Abstract
Biostatisticians apply statistical methods to solve problems in the biological sciences. Successful practioners of biostatistics have advanced technical knowledge, are skilled communicators, and can seamlesslessly integrate with interdisciplinary scientific teams. Despite the breadth of skills required for success in this field, most biostatistics education programs place heavier emphasis on development of technical skills than skills necessary for collaborative work, including critical thinking, writing, and public speaking. Our master’s degree program in biostatistics aims for stronger integration of education in collaborative work alongside development of technical knowledge in biostatistics. Toward that end, we propose a model that provides students with a mental map for practicing biostatistics, and that can serve as a tool for faculty to create hands-on learning experiences for biostatistics students. The model helps students organize their knowledge of biostatistics, unifying the technical and collaborative aspects of the discipline in a single framework that can be applied across the broad array of activities that biostatisticians engage in. In this article we describe the model in detail and provide an initial assessment of whether the model might meet its intended purpose by applying the model to a common task for practicing biostatisticians and biostatistics students: describing the results of a medical research study.
Highlights
Biostatistics is the application of statistical methods to solve problems in the biological sciences and is inherently a collaborative discipline (Samsa, 2018)
In this article we propose that such a theoretical view of biostatistical practice can enable classroom-based instruction in the “softer skills” of biostatistics
Following the format of a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant proposal, we explain that the research objectives are usually stated as specific aims
Summary
Biostatistics is the application of statistical methods to solve problems in the biological sciences and is inherently a collaborative discipline (Samsa, 2018). The program emphasizes simultaneous development of skills in communication and leadership with rigorous training in biostatistical methods, with the objective of placing the work of the biostatistician in the context of the larger pursuit of science. The hypothesis proposed that introduction of small amounts of peanuts into the diet early during infancy might confer protection against subsequent development of peanut allergy. This hypothesis was supported partly by observational data that showed Jewish children in the United Kingdom had 10 times the risk of peanut allergy compared with Israeli Jewish children. This observation was important because the same study noted that children in the UK typically did not eat peanuts during the first year of life whereas the Israeli children were exposed to peanuts in their diet on average by 7 months of age
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