Biostatistics MPH

Biostatistics is one of the disciplines needed for the development and practice of public health – the methods of this discipline are appropriate for quantifying the possible effects of risk factors and health interventions on individuals and groups. The MPH degree in biostatistics emphasizes training in the application of statistical principles and methods to problems in health sciences, medicine, and biology.

Graduates are able to specify and produce valid study designs, perform database management and produce working tables and statistical summaries, analyze data in terms of stated hypotheses, generate new hypotheses and interpret study results for careers in research, healthcare delivery, pharmaceuticals, regulatory affairs and industry. Successful MPH applicants have undergraduate training or experience in biology, health and basic statistics and/or data analysis.

The Department of Biostatistics develops quantitative methodologies and tools for rigorous scientific research to solve the world's most challenging problems in biology, medicine and public health. Department faculty are leaders in development and application of statistical methods in genetics/genomics and bioinformatics, epidemiology, causal inference, clinical trials, spatial/spatiotemporal data, high-dimensional analysis, biomedical imaging, statistical computation and implementation science.

• You will learn directly from the statistical innovators developing methodologies for all aspects of scientific method, study design, and data collection to computation, statistical analysis, and interpretation of findings
• You will train with faculty experts in a broad scope of scientific work, including genomics, cancer, mental health, HIV and infectious disease epidemiology, reproductive medicine, neuroscience, social science, evolutionary biology, and health informatics.
• Opportunities to work with researchers across the Yale Medical School, Veteran Administration, the School of Public Health’s Yale Center for Analytical Sciences, and more.

The MPH degree requires a total of 20 course units. The MPH in Biostatistics (BIS) requires the student to complete or acquire an exemption from the following courses. Full-time students must carry a minimum of 4 course units each semester. If a course is waived, a substitute course must be identified. In addition, all 2-year MPH students are required to complete an Applied Practice Experience (APE). Please refer to the Applied Practice Experience Guidelines for more information.

• EPH 508 - Foundations of Epidemiology for Public Health - 1 unit
• EPH 507 - Social Justice and Health Equity - 1 unit
• EPH 510 - Health Policy and Health Care Systems - 1 unit
• EPH 513 - Major Health Threats - 1 unit
• EPH 100 & EPH 101 - Professional Skills Series - 0 unit
• EPH 521 - Applied Practice Experience (APE workplans must first be approved by the Office of Public Health Practice. Students are strongly encouraged to complete the APE in the summer before their 2nd year. If not, students will have opportunity to complete the APE requirement in fall or spring terms using the APE course (internship or independent project), or a practicum course.) 0 units

Required Courses for BIS (8 course units)

• BIS 525/BIS 526 Seminar in Biostatistics and Journal Club (two semesters) - 0 units
• BIS 623 Advanced Regression Models - 1 unit
• BIS 628 Longitudinal and Multilevel Data Analysis - 1 unit
• BIS 630 Applied Survival Analysis - 1 unit
• BIS 678 Statistical Practice I - 1 unit
• BIS 679 Advanced Statistical Programming in SAS and R - 1 unit
• S&DS 541* Probability Theory - 1 unit
• S&DS 542* Theory of Statistics - 1 unit

One of the following:

• BIS 681 Statistical Practice II - 1 unit
• EPH 525 Thesis - 2 units

Elective Courses (8 course units)

*These courses are offered in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

When you graduate from YSPH, you have options! Our curriculum is closely mapped to the core and departmental competencies so that you will have a foundation in the skills you need for a successful career in public health. See our Career Management Center pages to see where our alumni live and work after completing their MPH studies.

The core curriculum of the MPH program focuses on competencies in evidence-based approaches to public health (1–4), public health and health care systems (5–6), planning and management to promote health (7–11), policy in public health (12–15), leadership (16–17), communication (18–20), interprofessional practice (21), and systems thinking (22).

Upon completing the core curriculum, the student will be able to:

1. Apply epidemiological methods to the breadth of settings and situations in public health practice.
2. Select quantitative and qualitative data collection methods appropriate for a given public health context.
3. Analyze quantitative and qualitative data using biostatistics, informatics, computer-based programming and software, as appropriate.
4. Interpret results of data analysis for public health research, policy, or practice.
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5. Compare the organization, structure, and function of health care, public health, and regulatory systems across national and international settings.
6. Discuss the means by which structural bias, social inequities, and racism undermine health and create challenges to achieving health equity at organizational, community, and societal levels.
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7. Assess population needs, assets, and capacities that affect communities’ health.
8. Apply awareness of cultural values and practices to the design or implementation of public health policies or programs.
9. Design a population-based policy, program, project, or intervention.
10. Explain the basic principles and tools of budget and resource management.
11. Select methods to evaluate public health programs.
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12. Discuss multiple dimensions of the policy-making process, including the roles of ethics and evidence.
13. Propose strategies to identify stakeholders and build coalitions and partnerships for influencing public health outcomes.
14. Advocate for political, social, or economic policies and programs that will improve health in diverse populations.
15. Evaluate policies for their impact on public health and health equity.
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16. Apply principles of leadership, governance, and management, which include creating a vision, empowering others, fostering collaboration, and guiding decision-making.
17. Apply negotiation and mediation skills to address organizational or community challenges.
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18. Select communication strategies for different audiences and sectors.
19. Communicate audience-appropriate public health content, both in writing and through oral presentation.
20. Describe the importance of cultural competence in communicating public health content.
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21. Perform effectively on interprofessional teams.
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22. Apply systems-thinking tools to a public health issue.

Upon receiving an MPH degree with a concentration in Biostatistics, the student will be able to:

• Derive and apply the fundamentals of mathematical statistics (e.g.., probability concepts, random variables, probability distributions, statistical inference).
• Calculate required sample size and statistical power for basic study designs
• Apply the fundamentals of statistical analysis to make relevant inferences using the appropriate analytic tools
• Design computer programs for study management (i.e., creating suitable data sets for statistical analyses), statistical analysis, and presentation of data using statistical programming languages (e.g., SAS, R).
• Produce and present audience appropriate statistical summaries describing research in health science through oral presentations and written communications.