Biostatistics is the science of translating data into decisions for public health, health care, and biomedical research. Biostatisticians work with other scientists to collect, analyze, and interpret data for the purpose of building scientific evidence. They often work within teams to design studies, create analysis plans, and develop methodology to answer complicated public health questions.
The Department of Biostatistics is composed of faculty with research interests in health surveys, clinical trials, community-based prevention trials, and longitudinal studies. Our faculty are integrated into research teams across campus and provide methodological expertise for the design and analysis of clinical, epidemiological, administrative, and laboratory data. Biostatistics faculty have ongoing projects in the Center for Clinical and Translational Science, Markey Cancer Center, Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center, and the Center for Research on Violence Against Women.
Building on research collaborations across campus, the program is unique in its approach to cross-disciplinary training and mentoring, which provides a more diverse exposure to emerging data trends in the public health and biomedical research.
"Welcome to the Department of Biostatistics at the University of Kentucky! We are a group of passionate academicians working to develop and apply biostatistical methods to improve public health. Our dedicated students, staff, and faculty work on a wide array of research topics including substance use disorders, injury surveillance, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular health, the practice of team science, and big data analytics. We encourage you to explore our academic and research programs."
"Welcome to the Department of Biostatistics at the University of Kentucky! We are a group of passionate academicians working to develop and apply biostatistical methods to improve public health.
Our dedicated students, staff, and faculty work on a wide array of research topics including substance use disorders, injury surveillance, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular health, the practice of team science, and big data analytics. We encourage you to explore our academic and research programs."
Dr. Philip M. Westgate PhD
Our mission in Biostatistics is to provide quantitative expertise and training for promoting the adoption and use of optimal methodologies in public health and biomedical research.
Our current students come from a wide variety of backgrounds and are tomorrow’s public health leaders. Our students, and the dynamic field of biostatistics, are represented in the following academic programs: Bachelor of Public Health, Master of Science in Biostatistics, Master of Public Health, and the PhD in Epidemiology & Biostatistics.
The Department of Biostatistics is highly collaborative. We are involved in various research teams across the University of Kentucky and the world. These include the Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS), the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center (KIPRC), the Center for Research on Violence Against Women (CRVAW), and the Statistical ‘Omics Research Collaborative (S’ORCe). The Department of Biostatistics is also home to the Biostatistics Consulting and Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration Lab (Biostat CIRCL).
Work by several researchers within the University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging was recently published in the prestigious journal Nature Genetics.
The five-day immersive workshop — called BIOSTAT PRODIGY — will give students an introduction to statistical programming that’s both hands-on and approachable, said Kristen McQuerry, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Biostatistics in the University of Kentucky College of Public Health.
Heather Bush, Ph.D., has been named permanent dean of the University of Kentucky’s College of Public Health. Bush has served as the acting dean of the College of Public Health since June 15, 2022.
