Core D – Biostatistics Core

SUMMARY: CORE D The Biostatistics Core provides centralized and state-of-the-art support to meet the data management and analytic needs of the Program Project Grant. Core personnel have the necessary expertise in statistics to optimize the quantitative demands of the aims outlined in each project. Core centralization fosters bonds and communication between project leaders and statisticians, and facilitates matching of investigators with the most appropriate quantitative collaborators. In addition, centralizing this resource ideally positions the Core to initiate and promote interdisciplinary interactions among projects, and thus contributes to accelerating the bi -directional exchange between basic and translational science. Core personnel can also help investigators design new studies and test new hypotheses that may arise by cross-fertilization among related projects. The Core will be staffed by two statisticians, Dr. Hong Li (Core Leader) and Mr. Kent Armeson. Core biostatisticians are housed in the Biostatistics Shared Resource in the Hollings Cancer Center (HCC) at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), an active and committed group of biostatistics faculty members broadly skilled in statistical methods in oncology research. By situating key Core personnel in MUSC’s HCC, all projects are guaranteed access to a robust tool kit to support quantitative needs. All Projects require support with respect to: experimental study design, including power analysis and sample size justification ; data collection, storage, and analysis; interpretation of output from complex statistical methods; and abstract and manuscript preparation. By providing research expertise and logistical support to the quantitative needs of each project, the Biostatistic s Core will contribute to professional, efficient and rigorous procedures for the generation, analysis and interpretation of data, which will be critical to the success of the Program Project Grant.