Biostatistics is the science that applies statistical theory and mathematical principles to research in medicine, biology, agriculture, environmental science, public health, and related fields. Biostatisticians collaborate with a wide range of researchers on experiments, assisting with the design of the experiment, collection of the data, summarization of the data, analysis of the data, and interpretation of the results. As a biostatistician you could be analyzing the effectiveness of new drugs, analyzing risk factors for different illnesses, planning health care interventions, or explaining biological phenomena. If you enjoy collaboration, collecting and studying information, forecasting scenarios, and drawing conclusions, biostatistics could be an excellent career for you.
The Department of Biostatistics at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is housed in the School of Medicine and is committed to excellence in providing a graduate training program, conducting multidisciplinary collaborative biomedical research, and developing new statistical methods. Strong ties exist between the Department of Biostatistics and departments and centers within the School of Medicine as well as within the Schools of Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing, and Allied Health. Several faculty members hold joint appointments in other departments or centers. Faculty members belong to multidisciplinary teams in many federally funded translational research projects across the university, including studies of genes related to hepatocellular carcinoma, chronic allograft nephropathy, the Massey NCI designated cancer center, traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury, sedation and ventilator effects in hospitalized patients, epigenomics of leukemias, lymphomas, and blood stem cells, childhood obesity, and sexual maturation. The department offers M.S. and Ph.D. programs in biostatistics, a Ph.D. in genomic biostatistics, and an M.S. in biostatistics with a concentration in clinical research and biostatistics. The majority of the graduate students are supported through collaborative projects and partnerships with industry.
The focus of this presentation will be to introduce the field of biostatistics, and more specifically to discuss the opportunities of pursuing a graduate degree in biostatistics at Virginia Commonwealth University. All undergraduate and graduate students interested in learning more about a career in Biostatistics are invited to attend this presentation and meet with Dr. Jessica Ketchum.