Biostatistics

Biostatistics aims to discover truth by quantitative weighing of evidence. The Department of Biostatistics at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health helps to ensure that findings in biomedicine and public health are supported by reliable evidence, not fiction or fashion.

As statisticians, we know that the numbers from any one study are not the immutable truth, and that public health research needs to take into account the roles of chance, variability, and uncertainty. By putting a dose of realism and skepticism in our search for the truth, biostatistics enables us to make decisions in the face of uncertainty.

The three pillars of biostatistics - methodological research, collaboration, and teaching - are all integrated into the Department of Biostatistics. Our faculty focus on developing new theories and mathematical applications that tease out the signal from the noise, collaborate with scientists from a wide range of disciplines, and take pride in their work in the classroom.

I invite you to look through the Biostatistics site to learn more about our research, collaborations, degree offerings and courses to see how we are impacting the field of public health.

Bruce Levin,
PhD, professor and chair
Department of Biostatistics