Office of Education

Biostatistics Practicum

Biostatitics students are required to complete one term of practical experience (280 hours total) to enrich and supplement the more traditional academic aspects of the program. The practicum, which provides a view of career opportunities after graduation, may be completed during the school year or over the summer. In consultation with your faculty advisor—who must approve both the proposed practicum project prior to its initiation and the report submitted at its conclusion—you are encouraged to craft an individualized practicum experience tailored to your interests and goals.  All students will present their practicum experience during their last Spring semester at the Practicum Poster Symposium.

Mailman School Practicum Resources

The Office of Careers and Practice (OCP) and is invaluable resources for identifying additional local, regional, national, and global internship opportunities for Mailman students.

For MPH students, once you identify a practicum opportunity of interest, you must submit a Scope of Work form to OFP and complete the department's practicum form which will require faculty advisor approval. Upon successful completion of the practicum, you must promptly submit an online practicum completion form to OFP in order to meet your graduation requirement.

Practicum Competencies

The practicum experience should meet one or more of the following competencies:

  • Apply descriptive techniques commonly used to summarize public health data.

  • Apply common statistical methods for inference.

  • Apply descriptive and inferential methodologies according to the type of study design for answering a particular research question.

  • Interpret results of statistical analyses found in public health studies.

  • Develop written and oral presentations based on statistical analyses for both public health professionals and educated lay audiences.

Practicum Examples

Biostatistics students have enjoyed a wide range of practicum opportunities, from working in healthcare organizations and in local and state Departments of Health to internships in the pharmaceutical industry.

Some examples of successful student practica in biostatistics include:

  • Statistical analyst/data manager in Respiratory Health Research: Examined the association of in utero exposure to air pollution on the health and development of newborns in a multi-site, international, longitudinal cohort study conducted by an academic research center.

  • Statistical consultant/data manager in Neurology Research: Joined an academic research team conducting a longitudinal study to evaluate the association between cerebral stroke location and fatal cardiac outcomes.

  • Research analyst on a psychiatric epidemiology study: Assessed trends in adolescent and young adult use of a recreational drug by gender, ethnicity, and geographic area and examined the effect of changes in legislative policy regarding the drug on its usage.

  • Statistical analyst/data manager with the Department of Health: Analyzed data from the World Trade Center Registry to evaluate the association between respiratory syndromes and pediatric post-traumatic syndromes and the events of 9/11.

  • Statistical consultant/analyst with a health promotion research group: Analyzed data from a randomized clinical trial to assess the efficacy of a brief, focused educational intervention with physicians on increasing recommendations for colorectal cancer screening in comparison to a service-as-usual control.