Introduction to Biostatistics PhD programs

1 Introduction to Biostatistics PhD programsTakumi SaegusaUniversity of WashingtonDepartment of BiostatisticsApril 17 2013 Takumi Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 20131 / 35 OutlineWhat is Biostatistics ?Applying to Graduate SchoolsSurvival GuideTakumi Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 20132 / 35 Biostatistics ?WHAT IS Biostatistics ?Takumi Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 20133 / 35 Biostatistics ?Statistics = Theory + Methods + ApplicationsBalanced Development: Math + Science + YOUM ethodological researchTheoryMethodsApplicationsBiostat isticsTakumi Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 20134 / 35 Biostatistics ?Sequential Clinical trialFDA requires clinical trials for a new drug approvalSample size calculationMean vs Median (Doesn t matter? Really?)Takumi Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 20135 / 35 Biostatistics ?Sequential Clinical trialShould we stop early if a new drug is clearly beneficial or harmful?Takumi Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 20136 / 35 Biostatistics ?

2 Network estimationCentral Dogma: Gene RNA ProteinAbundance of thousands of mRNAs is measured by microarray at onceTakumi Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 20137 / 35 Biostatistics ?Network estimationEstimate covariance matrix in high dimensionRegularization (penalized MLE)Takumi Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 20138 / 35 Biostatistics ?Air Pollution StudyTakumi Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 20139 / 35 Biostatistics ?Air Pollution StudyData are scattered over a regionData are scattered over time points (different measurements)Data are measured with errorsTakumi Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 201310 / 35 Biostatistics ?HIV clinical trialscensoring: no information after timeT= information that she livemore thanTdeath: censoring or outcome?Takumi Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 201311 / 35 Biostatistics ?HIV clinical trialsBreastfeeding was confirmed as a risk factor of the mother-to-childtransmission (MTCT) in a randomized clinical trial around 2000 WHO does not recommend mixed feeding (breastfeeding + formulafeeding)T: time to infection0 =t0<t1<t2<.

3 <tp: observation timesinfection-free probability at timeti(no censoring):S(ti) =P(infection free more than timeti)=P(T>ti)=P(T ti+1)=P(T ti+1|T ti)P(T ti|T ti 1).. P(T t1|T t0)P(T=t0) # uninfected atti+1# uninfected atti # uninfected att1# uninfected att0 Takumi Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 201312 / 35 Biostatistics ?hypothetical example: breastfeedingtime0t1t2t3 # uninfected100907050 # infected0101010 # missing beforeti001010 P(T ti|T ti 1)NA90/10070/(100-10)50/(90-10-10) S(t)11 . 7/9 =. 5/7 =.5 Takumi Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 201313 / 35 Biostatistics ?hypothetical example: formula feedingtime0t1t2t3 # uninfected100806040 # infected0000 # missing beforeti0202020 P(T ti|T ti 1) S(t) Takumi Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 201314 / 35 Biostatistics ?hypothetical example: mixed feedingtime0t1t2t3 # uninfected100806040 # infected0555 # missing beforeti0151515 P(T ti|T ti 1)NA80/10060/(100-20)40/(80-20) S(t) Takumi Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 201315 / 35 Biostatistics ?

4 Career as a StatisticianWebsite of the American Statistical Association( )Government surveyIndustry (drug development, quality control, market research)Academia (statistical research, scientific research ) Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 201316 / 35 Biostatistics ?Salary (Stat)Takumi Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 201317 / 35 Biostatistics ?Salary (Biostat)Takumi Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 201318 / 35 Biostatistics ?Salary (Industry)Takumi Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 201319 / 35 Apply to Grad SchoolsAPPLYING TO GRAD SCHOOLST akumi Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 201320 / 35 Apply to Grad SchoolsBefore yourselfDo you have passion?Do you have patience?Takumi Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 201321 / 35 Apply to Grad SchoolsWhich Schools to Apply?Get rankings (usnews, , etc.) (6= difficulty of getting in)Is funding available to all students (including master s students)?Proportions of PhD students successfully completing the programAverage years of after graduate schoolsPossible to change from a master s program to a PhD program?

5 Male vs. Female, American vs Intl Students, Class size, , weather, campus if you can (ask graduate programs )Takumi Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 201322 / 35 Apply to Grad SchoolsWhat does an admission committee want to know aboutyou?You know what you are going to do. ( =Strong Interests)Classes (stat)Research Experience in Statistics and Related FieldsConsulting ExperienceStatement of PurposeYou can do it. ( =High Potentials)GPAL etters of RecommendationPublicationsResearch Experience in Other FieldsClasses in Math and ScienceGRE, Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 201323 / 35 Apply to Grad SchoolsWhat does an admission committee want to know aboutyou?You know what you are going to do. ( =Strong Interests)Classes (stat)Research Experience in Statistics and Related FieldsConsulting ExperienceStatement of PurposeYou can do it. ( =High Potentials)GPAL etters of RecommendationPublicationsResearch Experience in Other FieldsClasses in Math and ScienceGRE, Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 201323 / 35 Apply to Grad SchoolsWhat does an admission committee want to know aboutyou?

6 You know what you are going to do. ( =Strong Interests)Classes (stat)Research Experience in Statistics and Related FieldsConsulting ExperienceStatement of PurposeYou can do it. ( =High Potentials)GPAL etters of RecommendationPublicationsResearch Experience in Other FieldsClasses in Math and ScienceGRE, Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 201323 / 35 Apply to Grad SchoolsWhat does an admission committee want to know aboutyou?You know what you are going to do. ( =Strong Interests)Classes (stat)Research Experience in Statistics and Related FieldsConsulting ExperienceStatement of PurposeYou can do it. ( =High Potentials)GPAL etters of RecommendationPublicationsResearch Experience in Other FieldsClasses in Math and ScienceGRE, Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 201323 / 35 Apply to Grad SchoolsWhat does an admission committee want to know aboutyou?You know what you are going to do. ( =Strong Interests)Classes (stat)Research Experience in Statistics and Related FieldsConsulting ExperienceStatement of PurposeYou can do it.

7 ( =High Potentials)GPAL etters of RecommendationPublicationsResearch Experience in Other FieldsClasses in Math and ScienceGRE, Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 201323 / 35 Apply to Grad SchoolsWhat does an admission committee want to know aboutyou?You know what you are going to do. ( =Strong Interests)Classes (stat)Research Experience in Statistics and Related FieldsConsulting ExperienceStatement of PurposeYou can do it. ( =High Potentials)GPAL etters of RecommendationPublicationsResearch Experience in Other FieldsClasses in Math and ScienceGRE, Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 201324 / 35 Apply to Grad SchoolsClassesGET GOOD course, all applicants take probability and statistics (Advanced Calculus) and Linear Algebra are required graduate level Real Analysis and Probability are plus (youneed to learn it by yourself anyway).Take computer science class to show your programming skills (in C,C++, etc., not in commercial statistical softwares).

8 Take science classes where you want to apply statistics and show howserious you are about Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 201325 / 35 Apply to Grad SchoolsClassesGET GOOD course, all applicants take probability and statistics (Advanced Calculus) and Linear Algebra are required graduate level Real Analysis and Probability are plus (youneed to learn it by yourself anyway).Take computer science class to show your programming skills (in C,C++, etc., not in commercial statistical softwares).Take science classes where you want to apply statistics and show howserious you are about Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 201325 / 35 Apply to Grad SchoolsClassesGET GOOD course, all applicants take probability and statistics (Advanced Calculus) and Linear Algebra are required graduate level Real Analysis and Probability are plus (youneed to learn it by yourself anyway).Take computer science class to show your programming skills (in C,C++, etc.)

9 , not in commercial statistical softwares).Take science classes where you want to apply statistics and show howserious you are about Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 201325 / 35 Apply to Grad SchoolsResearch ExperienceResearch Experience providesthe evidence of your strong interestsletters from supervisors verify your competencyVarious ways to obtain research experience:Participate in the REU (strongly recommended).Google Summer Institute Biostatistics , Research Experience forUndergraduate Statistics one for students where your expense will be an opportunity on campus where statistical analysis would be ofhelp (computational biology lab, clinical and epidemiologcal research,research in sociology, economics, etc.)Set up consulting services on study with Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 201326 / 35 Apply to Grad SchoolsStatement of PurposeCan you explain how your interest in (bio)statistics has been shapedin a UNIQUE (=not superficial) and DETAILED way?

10 Can you show how serious you are about (bio)statistics or the field towhich you want to apply statistical methods with EVIDENCE?Can you briefly write about your potential to do research withEVIDENCE?Can you list some research directions you want to pursue in aCOHERENT way to the above?Can you convince an admission committee that you have STRONGINTERESTS and HIGH POTENTIAL?Takumi Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 201327 / 35 Apply to Grad SchoolsBiostatistics vs. StatisticsBiostatisticsAdmit more studentsMore funding available throughresearch assistantshipEducational emphases onmethods and applications(scientific relevance moreemphasized)More job opportunities inbiology-related fieldsBackground in Biology,Medicine, Math, CS, in admissionLimited funding throughteaching assistantship (teachingexperience)Educational emphases on theory(not always) and methods(mathematical rigor moreemphasized)Job opportunities in finance,engineering in Math and CSTakumi Saegusa (UW Biostat)Biostat PhDApril 17 201328 / 35 Apply to Grad SchoolsReferencesAsk other alumni (Jimmy Doi, strongly recommended, several ppt filesfound at ).