When you walk across the campus, you are reminded that learning never stops. Professional development and career growth are part of our culture and the underlying current that allows individuals to be lifelong learners. Not only can these opportunities teach you new skills, but they ensure that you will remain at the forefront in your field.
The CCTSI Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design (BERD) program partners with the Center for Innovative Design and Analysis (CIDA) to offer several short courses, seminars and a hackathon to the Anschutz Medical Campus as well as to individuals from the greater front range. These opportunities are designed to provide a high-level overview of topics in biostatistics from fundamentals of statistical literacy, to study design, to big data and data science, there is an option that aligns with your interests and needs as a professional.
Short courses are a great opportunity for anyone on campus who is not a professionally trained biostatistician to gain knowledge in the different content areas. We offer a wide-variety of options and we are always open to feedback about topics that the campus is interested in.
“The benefit of a short course is that we offer a very specific, tailored experience in biostatistics topics in a short six to seven-week duration,” explained Alex Kaizer, PhD, who is an Assistant Professor on the CIDA team. “We are not trying to cover the depth and range of all statistical topics, but we focus on a specific content area so attendees can leave with tools and resources and apply these in practice.”
The Study Design Short Course dives into the topic of clinical trials and clinical study design. “This course is an opportunity to develop the language and understand the landscape of trial and study design so when clinicians, physicians and researchers are planning their studies, they have a better understanding and a shared lexicon that they can use with a biostatistician or data scientist,” said Dr. Kaizer.
“One benefit for an attendee is that it highlights the interconnectedness of the different aspects of research and how one choice, while it might appear it is made in a vacuum, does ultimately affect the resulting possibilities down the road.”
Dr. Kaizer describes, “From the statistical perspective individuals learn that if they change their outcomes, it will ultimately impact how we analyze and design your study.”
The instructors of these courses are faculty members within CIDA. These individuals also work on consulting projects, collaborate with research teams, write grants and teach semester long classes through the Department of Biostatistics and Informatics. However, these short courses provide an opportunity to work with individuals who desire an overview of biostatistics topics in a low stress setting.
When asked, Dr. Kaizer explained why he enjoyed teaching these courses: “Being able to interact with my “students” who range from clinicians to actual students and listening to their questions about what they are struggling with or confused about help me address similar topics with my collaborations. It has also opened my eyes to topics that I need to spend more time explaining during meetings with my collaborators.”
The topics that are covered in our introductory short courses are not designed to replace formal education in biostatistics and we still encourage you to partner with a trained biostatistician or data scientist. “We give you the tools to start the process on your own and the common language to talk with your statistician, but these are complex ideas and designs and you should still use a Biostatistician who is trained to think about these very specific questions,” said Dr. Kaizer.“
Biostatisticians inform your study design in a way that is efficient and reasonable, and then they successfully collaborate to design or analyze your data in a robust, rigorous fashion.”