Department of Biostatistics at NYU GPH is engaged in three inter-related activities that aim to improve Public Health through rigorous research and that educate future practitioners, leaders and researchers. We strive for excellence in:
- innovative and groundbreaking methodological research that is relevant to critical Public Health research
- collaborative research in pressing and important Public Health issues;
- education and training of students from diverse backgrounds in cutting edge statistical methods for design and analysis of studies used in Public Health research, as well as theoretical foundations that will serve as the basis for future innovations.
Methodological Research:
Our methodological research is motivated by real studies in Public Health that involve complexities in their design and/or implementation, for which existing methods do not exist or are suboptimal. The research involves theoretical understanding of the underlying complexities and difficulties, and creative and knowledge-based development of practicable solutions. The research occurs within the context of an interdisciplinary collaboration that assures the scientific importance of the statistical theory.
Collaborative Research:
Our faculty collaborate with investigators from multiple disciplines across NYU, including several at GPH. We provide statistical expertise in design, analysis and interpretation of studies of Alzheimer’s disease, tobacco use, substance abuse, minority stress, health disparities, bioinformatics, cancer, among many others. These collaborations often reveal novel data features that motivate our methodological research.
Educational Programs:
We currently offer both an MPH degree with a concentration in Biostatistics, and an MS degree in Biostatistics. These degree programs are complementary and serve the diverse needs of students who seek varying levels of breadth in Public Health versus depth in Biostatistics. Our students take a required core set of courses and have the opportunity for several electives. MS students identify an area of concentration (e.g., machine learning in public health, or clinical trials), and take several elective credits that relate to their theme. MPH students undertake an intensive Applied Practice Experience, during which they are immersed in a project and conduct extensive data analysis. MS students are encouraged to participate in a wide variety of internships and other applied experiences. Theses are required for both MPH and MS students, which culminate in poster presentations.
NYU has a plethora of course offerings that have statistical content, including, for example, from the Steinhardt Department of Applied Statistics, the Center for Data Science, the Division of Biostatistics at the Medical School, and the Stern School of Business. These greatly expand the course offerings from which our students may choose. There are also many different research opportunities that are open to students across the university.
In addition to formal coursework, students participate in a journal club at which they read, discuss and present articles with statistical content, they participate in professional development events that introduce them to various career paths and doctoral programs, and they participate in our Biostatistics Consulting Lab, which is a partnership with the Department of Medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center.
On our horizon is a six week summer program for undergraduates from underrepresented backgrounds that we intend to open in summer 2021. This will involve a course in biostatistics and epidemiology, faculty mentored research projects, and exposure to quantitative research in Public Health, and professional development activities to support future graduate studies. Also, we are currently developing a PhD concentration in Biostatistics, which we hope to open in Fall 2020.
We are a graduate group program member of the National Math Alliance, and strive to achieve diversity in our students, faculty and staff.