Biostatistics Shared Service

15.0 Abstract: Biostatistics Shared Service (BSS) The Biostatistics Shared Service (BSS) fosters and sustains excellence in quantitative cancer research at the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC), covering the whole spectrum from basic science to translational and clinical research and population health science. BSS provides in-depth knowledge of and access to state-of-the-art biostatistics and bioinformatics methods, which are augmented by domain expertise in several fields of cancer research. BSS supports Cancer Center pilot projects, aids in conceptualizing and developing research projects and applications for funding, advises on study design and data capture, performs state-of-the-art data analyses, and contributes to the interpretation and reporting of study outcomes. BSS supports statistical bioinformatics projects and increasingly applies artificial intelligence and machine learning when collaborating on projects. BSS has experience in the analysis of large population registries, for example the National Cancer Database, the SEER, and the SEER- Medicare linked datasets, and can assist investigators to access these resources. When needed, BSS faculty develop and implement data analytical methods that directly support UMGCCC projects. BSS faculty are encouraged to pursue project-specific funding for independent, investigator-initiated research in statistical methodology. An important part of the BSS mission is to train UMGCCC faculty and students in quantitative biomedical research methods through teaching, mentoring, and workshops. The UMGCCC supports BSS as an important component of the Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics (DBB) in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health which also serves as the biostatistics core for the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and supports the Institute for Clinical and Translational Research. BSS faculty are in part supported by funded investigator projects. This creates a stimulating environment for the activities of BSS and provides value-added access for UMGCCC members to a wider range of innovative methodological expertise. BSS statisticians participate actively in many UMGCCC collaborations, providing advice on specific issues and often are coinvestigators. BSS draws on the expertise of a team of enthusiastic and highly skilled biostatisticians, bioinformaticians, and administrative staff: 13 Ph.D.-level biostatisticians/bioinformaticians, 2 master's-level data analysts, and 1 FTE administrative coordinator, all working together to support the five UMGCCC research programs. In 2019, BSS supported 153 total investigators including 43 UMGCCC-affiliated faculty (28.1%). In 2019, BSS supported $15.7 million of cancer-related funding all of which was peer reviewed. BSS supported 278 cancer-related publications from 2015 to 2019, including those published in high-impact journals such as Nature Reviews Cancer, Nature Medicine, Journal of Clinical Oncology and Cancer Cell.