Biostatistics

Mission

The Department of Biostatistics at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health:

• Develops new theoretical results and applied statistical methods that can help address problems in public health and biomedicine;
• Collaborates with scientists in academia, government, and the private sector in designing informative experiments and analyzing their statistical data to appropriately weigh the evidence and obtain valid findings; and
• Educates the next generation of biostatisticians through innovative and relevant curriculum, hands-on experience, and exposure to the latest in research findings and methods.

History

Dr. John W. Fertig Division Head, 1940-1975

From the time the DeLamar Institute of Public Health (the former name of the School of Public Health) started in the Fall of 1922 until 1940, statistics at the Institute was taught by Robert Emmet Chaddock, Professor of Statistics at Columbia College. The first full professor of Biostatistics was John William Fertig, who came to the Institute in 1940 and stayed at the School for his entire academic career, until he retired in 1975.

Dr. Fertig was one of the youngest full professors to have been appointed at that rank at Columbia. He is perhaps best known as the statistician for the crucial research done by Dr. William Silverman that demonstrated the role of oxygen administration in the development of retrolental fibroplasia (RLF), a major cause of blindness in premature newborns. Upon joining the Institute, Fertig immediately reorganized the biostatistics curriculum and continued to expand the curriculum.

Dr. Joseph L. Fleiss, Division Head, 1975-1992

From 1975 to 1992, Joseph L. Fleiss was head of the Division. Dr. Fleiss received his Ph.D. from the Department of Mathematical Statistics at Columbia in 1967. Prior to this time he worked full-time under Joseph Zubin as the sole biostatistician at the Biometrics Research Unit of the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Under Dr. Fleiss' leadership, the Division grew slowly but steadily in faculty and student enrollment. The Division began offering a Ph.D. degree in Biostatistics in 1977, through a Doctoral Program Subcommittee of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

In a tragic loss to Columbia and the entire profession, Parkinson's disease forced Dr. Fleiss first to step down as Division Head in 1992 and finally to withdraw from an active role in the Division in 1996. John Van Ryzin joined the Division of Biostatistics in 1981, and served as chair of the Doctoral Program Subcommittee from 1983 to 1987. During this time, close cooperative relations flourished between the Division and the Department of Statistics. Dr. Van Ryzin was a recognized leader in the areas of analysis of censored data, empirical Bayes methods, and quantitative risk assessment. His brief tenure here at Columbia was cut short too, tragically, by his early death.

Dr. Paul Meier, Division Head, 1992-1998

Dr. Paul Meier, a leading figure in survival analysis and clinical trials, came to Columbia in 1992 to become both Head of Biostatistics and Chair of Statistics. During his tenure, cooperative efforts between the two departments continued and expanded, including the cross-listing of many key courses. Dr. Meier was a major force in appointing, promoting, and tenuring of Biostatistics faculty. Under the leadership of Dr. Melissa Begg, the Division began offering MS tracks in Clinical Research Methods and Patient-Oriented Research. These tracks serve the increasing number of clinical research faculty and trainees who see certification in biostatistics as essential to their careers.

Dr. Bruce Levin, Department Head, 1999-2011

Dr. Meier stepped down as Division Head in February, 1998, and the Dean appointed Dr. Bruce Levin as his successor in March 2000. With his appointment, the School committed new funding to the Department for major growth in the areas of new faculty appointments, new doctoral fellowship support, and computing and administrative support.

In the past decade, the Department also focused on developing three new data coordination centers that offer expertise in the storage, management, and analysis of clinical trials data. Given the increased regulation of statistical and data management and the number of large multi-center, multi-national trials, the centers act as a crucial resource for investigators. The Data Coordinating Center (DCC), which is jointly housed in the New York Psychiatric Institute, is the oldest of the three centers and is led by Howard Andrews, PhD, associate clinical professor of Biostatistics and Neuroscience (in Psychiatry). The Statistical Analysis Center (SAC) was founded in 2000 by Dr. Levin, and, more recently, the Biostatistics Center for Clinical Trials Management (BCCTM) opened in 2007 under the direction of Emilia Bagiella, PhD, associate professor of clinical Biostatistics.

Academic offerings also expanded in recent years as the Department rolled out two new tracks offering MS degrees. The Accelerated Predoctoral Training track targets exceptional students who plan to pursue a PhD upon graduation from the MS program. The wealth of data now generated by studies of genetics spurred the Department to launch the new Biostatistics Statistical Genetics Track which provides graduates with the skills to design and analyze research using genetic data.

The explosion of genetic data also prompted the development of the Division of Statistical Genetics, under the direction of David Greenberg, PhD, professor of clinical Biostatistics, which provides assistance to genetic studies through the design, storage and analysis of data. By offering faculty expertise to these studies, advances have been made, particularly in studying common diseases such as epilepsy or schizophrenia.

To ensure that the School remains at the forefront of public health, two recent appointments impacted the department’s research and academics strategy. In 2008, Dr. Begg, professor of clinical Biostatistics, and co-director of the Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, was appointed by Dean Fried as the new Associate Dean for Interdisciplinary Programs. Dr. Begg represents the School on the health sciences campus by leading and facilitating the development of interdisciplinary, cross-school educational and research programs.

Another important position was filled in 2008 when Dr. Roger Vaughan accepted an appointment as the Department’s Director of Academic Programs. Dr. Vaughan worked closely with Prof. Levin to ensure that the academic offerings continue the Department’s proud history of providing an exceptional education for the next generation of biostatisticians.

Dr. Roger Vaughan, Interim Department Head, 2011-present

In 2011, Roger Vaughan, Professor and Director of Academic Programs in the Department of Biostatistics, graciously agreed to serve as interim chair for a two year period while the School conducts a national search. Dr. Vaughan will to continue the Department’s mission to strive for excellence in teaching, research, and the development of statistical methods needed to help solve public health issues of 2020 and beyond, while continuing to strengthen the collaborative science within the School and across the University.

* This is a liberal adaptation from "A History of the Columbia School of Public Health" by the late Prof. Samuel Wolfe and Dr. Annette Ramirez, to whom we are indebted.