Education, Training and Methodology Research

The MSS has continued to organize and give short courses and seminars on biostatistics for oncology residents, fellows and Cancer Center investigators. These seminars enable participants to read medical literature critically, to apply general statistical principles to their research, and to recognize instances where timely statistical consultation might benefit their research. Current research topics include: mathematical modeling of cancer prognosis; designs in clinical trials; regression tree methods in survival analysis; meta-analysis in cancer epidemiology; phase-specific survival models; methods for microarray and proteomic data analyses; and bioinformatics.

The faculty members have actively participated in the NIH supported clinical research training and mentorship programs at UAB as well as other educational activities, including seminar presentations and serving on graduate committees. Specifically, the MSS biostatisticians played a key role in developing Clinical Investigator Training Course in 1997 and an NIH K30 teaching grant proposal entitled: Clinical Research Curriculum Award. They have also attended several short courses and workshops in statistical genetics and bioinformatics, two new areas that the MSS plans to further develop.