Directors: Linda Fried, Karen Bandeen-Roche
Co-Directors: Paulo Chaves, Dani Fallin, Thomas Glass, Ravi Varadhan, Qian-Li Xue

Sponsoring Agency: National Institute on Aging

Disability and declining health of older adults pose public health problems that substantially impact quality of life, affect many people and thus are substantial, and have widening societal implications as the proportion of the world's population that is older grows. Moreover, aging data pose fascinating statistical challenges: they are highly multidimensional, necessarily longitudinal, and subject to difficulties such as data being missing non-randomly, complex sample selection, and frequent censoring by institutionalization and death. Additionally, research on aging is highly multidisciplinary, hence offers opportunities to engage in diverse scientific fields. Research on aging therefore provides a rich and rewarding area of application for statistical science.

The Epidemiology and Biostatistics of Aging training grant has as its aims: 1) to produce PhDs and post-doctoral fellows in biostatistics, and in epidemiology, who are superbly educated in their core disciplines and have a strong interest and training in the application of quantitative methods to gerontology; 2) to ensure hands-on participation in ongoing multidisciplinary research that brings trainees into contact with mentors, resources and research infrastructure, thus allowing them to launch their own research careers; 3) to develop trainees' in-depth knowledge in selected areas of concentration, with choices including a) measurement of complex gerontological outcomes, b) ascertaining structural determinants of latent and multivariate gerontologic outcomes, c) analysis of longitudinal data, d) molecular genetics of aging, e) statistical genetics and genetic epidemiology, f) the epidemiology and course of late-life disability, g) the epidemiology of chronic diseases common to older persons, and h) cognition; and 4) to integrate biostatistics and epidemiology training so as best prepare trainees for future collaborations in tackling aging-related research questions. These aims are designed to provide the fields of geriatrics and gerontology with biostatisticians who have an appreciation for and understanding of the public health and scientific issues in human aging, and who have the experience collaborating across disciplines that is essential to high quality research on aging.

Past and current Biostatistics trainees include:

Sandrah Eckel
Brian Egleston
Michael Griswold
Ani Manichaikul
Matthew McCall
Diana Miglioretti
Michelle Shardell
Russell Shinohara
Bruce Swihart
Tom Travison
Ravi Varadhan

To find out more about the training program, click here.