Download Biostatistics & Applied Statistics Education in the

Biostatistics & Applied Statistics
Education in the USA: Practical
Considerations & Implications
Gleb Haynatzki, PhD
Biostatistics Department
College of Public Health
U of Nebraska Medical Ctr
Main Goals
• Description of the structures & approaches
that ultimate lead to a Master’s degree in
Biostatistics & Applied Statistics in the US
• Discussion of the role of mathematics
education in the biostatistics master’s
curriculum
Background
• Biostats & Appl Stats in USA has long tradition
• Theoretically, it starts in kindergarden (K) &
goes thru high school (12), i.e. K-12, following
certain standards by NCTM (National Council
of Teachers of Mathematics)
• Some well-defined but rudimentary stat skills
are sometimes developed in K-5
• In Gr. 6 some recognizable statistics appears:
range, mean/median, bar graphs, pie ch, SRS
Background (Cont’d)
• Statistics skills are further developed
sometimes in science and social studies
classes in middle & high school
• Science fair projects (on natural phenomena)
for middle & high school students are another
chance for working on stat & prob ideas
• The first & true statistics class available to K12 students is the AP Statistics
(AP = Advanced Placement)
AP Statistics
• High school students obtain college credit
• Doesn’t have Calculus as a prerequisite
• Covers:
- measures of central tendency & spread
- binomial & normal distributions
- simple random samples & distributions, CLT
- CIs, 1- & 2-sample tests, ANOVA, nonparam
- poptn proportions & contingency tables
- sometimes a stat package used (eg Minitab)
Stats Ed after AP Statistics – Master’s
• 1) Applied Linear Statistical Models (ALSM) w/
Calculus & Lin/Matrix Algebra as prerequisites
• ALSM is the fundament of the Master’s P-m:
• 2) Categorical data analysis
• 3) Survival data analysis
• 4) Correlated/Repeated measures data analysis
• 5) Design of medical studies
• 6) Elected classes, eg Adv Epidemiology
• 7) Capstone project on real data
AP/Beginner’s Stat
Multivar Stat
(non-Calc, w/ SPSS)
Calculus
Lin/Matrix Algebra
Prob/Math Stat
Appl Lin Stat Models
(w/ SAS)
Categorical Data A
(w/ SAS)
Advanced Epi
Non-stat core
courses
Survival Data A
(w/ SAS)
Correlated/Repeated Data A
(w/ SAS)
Capstone Project
Master of PH in Biostatistics
Stat for Epi
Stats Ed after AP Statistics (Cont’d)
• No Probability/Math Stats course required for
Master’s in Biostats, but it helps to get in!
• On real datasets/projects, a Master’s biostatistician can work alone or w/ a PhD statistician
• Excellent skills w/ a stat package indispensable
for a Master’s (or any applied) statistician
• SAS is the best stat package for the US, not
necessarily for Bulgaria – very expensive; try R
• The road to PhD in Biostats may or may not go
thru Master’s in Biostats
• Many PhD in Stats students take Biostat classes