for Doctoral Research Assistantship must complete the standard online application for the PhD program in Biostatistics by December 1. No separate application for financial aid is required.

Click here to view the Research Assistantship Handbook.

Interdisciplinary Training Program for Biostatisticians

For more information on eligibility and requirement for the Training Grant program, click here .

Financial Aid Opportunities

For more information, please visit GRS’s financial aid page for fellowships and scholarships and BUSPH’s financing your education page for additional internal and external funding opportunities.

All requests or questions related to admissions and financial aid should be sent to [email protected] . Applicants should not directly contact faculty members regarding admissions or funding opportunities .

Alumni Careers

Our graduates are highly sought after and work in a wide variety of careers upon graduating. Below is information on our graduates' first jobs after graduation.

PhD in Biostatistics Admissions Requirements

Applications for the PhD in Biostatistics program must be completed on the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences website. The deadline for fall admission is December 1. We do not have spring admission.

Requirements for Admissions

• At least the equivalent of bachelor of arts degree; no specific undergraduate major is required
• One year of calculus, including multivariate calculus*
• One full semester of linear algebra*
• Unofficial transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
• 1-2 pages personal statement
• Three letters of recommendation
• Official report of TOEFL scores for applicants whose native language is not English

Note: GRE is not required for admission.

*Online courses can be used to fulfill prerequisite courses if they: 1) are taken from an accredited university or college, 2) are letter-graded, and 3) carry the same credits as in-person courses at the institution.

Graduate programs are jointly administered by the SPH Department of Biostatistics and the Department of Mathematics & Statistics at the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Program degrees are the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.

Students can visit the fee waiver application to find out more information about their eligibility.

Attend a Webinar: Sept 14, Oct 18, Nov 8, Jan 17, & Feb 15

Webinar Information

Attend a live webinar via Zoom to speak with the Program Directors and learn more about the program. Fill out the  Biostatistics Virtual Session Form to RSVP. The 2023 - 2024 webinar dates are as follows:

• Thursday, September 14, 2023 @ 9am EDT
• Thursday, October 18, 2023 @ 12pm EDT
• Thursday, November 8, 2023 @ 9am EST
• Thursday, January 17, 2024 @ 12pm EST
• Wednesday, February 15, 2024 @ 9am EST

For more information about the program, please email [email protected] .

Doctoral Program

Program summary.

Students are required to

• master the material in the prerequisite courses ;
• pass the first-year core program;
• attempt all three parts of the qualifying examinations and show acceptable performance in at least two of them (end of 1st year);
• satisfy the depth and breadth requirements (2nd/3rd/4th year);
• successfully complete the thesis proposal meeting (winter quarter of the 3rd year);
• present a draft of their dissertation and pass the university oral examination (4th/5th year).

The PhD requires a minimum of 135 units. Students are required to take a minimum of nine units of advanced topics courses (for depth) offered by the department (not including literature, research, consulting or Year 1 coursework), and a minimum of nine units outside of the Statistics Department (for breadth). Courses for the depth and breadth requirements must equal a combined minimum of 24 units. In addition, students must enroll in STATS 390 Statistical Consulting, taking it at least twice.

All students who have passed the qualifying exams but have not yet passed the Thesis Proposal Meeting must take STATS 319 at least once each year. For example, a student taking the qualifying exams in the summer after Year 1 and having the dissertation proposal meeting in Year 3, would take 319 in Years 2 and 3. Students in their second year are strongly encouraged to take STATS 399 with at least one faculty member. All details of program requirements can be found in our PhD handbook (available to Stanford affiliates only, using Stanford authentication. Requests for access from non-affiliates will not be approved).

Statistics Department PhD Handbook

All students are expected to abide by the Honor Code and the Fundamental Standard .

Doctoral and Research Advisors

During the first two years of the program, students' academic progress is monitored by the department's Graduate Director. Each student should meet at least once a quarter with the Graduate Director to discuss their academic plans and their progress towards choosing a thesis advisor (before the final study list deadline of spring of the second year). From the third year onward students are advised by their selected advisor.

Qualifying Examinations

Qualifying examinations are part of most PhD programs in the United States. At Stanford these exams are intended to test the student's level of knowledge when the first-year program, common to all students, has been completed. There are separate examinations in the three core subjects of statistical theory and methods, applied statistics, and probability theory, which are typically taken during the summer at the end of the student's first year. Students are expected to attempt all three examinations and show acceptable performance in at least two of them. Letter grades are not given. Qualifying exams may be taken only once. After passing the qualifying exams, students must file for Ph.D. Candidacy, a university milestone, by the end of spring quarter of their second year.

While nearly all students pass the qualifying examinations, those who do not can arrange to have their financial support continued for up to three quarters while alternative plans are made. Usually students are able to complete the requirements for the M.S. degree in Statistics in two years or less, whether or not they have passed the PhD qualifying exams.

Thesis Proposal Meeting and Dissertation Reading Committee 

The thesis proposal meeting is intended to demonstrate a student's depth in some areas of statistics, and to examine the general plan for their research. In the meeting the student gives a 60-minute presentation involving ideas developed to date and plans for completing a PhD dissertation, and for another 60 minutes answers questions posed by the committee. which consists of their advisor and two other members. The meeting must be successfully completed by the end of winter quarter of the third year. If a student does not pass, the exam must be repeated. Repeated failure can lead to a loss of financial support.

The Dissertation Reading Committee consists of the student’s advisor plus two faculty readers, all of whom are responsible for reading the full dissertation. Of these three, at least two must be members of the Statistics Department (faculty with a full or joint appointment in Statistics but excluding for this purpose those with only a courtesy or adjunct appointment). Normally, all committee members are members of the Stanford University Academic Council or are emeritus Academic Council members; the principal dissertation advisor must be an Academic Council member. 

The Doctoral Dissertation Reading Committee form should be completed and signed at the Dissertation Proposal Meeting. The form must be submitted before approval of TGR status or before scheduling a University Oral Examination.

 For further information on the Dissertation Reading Committee, please see the Graduate Academic Policies and Procedures (GAP) Handbook section 4.8.

University Oral Examinations

The oral examination consists of a public, approximately 60-minute, presentation on the thesis topic, followed by a 60 minute question and answer period attended only by members of the examining committee. The questions relate to the student's presentation and also explore the student's familiarity with broader statistical topics related to the thesis research. The oral examination is normally completed during the last few months of the student's PhD period. The examining committee typically consists of four faculty members from the Statistics Department and a fifth faculty member from outside the department serving as the committee chair. Four out of five passing votes are required and no grades are given. Nearly all students can expect to pass this examination, although it is common for specific recommendations to be made regarding completion of the thesis.

The Dissertation Reading Committee must also read and approve the thesis.

For further information on university oral examinations and committees, please see the Graduate Academic Policies and Procedures (GAP) Handbook section 4.7 .

Dissertation

The dissertation is the capstone of the PhD degree. It is expected to be an original piece of work of publishable quality. The research advisor and two additional faculty members constitute the student's dissertation reading committee.

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• Finding inspiration at the intersection of public health and data science

Soumik Purkayastha, MS ’21, PhD ’24

• Biostatistics

April 15, 2024

A native of India, Soumik Purkayastha, MS ’21, PhD ’24, first made a connection with the University of Michigan School of Public Health in 2005.

Purkayastha was born in Chandannagar, a town about the same size and population as Ann Arbor, in the state of West Bengal. He spent most of his childhood with his parents in Kolkata or with his grandparents in Chandannagar. 

A visit to Ann Arbor when he was in fourth grade would leave an indelible impression on Purkayastha and set him on a path toward a career in public health.

“My father visited the Department of Biostatistics during his sabbatical year,” he said. “My mother and I were able to join him for a few months here in Ann Arbor. Later, when I was applying to graduate programs in the United States, the program here was very attractive because not only was it a great program, but I felt a personal connection to the school and the town at large.

It’s encouraging to see how the integration of data science in public health contributes to improved health outcomes. In many ways, I feel our work is meaningful and well-received not just in clinical circles but also by policymakers and the media.”

“Back in 2005, I had no way of knowing I’d be spending a good chunk of my 20s in Ann Arbor, but now I can look back and connect some dots.”

For Purkayastha, one of the most interesting things about public health is how he keeps learning about exciting ways in which public health and data science intersect.

“It’s encouraging to see how the integration of data science in public health contributes to improved health outcomes,” he said. “In many ways, I feel our work is meaningful and well-received not just in clinical circles but also by policymakers and the media.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Purkayastha had an opportunity to work on spatio-temporal forecasting of infectious diseases. His areas of focus included infection rates in India, comparing and understanding how different transmission models work, as well as developing a transmission data-driven framework to help inform public health policy.

“What I enjoyed the most was getting to learn from epidemiologists, biostatistics, economists and policy experts at a time when we were all confined to our apartments,” Purkayastha said. “It was a time when all of us struggled, yet our collective efforts at understanding what was going on in the world around us gave me a sense of purpose—and I cherish that.

“I think working in public health gives me a sense of direction on what to do with my skill set while also finding meaning in the work I do.”

Purkayastha will graduate in May with a PhD in Biostatistics from the Department of Biostatistics at Michigan Public Health. He earned a Master of Science in Biostatistics from Michigan Public Health after receiving bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Statistics from St. Xavier’s College and the Indian Statistical Institute respectively, both of Kolkata, India.

Driving change with biostatistics

He found meaning in working with the student organization STATCOM: Statistics in the Community .

“I’m proud to say that my department is home to STATCOM, a community outreach program provided by graduate students at the University of Michigan,” Purkayastha said.

The program offers the expertise of graduate students—free of charge—to nonprofit governmental and community organizations in the areas of data organization, analysis, and interpretation.

“I have been very fortunate to find meaningful consulting work with a host of community partners,” he said. “From 2022-23, I had the honor of serving as co-president of STATCOM. It has been both challenging as well as rewarding. I expect to continue with STATCOM until I graduate.”

A few of STATCOM’s recent projects include partnerships with:

• The Michigan Center for Youth Justice (MCYJ): STATCOM’s partnership with the MCYJ revolves around understanding the patterns of special investigations and violations occurring in juvenile justice facilities throughout the state.
• The Detroit Housing Commission (DHC) and Poverty Solutions (PS): STATCOM has been working with the DHC and PS to investigate evictions among families with children in Detroit to reduce accompanied and unaccompanied youth homelessness rates.
• Stand with Trans (SWT): STATCOM is collaborating with SWT to identify gaps in—and further improve—online resources that are designed to empower and support transgender youth.

Purkayastha also worked as a research assistant at the University of Michigan, studying diabetes.

“I worked with doctors and clinical experts to study diabetic foot ulcers,” he said. “They’re a major cause of amputation in US adults. With diabetes prevalence rising, understanding how these ulcers behave is crucial not only from a surgical perspective but also from a preventive viewpoint. It was a wonderful experience getting to apply my technical skills to real diabetes data to derive insights through statistics and visualization tools. I learned a lot about the disease from medical professionals as well.

“I think the work biostatisticians do is helpful for practitioners and policymakers as we learn more about disease prediction and prevention. Most importantly, the work we do in public health must be accessible and informative to the public. I think it’s incredibly important that we use all our skills to advocate for public health initiatives, policies and practices.”

In addition, Purkayastha had an internship with Apple in California, where he learned about language models.

“The future of language models in medicine, and public health is incredibly exciting,” he said. “I was also fortunate to receive the Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship for my final dissertation year. It allowed me to focus on developing new research projects and spend a lot of time thinking about cool, new ideas.”

Working in public health is ‘incredibly rewarding’

After graduation, Purkayastha will join the Department of Biostatistics at the University of Pittsburgh as an assistant professor in the fall. He will be engaged in methodological and applied public health research in addition to teaching and mentoring younger students in public health education and research.

“Soumik is a terrific example of the best of Michigan graduates; His dedication to translational biostatistics is inspiring,” said Bhramar Mukherjee , the John D. Kalbfleisch Distinguished University Professor of Biostatistics and Siobán D. Harlow Collegiate Professor of Public Health. “His work is grounded in solid theory and computation but has profound public health impact. He has been an amazing student leader through his work in departmental committees and through our flagship student organization STATCOM. I look forward to his scholarly career after graduation. I know he will make a difference.” 

I think the work biostatisticians do is helpful for practitioners and policymakers as we learn more about disease prediction and prevention. Most importantly, the work we do in public health must be accessible and informative to the public. I think it’s incredibly important that we use all our skills to advocate for public health initiatives, policies and practices.”

Purkayastha said he thrives on the satisfaction of knowing that his efforts in public health are making a positive impact on the health and well-being of individuals and communities.

“I feel it can be incredibly rewarding on a personal level for many others as well,” he said. “I have seen firsthand how the work we do translates to changes in governance and policy making. Further, there is an increasing need for health data scientists, who use their data skills for the public good. And it’s not just biostatistics, public health offers a wide range of career paths and specialties, including epidemiology, health education, policy development, environmental health and global health. This diversity allows individuals to find roles that align with someone’s interests, skills and passions, creating opportunities for personal and professional growth.

“I’m satisfied with my career choices so far. Working in public health allows me to focus on a lot of things I’m interested in while building something useful for communities at large. It’s a good feeling, and I wish that for everyone.”

• Interested in public health? Learn more here.
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Biostatistics Graduate Program

Shengxin tu wins 2024 provost pathbreaking discovery award.

Posted by duthip1 on Wednesday, April 17, 2024 in News .

PhD candidate Shengxin Tu has been named a recipient of Vanderbilt’s Provost Pathbreaking Discovery Award , which “recognizes doctoral students who exhibit exceptional academic excellence in publications, awards, patents, and other forms of national or international distinction” with $2,500 in supplemental funding. Tu is first author of a recent paper in the prestigious Statistics in Medicine journal, as well as second author of a retrospective cohort study discussed in last month’s  Journal of the International AIDS Society.  Tu currently serves as secretary of the Biostatistics Graduate Student Association and has completed internships at Genetech and Amazon; she is also presently a research assistant with CCASAnet , the Caribbean, Central and South America network for HIV epidemiology.

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Biostatistics Colloquium with Kara Rudolph – 4/18

Thursday, April 18 4:00-5:00pm FXB-301

Kara Rudolph, PhD, MHS Assistant Professor of Epidemiology Columbia University

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Student Highlight: 2024 MPH Candidate Karen Nassar, PharmD

Making the journey from a hospital pharmacy in Beirut, Lebanon to the halls of GPH, master’s degree candidate Karen Nassar came to New York City on a mission to broaden her knowledge of health care systems. A trained pharmacist who’s eager to improve both clinical settings and systems management, Karen graduates soon and looks forward to a career enhancing the efficiency of public health organizations. Below is a brief Q & A about her STEM focus, her stints as GPH student ambassador and teaching assistant, and her NYC adventures.

What sparked your interest in public health?

I’ve interned at a retail pharmacy and also at a hospital, which gave me exposure to the clinical aspect of healthcare, with one-on-one patient interactions. I’ve also worked as a hospital pharmacist, where I interacted with providers, nurses, residents, doctors and administrators. But I wanted to understand where the issues I saw in clinical settings came from, so I needed to broaden my perspective about health care systems in general, and not limit myself to the clinical aspect.

What do you get out of your career?

I'm trying to learn about different facets of health care — pharmacy, nutrition, public health — because I want to be useful to the people around me. When someone says “I don't feel well, what can I do?” I want to be able to answer my family, my friends or whoever is asking. I want to be useful, and have a direct impact on people’s lives.

What led you to choose management as your concentration?

I’m from Lebanon, and in 2020, there was an enormous explosion in Beirut that killed hundreds of people. The government’s response to this disaster was such a mess, and nothing was organized. That triggered me to think more about the management side of public health, because I wanted to know how to respond efficiently to crises like that.

Do you recommend any courses or professors?

I took Data-Driven Decision-Making in Global Public Health with Dr. Moaz Abdelwadoud, a visiting professor in the Department of Global Health; I really enjoyed that experience. He really cared about his students, and you would always feel comfortable asking questions. He’s one of the teachers I have appreciated the most. Also, as an advisor, Andrea Muraca is helpful and understanding; he’s a great listener, and he offers guidance and encouragement. He's always there for you.

What are your plans for the future?

Eventually, I’d like to go into healthcare consulting to utilize my clinical, pharmacy, and public health skills together, but first I want to strengthen my profile because it's a very competitive field. I plan to look for a position that analyzes systems and identifies areas of improvement, or one that creates strategies to enhance an organization’s efficiency.

What led you to NYU specifically for your MPH?

GPH graduate programs are STEM-designated, which is not something that all universities offer. Because of this designation, international students like me qualify for three years of work authorization, which can be like an additional 24 months of practical training. But I’ve always known about NYU; everybody’s heard about it!

And how do you feel about GPH now that you're here?

I really understand the “global” in Global Public Health; we have one of the biggest international student communities and we learn from each other because of our different backgrounds and multiple perspectives. That’s what makes it feel special, compared to other universities. Everyone comes from different countries because everyone wants to be here.

What’s been your favorite class at GPH so far?

The most challenging was Financial Management because it's new to me, with a lot of very technical terms I've never heard of. Because of this class, though, I can relate to my friends at NYU Stern; even though I'm in the MPH program and they’re getting MBAs, we can talk about balance sheets or whatever. I loved other classes, too, like Teams and Strategy, but the management courses stuck with me; I learned the most from them.

Are you working as a pharmacist while pursuing your MPH?

Actually, as part of my applied practice experience, I’m doing an internship at CVS. Twice a week, I shadow a pharmacist to learn how she manages the business side of it.

I also work at GPH Student Affairs; I was an onboarding ambassador in the summer and then I continued as a grad intern. For everyone who subscribes to the Trail Mix and the DEI newsletters – I’m the one who’s writing them!

I was also a TA, a teaching assistant, for Dr. Chris Dickey. He teaches Results-Focused Strengthening of Health Systems in LMIC Countries, and they chose Lebanon for it, so it was a good fit.

Do you ever sleep? Or what are your favorite things to do in New York City?

I like to play tennis. We organize doubles or singles and go play in Central Park, which I love. New York is great for meeting people – it feels like every week I meet someone new, even in the subway. And I love the scenery when you’re coming from Brooklyn and can see the skyline of Manhattan. There are always new restaurants to try, new places to go, and new things to do. Everything is at your fingertips!