University of Alabama at Birmingham: Department of Biostatistics
The Department has 24 faculty members and 40 staff, with a wide variety of research interests. Our department includes a section on Statistical Genetics and a section on Research Methods and Clinical Trials. We offer training both at the graduate and post-doctoral level. Average time to degree varies, although most students complete their Master's degree in 2 years, and the Doctoral degree in 5 years (3 if post-Master's). Comprehensive exams are given in the middle of the second years for those entering without a Master's degree, and during the first year for those entering with a relevant Master's. The comprehensive exam is comprised of both an in-class theory exam, and a take-home applied exam.
Research directed by faculty in the Department is supported in excess of $30 million annually and includes investigations in diverse areas such as the methodological development of techniques in statistical genetics, understanding the causes of the excess stroke mortality in the southeastern US, and advancing techniques to determine the number of patients needed in randomized clinical trials using data from nested pilot studies. The Department welcomes the development of collaborative relationships with researchers in health-related fields, and is actively involved with many departments in the School of Medicine, School of Dentistry, and School of Nursing at UAB. We also have similar active collaborations with universities throughout the world.
Departmental outreach activities include Departmental and School-wide Open Houses, travel to Universities around the Southeast to introduce students to the field of Biostatistics, and actively pursuing outstanding undergraduate students through contacts provided by GRE. Future activities involve applications for summer research opportunities for undergraduates.
Student body profile
We currently have 49 students enrolled in Biostatistics programs at UAB: 25 PhD, 24 in a Master's program. Of these, 53% are Asian/Pacific Islanders, 37% are Caucasian, 8% are African-American, 2% are Hispanic, and the remaining 2% are of unreported ethnicity. Roughly half of our students are female, and our students range in age from 22-49 years old. Our students have diverse backgrounds and diverse interests and are a fun, engaging group of people.
Funding opportunities
Our department offers several different funding opportunities for incoming students, including NIH T32 Training Grants, UAB Graduate School Fellowships, research assistantships, and teaching assistantships. Only US citizens or permanent residents are eligible for the NIH T32 Training Grants. These training grants carry a large amount of prestige and are reserved for the most outstanding incoming students.
More information
Contact for more information:
Jeff Szychowski
Email:
jszychowuab.edu