Biostatistics Departmental
Retreat
Session on Strategic Planning in Light of the Departmental Review Report
May 1, 2004
MINUTES
Present: Faculty: Saifuddin Ahmed; Karen Bandeen-Roche; Sarah Barry; Karl Broman; Ron Brookmeyer; Brian Caffo; Leslie Cope; Ciprian Crainiceanu; Frank Curriero; Marie Diener-West; Francesca Dominici; Constantine Frangakis; Elizabeth Garrett-Mayer; Steve Goodman; Rafael Irizarry; Tony Lachenbruch; Tom Louis; Aidan McDermott; Lucy Meoni; Giovanni Parmigiani; Fernando Pineda; Charles Rohde; Ingo Ruczinski; Daniel Scharfstein; Zhiqiang Tan; Mei-Cheng Wang; Scott Zeger; Friends/Alumni: Dennis Dixon; Jay Herson; Frank Hurley; Postdocs/Students: Ming An; Benilton Carvalho; Sining Chen; Weimin Chen; Leena Choi; Sorina Eftim; Brian Egleston; Hongfei Guo; Yen-Yi Ho; Yi Huang; Hormuzd Katki; Brendan Klick; Fan Li; Qing Li; Dongmei Liu; Yun Lu; Sheng Luo; Xianghua Luo; Ani Manichaikul; Roger Peng; Paramita Saha; Robert Scharpf; Kenny Shum; Ravi Varadhan; Wenyi Wang; Leah Welty; Zhijin Wu; Yue Yin; Xiaojun You; Hongling Zhou; Staff: Mary Joy Argo; Jody Gatuso; Sherry He; Monnie Heminthavong; Debra Moffitt.
Announcements from the Chair
Scott Zeger set the framework for the meeting by asking that we consider how we can maximize our existing strengths and how we can use suggestions made in the departmental review as a springboard for new and innovative ideas.
Overview and Discussion of Departmental Review
Marie Diener-West led a discussion of areas of improvement, as suggested by the departmental review. The most "significant" issues seemed to be:
Biostatistics Center:
There was enthusiasm for the recommendation that the Center serve more
students and faculty. To do so, we would need to recruit a full-time director of the
Center and stabilize the Center by replacing Sarah Barry and adding one more
consultant. The Center will need an identifiable space.
Leadership of Departmental Intellectual Activities: There was enthusiasm
for having one person chair an oversight committee that would plan and
implement the various activities that, collectively, create an exciting
environment for learning. These include: seminars,
working groups, one-day special events, and others.
Departmental Leadership: The proposal was made
to create an executive committee to support the chair in the administration
of the department. We need to explore this further at future
meetings. Scott Zeger will bring forward a specific proposal.
Mentoring of Junior Faculty: While there was agreement among the junior
faculty that effective informal mentoring is taking place, there was
agreement on the need
to document and systematize our current mentoring policies and
procedures. There was also enthusiasm for having new junior faculty
participate in a school-wide program whereby each department chair (or
designee) would make a presentation about his/her department, thus
maximizing the exposure of junior faculty to all areas of public health.
Future of Biostatistics ScM Program: In light of the program's current
small numbers and areas of concern voiced by past and present students in
the departmental review, there was agreement on the need to make a decision
about this program's long-term viability. Given our inability to fund ScM
students, it is unlikely that enrollments will substantially
increase. But discontinuing the program entirely would eliminate a
convenient avenue of opportunity for those PhD students who are unable
to complete their doctoral but are still seeking an academic
credential. It was pointed out that the program's increasingly
mathematical and theoretical curriculum may be a deterrent to prospective
applicants; accordingly, a reconfigured course of study is needed. Another improvement to the program could include building
on our current collaborations by providing master's
students with internship opportunities. For example, the ScM (or MHS)
program for recent baccalaureate graduates could comprise one year of
coursework followed by a 6-12 month paid internship.
Consulting Opportunities for Students: It was emphasized that students who serve as consultants gain valuable teaching and collaborative skills that stand them in good stead not just for their future careers but also as preparation for their school-wide preliminary and final oral exams. While in the past we have considered instituting a formal course in consulting, there was agreement that there may be other ways for students to maximize their skills as consultants/statistical educators. One approach might be for more of our students to rotate through the Consulting Center. Another suggestion was to work with Sharon Krag to tailor the current required Public Health Perspectives course to include some kind of presentation requirement, so that our students could gain valuable experience in explaining statistical aspects of scientific topics to non-statisticians without using equations, mathematical jargon, etc.
Break-Out Groups: Prioritizing Our Actions in Response to the Review Committee's Recommendations
Group A: Topics Discussed: Teaching/Courses, Statisticians in Departments Other than Biostatistics; Discussion Leaders: Karen Bandeen-Roche and Frank Hurley
Group B: Topics Discussed: Teaching/Courses, Statisticians in Departments Other than Biostatistics; Discussion Leaders: Ron Brookmeyer and Jay Herson
Group C: Topics Discussed: Administration, Training of Doctoral and Master's Students, Consulting; Discussion Leaders: Chuck Rohde and Dan Scharfstein
Group D: Topics Discussed: Junior Faculty, Interactions with Other Department; Discussion Leaders: Dennis Dixon and Mei-Cheng Wang
Click here to view breakout summaries.