Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Research Design (BERD)

The goal of the SCTR Biostatistics, Epidemiology, & Research Design (BERD) program is to provide methodological expertise to clinical and translational researchers. We assist SCTR pilot project investigators and K awardees, help investigators with Research Nexus protocol submissions, assist with grant submissions (e.g., sample size estimation, statistical analysis planning), and collaborate on manuscripts.

Specific areas of expertise include analyses of clustered data, clinical prediction modeling, health services research, clinical trials, design and analysis of pilot studies, and reproductive epidemiology.

Services

Multidisciplinary and translational research demands adherence to the highest standards of study design and statistical analysis, so a structured interplay between these components is fundamental to successful outcomes. By providing access to these tools, we hope to transform institutional research design activities into an efficient and cohesive program dedicated to advancing clinical and translational research. The BERD program receives multiple requests for services every week.

Some examples include:

Estimation of ample size/power
Analysis of preliminary data for a grant
Development of analysis plans for grants and protocols
Assistance with manuscript preparation
Grant review
Survey design
One-on-one didactic teaching
Small-group teaching

To request a BERD consultation or training, visit SPARCRequest and select SCTR from the service catalog, then choose “Biostatistics, Design & Epidemiology” under the SCTR service category.