2 PURPOSE AND PHILOSOPHY OF THE GRADUATE PROGRAMS
The Department's programs are designed to prepare students for careers in the theory and practice of statistics, especially as applied to the biomedical and health sciences. The programs include training in the development of methodology, consulting, teaching, and collaboration on a broad spectrum of health-related problems. About sixty faculty participate in these programs.
The Department offers courses of study leading to the Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Science degrees. Both the Ph.D. and SM programs provide rigorous training in theory and practical experience in statistical methods used in the biomedical sciences.
All students work with faculty on ongoing projects in methodological research and scientific collaboration. Faculty conduct methodologic research in data analysis, clinical trials, longitudinal studies, experimental design, multivariate methods, stochastic processes, survival analysis, statistical genetics, statistical computing, decision sciences, computational biology and health policy. Areas of application include AIDS and other infectious diseases, bioinformatics, biology, cancer, health disparities, the environment, genetics, and psychiatry, among other areas. Collaborative activities include coordination of national and international clinical trials, participation in studies of potential environmental hazards, design of health surveys, evaluation of health interventions and medical technologies, and consultation with federal, state, and local agencies.