In response to a national shortage of trained biostatisticians, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) funded three annual summer internship programs at various biostatistics/statistics departments throughout the country. The target participants for these Summer Institutes for Training in Biostatistics (SIBS) were outstanding quantitatively oriented undergraduate students interested in the biological sciences. The primary purpose of the institutes was to interest students in further biostatistics training at the graduate level.
Between 2004 and 2009, 409 participants completed one of the three SIBS programs, including 335 who have graduated from college. About 67% of these graduates are attending graduate school, have completed graduate school, and/or are working in biostatistics/statistics or a related field.
Encouraged by the success of SIBS, the NHLBI and National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) began soliciting applications for SIBS II programs to be held in the summers of 2010, 2011, and 2012. The following eight programs were funded:
Boston University
June 13 – July 22
24 positions
Emory University
May 24 – July 1
20 positions
The University of Iowa
June 6 – July 29
16 positions
NC State University – Duke Clinical Research Institute
June 13 – July 22
25 positions
University of Pittsburgh
June 18 – July 30
20 positions
University of South Florida
May 16 – June 24
25 positions
Washington University in St. Louis
June 6 – July 15
20 positions
University of Wisconsin
June 13 – July 22
20 positions
Costs of tuition, fees, housing, meals, and extracurricular activities are covered by each program. The SIBS II programs focus on biostatistics, clinical trials, epidemiology, genetics, and bioinformatics, with varying degrees of emphasis on each topic across the eight sites.
Prospective trainees should contact the individual SIBS II sites for specific information about their programs and the site-specific online application forms. Students may apply to multiple SIBS programs, but may accept only one offer. Admission decisions are being made on a rolling basis, so applicants should apply early. The application deadline is March 4.
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