Cutting Edge Collaborations - 
The Biomedical Research Scientist and The Biostatistician

A unique feature of our IMSD training program is the opportunity for collaborations between graduate students in the biomedical sciences and biostatistics. The biostatistics graduate student provides expertise on experimental design and statistical analysis, thus gaining the opportunity to learn more about biomedical research and experience as a consultant. The biomedical graduate student enhances their knowledge of biostatistics in an experiential learning opportunity.

Learning how to communicate and develop a productive collaboration across these two distinct disciplines has been a unique and rewarding experience for the graduate students and their faculty mentors.  Access to a professional statistical consultation on the biomedical graduate student’s research project provides an enhanced competitive edge for fellowship grants and provides an invaluable resource for the biomedical research lab and research mentor.  This opportunity to consult on biomedical research projects provides additional opportunities for publication and is an excellent addition to the biostatistical graduate student’s CV.

This element of our IMSD program is setting the pace for quantitative skills and biostatistics training in the basic science departments within the UNC School of Medicine and is a model that other training programs emulate.