The mission of the Department of Biostatistics is to serve as a source of expertise and a focus for training and research in the quantitative aspects of public health and medicine, and to promote the use of rigorous quantitative methods in the biomedical and public health sciences.
To fulfill this mission, the department has established the following goals:
- To maintain and further enhance a strong, internationally recognized graduate program for the training of biostatisticians who can play leadership roles in academia, government and industry;
- To maintain a vigorous program of independent biostatistical research as a means of developing new statistical methods for the biomedical and public health sciences and of providing research opportunities for students;
- To provide quality courses in biostatistics for students enrolled in other departments of the School and elsewhere in the University;
- To contribute to the advancement of knowledge in public health and medicine through participation in collaborative, interdisciplinary research;
- To maintain and further develop a program of biostatistical consultation by students and faculty that is responsive to the needs of researchers in the health sciences;
- To provide leadership in academic biostatistics and in formulating local and national public policy on quantitative aspects of public health and medicine through service on advisory boards and review committees and through other similar activities;
- To promote the use of rigorous quantitative methods in public health and biomedicine through educational outreach and consultation programs that serve the broader community.