19 Training, Retaining, and Promoting Staff Collaborative Biostatisticians in the Academic Health Setting

Oregon Convention Center 

The interdisciplinary nature of scientific research at academic institutions and medical centers requires collaborative biostatisticians to possess expertise in team-based and soft skills, and statistical methodology. They play a crucial role in medical research through their contributions to study design, power estimation, rigorous and reproducible data analysis, quality assurance, and communicating results to both scientific communities and the public. Retaining them ensures consistency, efficiency, and effective long-term collaboration in the scientific community. While staff collaborative biostatisticians are often used to meet the growing demand for skilled collaborative biostatisticians, their effective retention and integration as team scientists into the academic landscape is challenging. Opportunities for growth in the form of a career ladder are often a serious impediment to team science in academia. This poster will describe challenges and strategies associated with successfully training, retaining, promoting, and integrating staff collaborative biostatisticians into a team-based academic research environment.