3 The Biostatistics Program

3.1 Academic Requirements 

This section details requirements for advanced degrees from the Group in Biostatistics. See also sections 6.2.4 (Ph.D.) or 6.2.5 (M.A.).

3.1.1 M.A. degree in biostatistics

The M.A. degree program in biostatistics requires a student to complete at least 40-48 semester units of upper division and graduate courses, followed by an oral comprehensive examination. At least half of these units must be in graduate courses (200 series) in the major subject which includes courses in both statistics and biostatistics. Students take four semesters to complete the Masters program.

Oral examination.

The student must prepare a detailed list of questions and submit it to the members of the examination committee for approval; past question lists are available from Bonnie Hutchings. The examination is based on this question list. The examination period is usually about 90 minutes. If a student fails the examination, the committee will make a recommendation for or against a second examination; a third exam is not allowed. The exam committee usually includes two biostatistics professors and one statistics professor. The exam is usually taken late in the spring of the second year.

3.1.2 Ph.D. degree in biostatistics

The Ph.D. program in biostatistics usually requires four to six semesters of coursework, overlapping with two to four semesters to complete the examination and prepare a thesis.

The Ph.D. degree is granted upon completion of an original thesis acceptable to a faculty committee appointed by the Graduate Division, consisting of two members of the Group and an outside member. The thesis is to be presented orally prior to filing with the dean of the Graduate Division.

On the way to satisfying this primary requirement, the student must be advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree by the Graduate Division upon recommendation of the Group. For this, the student must pass a qualifying examination administered by a committee appointed by the Graduate Division. The qualifying examination consists of an oral comprehensive examination and a topic examination. The student must also satisfy the prospective thesis advisor of his or her ability to perform original research.

Oral comprehensive examination. 

The oral comprehensive examination is based on a question list prepared by the student and approved by each of the four members of the qualifying committee prior to the comprehensive examination. The student will be expected to demonstrate a broad and deep understanding extending beyond biostatistics and statistics to at least one outside subject area. Sample question lists are available for inspection; contact the biostatistics program assistant for copies.

Topic examination.

The topic exam follows shortly after the comprehensive exam. The student gives a 50-minute lecture on a topic selected by the graduate advisor.

3.1.3 Past Ph.D. theses 

Listed here are theses in the Group in Biostatistics from 1991 to 1995. The format is Title (Author; Advisor).

• Statistical Analysis of HIV Infectivity Based on Partner Study Data (Shiboski; Jewell).

• The Effects of Covariate Adjustment upon Precision for some Common Generalized Linear Models (Robinson; Jewell).

• Nonparametric Estimation and Model Selection Using Constrained Splines in Linear Inversion Problems (Verotta; Brand).

• Sexual Practices and Risk of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection among Men in San Francisco (Samuel; Winkelstein).

• Estimating Posterior Distributions in the Nonlinear Mixed Model Using the Gibbs Sampler and the Metropolis Algorithm (Gerson; Brand).

• Regression Smoothing of Pairwise Correlated Data (Ashby; Jewell).

• Exact Optimal Response Surface Designs with Random Block Effects (Chasalow; Brand).

• Semiparametric Estimation of the Mean Trajectory of a Marker Using Data from a Prevalent Cohort (Vittinghoff; Malani and Jewell).

• Nonparametric Hazard Estimation from Doubly Censored Data with Application to AIDS (Fusaro; Jewell).

• Haplotype Analysis and Localization of Disease Genes (Lee; King).

3.2 Faculty 

Here is a list of faculty in the Group in Biostatistics, including a brief description of individual research interests. A faculty member's listing includes date of doctoral degree followed by the date of first ladder appointment or higher at UC Berkeley.

Richard Brand.

UC Berkeley, 1965, 1973. Biostatistical methods for epidemiological and medical research and clinical trials.

Nicholas Jewell.

Edinburgh, 1976, 1981. Biostatistics, AIDS, survival analysis, epidemiological methods. Joint appointment with Statistics.

Mary-Claire King.

UC Berkeley, 1976. Genetic analysis, epidemiology.

Hina Malani.

Columbia 1986, 1987. Survival analysis, bioassay.

Steve Selvin.

UC Berkeley, 1970, 1974. Statistical genetics, data analysis applied to epidemiological research, computer methods.

Mike Tarter.

UCLA, 1963, 1970. Curve and nonparametric estimation, order statistics, transformations, partialing and mixture decomposition, computer assisted instruction, survival analysis.

Mark van der Laan.

Utrecht, 1993, 1993. Estimators of parameters arising from semiparametric models.

Calvin Zippin.

(at UCSF) Johns Hopkins. Use of data to study cancer epidemiology and survival patterns, procedures to assess quality of data.

Emeriti:

Chin-Long Chiang, Cornelius Tobias, Warren Winkelstein, Jr., MD.

Adjuncts from the Statistics Department:

Bickel, Brillinger, Doksum, Freedman, Klass, Speed, and Stone.

Technical reports should give a good indication of faculty interests. Biostatistics has copies available for $1.00 each in room 101 Haviland Hall.

3.3 Administrative Staff

Bonnie Hutchings (Graduate assistant in the Biostatistics Program, 101 Haviland Hall). Phone: 510-642-3241, email: bjh@psi.Berkeley.EDU.