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Dandan Liu, PhD

Associate Professor, Biostatistics
Executive Director, Vanderbilt Biostatistics Data Coordinating Center (VBDCC)
Director, Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR) Methods Program


This is the first of the two core courses on biostatistics offered in the MSCI program. Students are introduced to basic concepts, terms and methods in statistics ranging from descriptive statistics and graphics to hypothesis testing. Simple linear regression will also be covered as a transition to Biostatistics II. R language will be used throughout the entire course. A pre-course R Boot Camp will be offered to prepare for the use of R studio. The course’s goal is to provide a statistical foundation for students to design clinical research studies including the choice of outcomes and exposures/independent variables and to independently perform basic statistical analysis not including confounding variables. The course will prepare students for the MSCI Biostatistics II core course.

Fall [4]