UAB Pre and Post-Doctoral Training Program in Biostatistics

描述(由申请者提供)：美国心脏病学会在向美国众议院提供的证词中表示：“除了扩大临床试验的数量和范围外，还必须专门提供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‘试验者’。”另一份报告指出，“与十年前相比，统计和生物统计学专业的培训项目……减少了……在生物信息学、生物统计学等以数学为基础的领域……生命科学专业的合格教师和学生的短缺正变得越来越严重……除非更换合格的教师，否则具备培训下一代统计学家和计算机科学家所需专业知识的人将越来越少”。加拿大统计学会主席吉姆·拉姆齐指出：“SSA主席尼克·费舍尔在他的总统讲话中表达了担忧。他提到SSA、RSS和ASA的会员人数不断减少；[他也]注意到澳大利亚进入统计的学生人数不断减少，许多国家的大学都没有统计系。但与此同时，学术界、政府和工业界对统计人员的需求也在增加。”阿拉巴马大学伯明翰分校(伯明翰分校)的S生物统计学系已做好准备，帮助满足这一需求。在过去的5年里，我们系经历了复兴，在统计遗传学和临床试验两个方面表现出了显著的实力。我们有一个庞大、资金充足、高度活跃的部门，平均分配到方法论和应用研究两个部门。我们专注于多发性硬化症、重症肌无力、阿尔茨海默病、中风、帕金森氏症等神经系统疾病，为高级培训提供了一系列实践机会。我们的有组织的培训计划旨在提供后期的博士后和博士后奖学金，为科学家在生物统计学领域的职业生涯做准备，特别是针对神经学研究。该培训计划旨在培养在神经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。应用经验是由UAB著名的NINDS资助的研究人员共同指导提供的。生物统计学在这个国家公共卫生中的重要性怎么强调都不为过。提供一名训练有素的干部来评估治疗的好处和风险，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.