Biostatistics and Research Design Shared Resource

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BIOSTATISTICS AND RESEARCH DESIGN SHARED RESOURCE: ABSTRACT The Biostatistics and Research Design Shared Resource (BRD SR) plays a critical role in research activities at the Stephenson Cancer Center (SCC) through supporting biostatistical and research design needs for SCC members. The BRD SR is directed by Sara Vesely, PhD (CPC) and co-directed by Daniel Zhao, PhD (CT), and has seven PhD-level faculty and six staff. The BRD SR provides biostatistical and research design assistance for a variety of projects, including basic science experiments, meta-analyses, secondary data analysis, genetic data and bioinformatics analysis, observational studies, qualitative studies, community research, pilot trials, randomized clinical trials, and phase I investigator-initiated trials (IITs). Major consultative services provided by BRD SR faculty include assistance with refining aims and outcomes, appropriate study design selection, data collection planning, development of statistical analysis and data monitoring plans, creation of random allocation schemes, sample size calculations, and grant preparation. The BRD SR is a cost-efficient resource to assist SCC members in a timely manner, free of direct charge, through project conception, development, grant writing, implementation, analysis, and manuscript writing. Services can be accessed online via the SCC / BRD SR webpages, with an online service request form. BRD SR faculty and staff have a diverse set of expertise, including database creation and management, research design, biostatistical analysis, statistical genetics analysis, geo-spatial methods, sampling strategies and weighting, data monitoring, and grant writing. In 2021, 57 total SCC members utilized the BRD SR, accounting for 73% of BRD SR usage. SCC members with peer-reviewed support (n=41) accounted for 53% of the total usage. In 2021, the BRD SR supported over 140 cancer-focused SCC projects (ongoing grants, IITs, and other projects) and 105 grant submissions (submissions and resubmissions). From 2017 to 2021, the BRD SR provided biostatistical consultation services to 80 full and associate members across all three SCC programs. The number of SCC member users has steadily increased each year – 36 (2017), 44 (2018), 46 (2019), 50 (2020), 57 (2021) – a 58% increase in annual SR usage from the beginning to the end of the reporting period. Future plans are focused on the addition of faculty (2-4) and staff (2-4) biostatisticians over the next five years, expertise to be determined by SCC strategic growth and needs, and to be recruited in partnership with the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology.