Strategies and Implications for Establishing Biostatistics Entities in Medical Centers

• Activity Number: 316
• Type: Invited
• Date/Time: Tuesday, August 5, 2014 : 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM
• Sponsor: Section on Statistical Consulting
• Author(s): Jack Lee*+ and Richard Landis*+ and Manisha Desai*+ and Michael Parides*+ and Bradley Pollock*+
• Companies: MD Anderson Cancer Center and University of Pennsylvania and Stanford University and Mount Sinai and University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
• Keywords: collaborative biostatistics ; biostatistics resources ; career trajectories for the collaborative biostatistician ; clinical research

Abstract

Biostatistical entities are becoming established in medical centers with greater frequency. Departments of Medicine, Psychiatry, and Dentistry are examples of clinical departments that are housing their own biostatistics units. Importantly, they are being established apart from centralized biostatistics divisions. The missions of such units are often distinct from those of biostatistics divisions with established degree programs;for the former, collaborative goals are primary and methodological goals secondary, while for the latter, the reverse is true. This difference has implications for the career development of respective biostatisticians. Other challenges of establishing such units relate to recruitment, evaluation of members, allocation of resources, mentoring of investigators and statisticians, and creating a nurturing environment for the professional development of unit members that include reasonable trajectories for retention, expectations for promotion, and the development of collaborations that are fruitful for all parties involved. This panel will discuss the challenges posed by developing biostatistical units in clinical departments and strategies for their success.