Biostatisticians apply statistical methods to solve problems in the biological sciences. Successful practioners of biostatistics have advanced technical knowledge, are skilled communicators, and can seamlesslessly integrate with interdisciplinary scientific teams. Despite the breadth of skills required for success in this field, most biostatistics…

We describe an innovative, semester-long course in biology and communication skills for master's degree students in biostatistics. The primary goal of the course is to make the connection between biological science and statistics more explicit. The secondary goals are to teach oral and written communication skills in an appropriate context for…

Collaborative biostatistics is the creative application of statistical tools to biomedical problems. The relatively modest literature about the traits of effective collaborative biostatisticians focuses on four core competencies: (a) technical and analytical; (b) substance-matter knowledge; (c) communication; and (d) problem solving and problem…

The ability to bridge multiple disciplines is critical to the successful practice of collaborative statistics, yet the literature on statistical education devotes relatively little attention to how this skill can be taught. Our goal here is to describe a general conceptual framework within which a curriculum on communication and leadership could…