Training Program in Biostatistics and Cancer Research

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Project Summary: This application is for continuation of a training program in biostatistics with a specific focus on cancer research. The training program supports six students each year. The practice of biostatistics is changing, especially in the area of cancer research. Discoveries over the last two decades into the molecular, biochemical, and genetic components of cell growth and development lave changed our understanding of what makes a normal cell become cancerous and then metastasize. Multidisciplinary research teams are at the heart of modern approaches to fighting cancer, and biostatisticians more and more are a part of such teams. Such teamwork requires that the statistician be conversant with molecular biologists, pathologists, and, of course, clinical oncologists if the group of co-investigators is to succeed. Effective biostatistical collaboration thus requires broad training in statistics, probability, computational methods, as well as cancer biology and medical ethics. The Department of Statistics, Rice University, and departments in the Division of Quantitative Sciences at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (UTMDACC) have joined forces with their collaborators in the clinical and basic sciences to develop a unique training program that combines their respective strengths to train biostatisticians in cancer research. The goal of this Training Program in Biostatistics is to prepare a new generation of biostatisticians who will work side-by-side with biomedical investigators in modern cancer research. Our program aims to provide trainees with Rigorous training in statistics and probability; Practical experience in basic and clinical cancer research; and Training in biological aspects of cancer and medical research ethics. Students in this program follow the standard course of study expected of Ph.D. students in the Department of Statistics at Rice, with additional coursework in biostatistics, biology, and ethics, as well as special seminars and workshops at both institutions. With faculty expertise in Bayesian methods, decision theory, cancer clinical trials, cancer screening, survival analysis, statistical genetics, genomics, bioinformatics, and statistical computing, trainees will receive a broad background in biostatistics necessary for modern cancer research. Summer internships and laboratory rotations provide practical experience in the student's training. Relevance: Combining the educational resources available at Rice University and UTMDACC with practical experience will enable trainees upon completion to make fundamental contributions to cancer research working alongside biomedical investigators. Such close collaboration will lead to more efficient study designs and data analysis, allowing translation of therapeutic theories to clinical application more quickly.