This column is written for statisticians with master’s degrees and highlights areas of employment that will benefit statisticians at the master’s level. Comments and suggestions should be sent to Keith Crank, the ASA’s research and graduate education manager, at keith@amstat.org.
Contributing Editor
Biostatistics (the application and development of statistical methods to medical and public health topics) is a growing and rewarding field, but many people are unaware of its existence. People see the work of biostatisticians often, but may not be aware of the role biostatisticians play in clinical research.
Biostats 101
Most people do a double take when I say I’m a biostatistician and ask, “What in the world does a biostatistician do?” They probably are conjuring the image of numbers fleeting by as I furiously type away at a keyboard, trying to make sense of it all. While there is a kernel of truth to this scenario, the field of biostatistics is far more applicable, timely, and meaningful than most people realize.
Meaningful Applications
Biostatisticians are needed in a variety of health-related fields. At my company, statisticians work on clinical trials, patient registries, epidemiologic studies, health services and policy, and/or media and communications research. In all these fields, we use statistical methods to answer important and timely health-related questions such as the following:
- What effect has Massachusetts health care reform had on uninsurance levels and access to primary health care?
- What are the greatest contributors to racial/ethnic disparities in diabetes? Is it genetics/family history? Lifestyle factors? Socioeconomic status and position in society? Environmental factors?
- Do doctors differentially diagnose coronary heart disease by gender, even when the signs/symptoms presented are exactly the same?
- How do doctors deal with time pressures to see more patients per day in different health care systems?
These are just a few of the public health topics I have conducted analyses on in the past year. The results that my colleagues and I have produced have the ability to shape treatments, policies, and other health decisions.
Interdisciplinary Team Work
By necessity, biostatisticians work as part of a team of investigators to study a public health question. As we work closely with subject-matter experts, biostatisticians must be able to clearly communicate results to ensure our findings make sense in a larger context. Working with such a variety of people (e.g., sociologists, epidemiologists, data managers, primary care physicians, and specialists) has given me the opportunity to learn about new diseases and different populations. It also has given me new perspective on the many areas to which biostatistics are applied.
Evolving Roles in Research
My responsibilities as part of these interdisciplinary teams include performing analyses and communicating statistical results. However, I’ve also had the opportunity to take part in many other aspects of studies, from the planning stages (e.g., sample size and power calculation, writing of statistical analysis, instrument development, and grant writing) to study close-out (e.g., writing articles for medical journals and creating posters and presentations for medical conferences). My latest role has been that of a project manager, which requires balancing my quantitative abilities with my communication skills to manage a team throughout the life of a project.
To those of us who have chosen biostatistics as a profession, it is much more than “number crunching.” We get to apply our quantitative skills to meaningful, timely, and diverse public health questions. The demands of working with a multidisciplinary team provide challenges, but ultimately lead to knowledge, growth, and fulfillment. Most of all, biostatisticians get to apply their problemsolving, number-crunching skills to better people’s health and well-being throughout the world.
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