For the 4th year in a row, the Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Department has partnered with NC State University to host undergraduates from all over the United States for the Summer Institute for Training in Biostatistics (SIBS) Program. This program provides training in applied biostatistical methods and exposes students to graduate school and career options in the fields of biostatistics, statistics, and public health.
This year the program focus shifted to the NIH Translational Science Spectrum. Translation is the process of turning observations in the laboratory, clinic and community into interventions to improve the health of individuals and the public — from diagnostics and therapeutics to medical procedures and behavioral changes. The translational science spectrum represents each stage of research in that process. Biostatisticians a play pivotal role in each phase of research along the spectrum – from the basic research, to pre-clinical research, to clinical research, to clinical implementation and finally to public health. Through lectures and hands-on activities, Duke and NC State faculty members introduce participants to their collaborative research and reveal how biostatisticians and other quantitative scientists engage full force in biomedical research.
SIBS is sponsored by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences and designed to address a growing imbalance between the demand and supply for biostatisticians. It includes case based instruction of real biomedical research; computer laboratory training; projects; and clinical and translational research enrichment activities. Coursework focuses on the NIH Translational Science Spectrum and models used in the analysis of biomedical studies. Students are matched with a Biostatistics faculty member and graduate research assistant for their research projects. The projects gives students exposure and the opportunity to engage in medical science research through biostatistics. After a supervised research, trainees will present their accomplished projects to faculty and students.