Biostatistics and Health Data Science

Innovative statistical development interlinked with a collaborative research program

Biostatistics and data science are two related fields that employ different methods to extract scientific knowledge from data. With faculty from both fields, the department functions as a central hub of biostatistics and data science research and education at Indiana University School of Medicine.

The Department’s mission has three interdependent components: research, service, and education. In research, faculty lead the development of innovative study designs and cutting-edge analytical methods. Faculty expertise covers all biostatistics and data science research areas, including bioinformatics, clinical trial design, observational studies and causal inference, statistical models, imaging processing, machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithms, as well as advanced computational methods. In service, the department supports biomedical research in Indianapolis and beyond by providing study design, data management, and data analysis to support grant development and scientific publication. Faculty and staff collaborate with basic science researchers and medical investigators in all specialty areas. In education, the department strives to provide a conducive learning environment that prepares trainees to become statistical analysts and data scientists skilled in solving real-world problems. The department currently has three degree programs: PhD and MS degrees in Biostatistics and BS in Health Data Science.

Education Programs

The Department of Biostatistics and Health Data Science offers MD program electives and a short course for researchers as well as undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral-level programs.

Research

Pursuance of excellence in methodological research is a central mission of the Department of Biostatistics and Health Data Science. To fulfill this mission, biostatistics faculty members strive to maintain an active methodological research program.

Services

The biostatisticians and data managers in the Department of Biostatistics and Health Data Science play a collaborative role in participated research studies. Support services available include data and protocol development as well as budget development and more.

23 Faculty

2011 Became a department of IU School of Medicine

6 Adjunct Faculty

Kun Huang, PhD

Chair, Department of Biostatistics and Health Data Science

Kun Huang, PhD, leads the Precision Health Initiative Data Science and Informatics group, and is the director of the Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Core for the TREAT-AD program for Alzheimer’s therapy development. Huang also serves as associate director for data science at the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center and leads the data science and informatics service for the National Cancer Institute Pediatric Cancer SPORE grant-funded research program.

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Wanzhu Tu, PhD

Professor and Vice Chair, Department of Biostatistics and Health Data Science

The work of Wanzhu Tu, PhD, concerns modeling of specific biological processes. Tu is interested in developing new analytical tools to improve the understanding of pathophysiology and etiology of common diseases.

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Committed to Excellence in Health Research

The Department of Biostatistics and Health Data Science serves Indiana University School of Medicine as well as the School of Public Health and seeks to continually improve the scope and quality of a collaborative research program in all areas of health-related research that will ultimately lead to better health for Indiana and beyond. The department is developing innovative methodology that improves the design and analysis of research studies in order to better address scientific questions, especially those raised in collaborative research. The team also provides an outstanding environment that prepares learners to become biostatisticians skilled in solving real-world problems.

Department Mission

The mission of the Department of Biostatistics and Health Data Science has three parallel and synergistically-related components:

To provide first-rate biostatistical collaboration in biomedical research with the goal of using data to advance science and to improve health in Indiana and beyond
To develop innovative biostatistical and data science methodology for better study design and more efficient analysis
To train the next generation of biostatisticians, data scientists and clinical investigators for better quantitative skills, so that they can solve real-world problems

The vision of the department is to become a national leader in biostatistics and data science and to advance science and improve health, through scientific collaboration, method development and quantitative education.