UAB Pre and Post-Doctoral Training Program in Biostatistics

描述（由申请人提供）：美国心脏病学会在向美国众议院提交的证词中表示：“除了扩大临床试验的数量和范围外，还必须投入额外的资源来培训生物统计学、试验设计、结果研究和生物伦理学领域的下一代临床‘试验人员’”。另一份报告称“培训项目减少……可用于统计和生物统计程序比十年前…在以数学为基础的生物信息学领域，生物统计学…从事生命科学工作的合格教师和学生的短缺问题日益严重。除非替换合格的教员，否则具备必要专业知识来培训下一代统计学家和计算机科学家的人将越来越少。”加拿大统计学会主席Jim Ramsay指出：“加拿大统计学会主席Nick Fisher在他的主席讲话中表达了他的担忧。他举例说，SSA、RSS和ASA的会员数量不断下降；（他还）注意到澳大利亚统计专业的学生人数在减少，许多国家的大学里统计系都消失了。但与此同时，学术界、政府和工业界对统计学家的需求也在不断增加。”阿拉巴马大学伯明翰分校（UAB）的生物统计学系已经做好了帮助满足这一需求的准备。在过去的五年中，我们的部门经历了复兴，在统计遗传学和临床试验两个领域具有显著的优势。我们有一个庞大的，资金充足的，高度活跃的部门，平均分为方法研究和应用研究。我们专注于多发性硬化症、重症肌无力、阿尔茨海默氏症、中风、帕金森等神经系统疾病，为高级培训提供了一系列实践机会。我们的结构化培训计划旨在提供后期的前和博士后奖学金，为专门针对神经学研究的生物统计学职业做好准备。该培训计划旨在培养在神经系统疾病和临床试验中开发、评估和应用先进统计方法的独立调查技能。应用经验是通过UAB著名的nind资助的研究人员的共同指导提供的。生物统计学在我国公共卫生中的重要性怎么强调也不为过。提供训练有素的干部来评估治疗的益处和风险，同时消除炒作是一项关键的公共卫生努力。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The American College of Cardiology in testimony to US House of Representatives stated: "In addition to expanding the number and scope of clinical trials, additional resources must be dedicated to train the next generation of clinical 'trialists' in the areas of biostatistics, trial design, outcomes research, and bioethics". Another report stated "Fewer training programs...are available for statistics and biostatistics programs than ten years ago...In the mathematically based areas of bioinformatics, biostatistics... the shortage of qualified teachers and students going on to the life sciences is becoming acute... unless qualified faculty are replaced there will be increasingly fewer individuals with the necessary expertise to train the next generation of statisticians and computer scientists". Jim Ramsay, the President of the Statistical Society of Canada notes: "Nick Fisher, the SSA President, struck a note of concern in his Presidential address. He cited declining memberships in the SSA, RSS, and ASA; [he also] noted the shrinking numbers of students entering statistics in Australia, and the disappearance of departments of statistics in universities in many countries. But at the same time there is an increasing demand for statisticians in academia, government and industry". The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)'s Department of Biostatistics is well poised to help meet this need. Our department has undergone a renaissance in the past 5 years with significant strength in two areas: Statistical Genetics and Clinical Trials. We have a large, well-funded, highly active department evenly split between methodological and applied research. Our focus on neurological diseases from Multiple Sclerosis, Myasthenia Gravis, Alzheimers, stroke, Parkinson's, etc. provides a range of practical opportunities for advanced training. Our structured training program is designed to offer late pre- and post-doctoral fellowships to prepare scientists for careers in biostatistics specifically aimed at neurological research. The training program aims to develop independent investigative skills in the development, evaluation, and application of advanced statistical methods in neurological disorders and clinical trials. Applied experience is provided via co-mentorship by UAB's well established NINDS-funded investigators. The importance of biostatistics in the public health of this nation cannot be overstated. Providing a well trained cadre to evaluate benefits and risks of treatment while dispelling the hype is a key public health endeavor.