All BCTIP new hires are required to participate in a training series provided over the course of 6-8 weeks. BCTIP partners with other quantitative training and internship programs at Duke to provide focused training sessions on relevant topics (see Training Sessions below).
Interns undergo 12-18 months of real collaborative experience that includes working directly with staff/faulty biostatisticians and clinicians within different clinical research units at Duke. Through real-world applied experience in these research units, interns are involved in every aspect of the research process including initial meetings with investigators, study design, analysis, writing statistical reports, and manuscript review. Each fall, the interns are required to give a presentation of their work. B&B faculty/staff and associated clinical investigators are invited to attend.
Throughout the program, BCTIP directors closely monitor internship collaborations to ensure all students and supervisors understand expectations and provide appropriate mentorship. In addition to statistical development, BCTIP directors provide the following mentorship and monitoring:
- Career preparation on topics including resume and CV creation, interview preparation, interpersonal relationships, etc.
- Interns are required to submit weekly task lists to their supervisors, and a monthly progress report to the BCTIP directors, who review the content and provide feedback or intervene as needed.
- Quarterly meetings are arranged to provide the interns with a face-to-face opportunity to share their internship experience and concerns with their fellow interns and the BCTIP directors.
Training Sessions
This session introduces the internship program and the BERD Methods Core to the new hires. Primary responsibilities, expectations, and requirements of the internship are discussed, and technical support and statistical resources available at BERD are reviewed. BCTIP directors also stay after the presentation to answer questions, help with computer set up, etc.
Training is provided on topics of collaboration and communication commonly seen in the Duke collaborative research setting, such as collaboration vs. consultation, the BERD Methods Core collaborative model, professional communication (written and verbal), Rindskopf’s and Grambow’s rules of communication, strategies for dealing with mistakes.
As a biostatistician, good project management skills are vital in order to achieve data transparency, traceability, and reproducibility. Training on two main parts of project management: SAP and file organization/documentation, is provided. The purpose and process of writing a statistical analysis plan (SAP) are elaborated with templates and examples. Readme files, efficient ways of file organization and naming files are introduced with examples.
SAS software is introduced across several sessions, first at a basic level first and then extended to a more advanced level, followed by recommended practice exercises. The sessions cover various contents including frequently used commands/procedures, efficient coding skills, tables and plots, and functions/macros. Use of R software is included as part of dedicated course work for all master's of biostatistics students, so is not covered in dedicated BCTIP training.
In addition to the SAP, the importance and process of writing analysis reports and statistical sections in manuscripts are introduced. Components of reporting at the Core, reporting standards and guidelines for scientific journals are addressed with examples, followed by team practice and discussion.
Essential working skills such as professional dress, interviews, meetings, and verbal and written communication are reviewed. BCTIP intern expectations and soft skills important in biostatistics are discussed, including time management, networking, teamwork, creative thinking, and conflict resolution.