Vanderbilt Department of Biostatistics

Please visit our blog for announcements of appointments, promotions, and other milestones. See also the graduate program news feed, where we celebrate our students' dissertation defenses, publications, conference presentations, and more.


Since 2005, our department has offered free consulting to Vanderbilt and Meharry investigators who have methodological questions about their research projects or published articles. These sessions are the only time that we are able to assist researchers without a standing collaboration. To learn about our clinics and to make an appointment, visit our Biostatistics Clinics page.


The department hosts seminars by visiting experts on biostatistical topics most weeks during the school year. Seminars are from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Central Time unless otherwise noted. Upcoming presentations include  "Exploring the Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Neuroimaging-based Brain Age Estimation" by Drexel University's Fengqing Zoe Zhang on October 9, and "Enhancing Patient Representation Learning with Inferred Family Relations Improves Disease Risk Prediction in Electronic Health Records and Biobank Data" by Yale University's Zuoheng Anita Wang on October 16.


Applications for Fall 2025 entry into our graduate program are due on January 1, 2025


Our department members (including students) and alumni organize and present lectures and workshops around the world. See our upcoming presentations page for a glimpse of what's on deck, including PhD student Ashley Mullan (with alumnae Sarah Lotspeich and Lucy D'Agostino McGowan) online for International Day of Women in Statistics and Data Science, 2023 VBSIUU intern Terrence Smith in Pittsburgh, assistant professor Panpan Zhang in Boston, professor Yu Shyr in Taiwan, and several faculty at CMStatistics 2024 (London and online).


Welcome to our website! We hope you’ll find it informative and inspiring, and we encourage you to contact us if we can be of further assistance. 
 
As our department heads into its 21st year, we remain dedicated to developing cutting-edge statistical methods and tools, providing collaborative support and educational resources for biomedical researchers, and training new biostatisticians to join us in addressing the questions and issues raised by the explosive growth in information technology. 
 
We are at the forefront of an amazing era for statisticians and biomedical researchers. Our innovative and enthusiastic faculty, staff, and students are deeply engaged with Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s vision of advancing personalized health in the era of smart data. Our efforts are reflected in the hundreds of peer-reviewed papers we co-author each year, our leadership in data management and coordination, and the many workshops and seminars we design, deliver, and facilitate around the world.
 
We very much look forward to connecting with you as we work toward a healthier and more inclusive society for all.

Yu Shyr, PhD, Dr(hc), FASA, FAAAS, FAACR
Professor and Chair

 

Photo: Dr. Shyr teaching in the 2023 CQS Summer Institute