Biostatistics

The practicum experience is a hallmark of MPH training and required of all students. Taking place over a term, the practicum enriches and supplements the more traditional academic aspects of the program, and may provide a view of career opportunities after graduation. The practicum may be fulfilled during the school year or over the summer. Arrangements are made on an individual basis in consultation with faculty advisors who must approve both the proposed practicum project prior to its initiation, and the report submitted at the conclusion of the practicum experience.

Practicum Opportunities in the Department of Biostatistics

The Department of Biostatistics offers many practicum opportunities for students who can participate either in a faculty member’s research project or one affiliated with a biostatistics data coordinating center, such as the DCC jointly housed in the New York State Psychiatric Institute, the Statistical Analysis Center, or the Biostatistics Center for Clinical Trials Management (BCCTM).

The BCCTM, for example, offers one or two term internships for Department of Biostatistics students and other Mailman School students who want to pursue a career in clinical trials research. The Division of Statistical Genetics may also offer practicum opportunities for students interested in the genetics of complex diseases and its many other research areas.

Mailman School Practicum Resources

Lead by Director Tanya Cobbs Leslie, the Office of Career Services is an invaluable resource for identifying additional local, regional, national, and global internship opportunities for Mailman School students.

The Student Travel Fund may help support students on domestic or global internships within its guidelines. The Office of Career Services administers grant applications for both the Student Travel Fund Domestic Internships and Student Travel Fund Global Internships.

Practicum Examples

Students have found practicum opportunities working in the pharmaceutical industry, local and state departments of health, and through internships with the Centers for Disease Control, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Institutes of Health.

Additional examples of successful student practica in biostatistics.