Biostatistics

Faculty of the Committee on Higher Degrees in Public Health Sciences

James H. Ware, Frederick Mosteller Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health) (Chair), (Ex Officio)
Bruce F. Demple, Professor of Toxicology (Public Health)
Thomas O. Fox, Associate Professor of Neuroscience (Medical School)
Laurie H. Glimcher, Professor of Medicine (Medical School) and Irene Heinz Given Professor of Immunology (Public Health)
Michael Grusby, Professor of Molecular Immunology (Public Health) and Associate Professor of Medicine (Medical School)
J. Woodland Hastings, Paul C. Mangelsdorf Professor of Natural Sciences (on leave spring term)
Stephen W. Lagakos, Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Nan Laird, Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health) (on leave 2008-09)
Xiao-Li Meng, Whipple V.N. Jones Professor of Statistics
Carl N. Morris, Professor of Statistics
Louise M. Ryan, Henry Pickering Walcott Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)

Faculty of the Subcommittee on the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Biostatistics

Louise M. Ryan, Henry Pickering Walcott Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health) (Chair)
Nan Laird, Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health) (on leave 2008-09)
Xiao-Li Meng, Whipple V.N. Jones Professor of Statistics
Carl N. Morris, Professor of Statistics
James H. Ware, Frederick Mosteller Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)

Other Faculty Offering Instruction in Biostatistics in Public Health

Rebecca A. Betensky, Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Tianxi Cai, Associate Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Paul J. Catalano, Senior Lecturer of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Brent Andrew Coull, Associate Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Roger B. Davis, Associate Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Victor Gerard DeGruttola, Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Gregory DiRienzo, Assistant Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Dianne Madelyn Finkelstein, Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Garrett M. Fitzmaurice, Associate Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Kimberlee Gauvreau, Assistant Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Richard D. Gelber, Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Rebecca S. Gelman, Associate Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Robert J. Glynn, Associate Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Els Goetghebeur, Adjunct Associate Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Robert James Gray, Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
David P. Harrington, Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Eugene Andres Houseman, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Chengcheng Hu, Assistant Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Michael David Hughes, Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Rima Izem, Assistant Professor of Statistics
Hongyu Jiang, Assistant Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Peter Kraft, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology (Public Health)
Karen M. Kuntz, Adjunct Associate Professor of Health Decision Science (Public Health)
Stephen W. Lagakos, Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Christoph Lange, Assistant Professor of Medicine (Medical School) and Assistant Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Nicholas T. Lange, Associate Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Mei-Ling Ting Lee, Adjunct Associate Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Cheng Li, Assistant Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Yi Li, Associate Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Xihong Lin, Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Jun S. Liu, Professor of Statistics (on leave spring term)
Xiaole Shirley Liu, Assistant Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Judith Lok, Assistant Professor of Biostatistics
Donna S. Neuberg, Senior Lecturer on Biostatistics (Public Health)
Sharon-Lise T. Normand, Professor of Health Care Policy (Medical School) and Professor in the Department of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Endel J. Orav, Associate Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Alexander Ozonoff, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Christopher J. Paciorek, Assistant Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Marcello Pagano, Professor of Statistical Computing (Public Health)
John Quackenbush, Professor of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (Public Health)
James M. Robins, Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Public Health)
Bernard Rosner, Professor of Medicine (Medical School, Public Health)
Andrea Gloria Rotnitzky, Adjunct Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
David A. Schoenfeld, Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Donna Lynn Spiegelman, Professor of Epidemiologic Methods (Public Health)
Kenneth E. Stanley, Lecturer on Statistics (FAS) and Lecturer on Biostatistics (Public Health)
Marcia Anne Testa Simonson, Senior Lecturer on Biostatistics (Public Health)
Molin Wang, Assistant Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Lee-Jen Wei, Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Milton C. Weinstein, Henry J. Kaiser Professor of Health Policy and Management and Biostatistics (Public Health) and Professor of Medicine (Medical School) (on leave 2008-09)
Laura Forsberg White, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Paige L. Williams, Senior Lecturer on Biostatistics (Public Health)
David Wypij, Associate Professor of Biostatistics (Public Health)
Grace Wyshak, Associate Professor of Biostatistics and Population and International Health (Public Health)
Guocheng Yuan, Assistant Professor of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (Public Health)
Marvin Zelen, Professor of Statistical Science (Public Health)

Primarily for Graduates

Further details about the course descriptions below can be found in their entirety at www.biostat.harvard.edu/courses/course.html

*Biostatistics 230. Probability Theory and Applications I
Catalog Number: 6183
Marcello Pagano (Public Health)
Half course (fall term). M., W., 8:30–10:20 and one two-hour lab each week.
Axiomatic foundations of probability, independence, conditional probability, joint distributions, transformations, moment generating functions, characteristic functions, moment inequalities, sampling distributions, modes of convergence and their interrelationships, laws of large numbers, central limit theorem, and stochastic processes.
Note: Offered jointly with the School of Public Health as BIO230.

*Biostatistics 231. Statistical Inference I
Catalog Number: 8773
Yi Li (Public Health)
Half course (spring term). M., W., 10:30–12:20 and a 1.5-hour lab each week.
Exponential families, sufficiency, ancillarity, completeness, method of moments, maximum likelihood, unbiased estimation, Rao-Blackwell and Lehmann-Scheffe theorems, information inequality, Neyman-Pearson theory, likelihood ratio, score and Wald tests, uniformly and locally most powerful tests, asymptotic relative efficiency.
Note: Offered jointly with the School of Public Health as BIO231.
Prerequisite: Biostatistics 230 or signature of instructor required.

*Biostatistics 232. Methods I
Catalog Number: 0131
Victor Gerard DeGruttola (Public Health)
Half course (fall term). M., W., 10:30–12:20.
Introductory course in the analysis of Gaussian and categorical data. The general linear regression model, ANOVA, robust alternatives based on permutations, model building, resampling methods (bootstrap and jackknife), contingency tables, exact methods, logistic regression.
Note: Offered jointly with the School of Public Health as BIO232.
Prerequisite: Signature of instructor required.

*Biostatistics 233. Methods II
Catalog Number: 7804
Robert James Gray (Public Health) and Lee-Jen Wei (Public Health)
Half course (spring term). M., W., 8:30–10:20 and a 1.5 hour lab each week.
Intermediate course in the analysis of Gaussian, categorical, and survival data. The generalized linear model, Poisson regression, random effects and mixed models, comparing survival distributions, proportional hazards regression, splines and smoothing, the generalized additive model.
Note: Offered jointly with the School of Public Health as BIO233.
Prerequisite: Biostatistics 232 or signature of instructor required.

*Biostatistics 235. Regression and Analysis of Variance
Catalog Number: 7549
Marvin Zelen (Public Health)
Half course (fall term). M., W., 10:30–12:20.
An advanced course in linear models - regression and analysis of variance. Estimation (maximum likelihood and least squares) and inference (confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, analysis of residuals) are presented from a theoretical and data analysis perspective.
Note: Offered jointly with the School of Public Health as BIO235.
Prerequisite: Biostatistics 230 and Biostatistics 232. Background in matrix algebra and linear regression required.

Biostatistics 244. Analysis of Failure Time Data
Catalog Number: 2140
Judith Lok
Half course (fall term). M., W., 1:30–3:20 and one two-hour lab each week.
Discusses the theoretical basis of concepts and methodologies associated with survival data and censoring, nonparametric tests, and competing risk models. Much of the theory is developed using counting processes and martingale methods.
Note: Offered jointly with the School of Public Health as BIO244.
Prerequisite: Biostatistics 231 and Biostatistics 233.

Biostatistics 245. Analysis of Multivariate and Longitudinal Data
Catalog Number: 3247
Xihong Lin (Public Health)
Half course (spring term). M., W., 10:30–12:20.
The multivariate normal distribution, Hotelling’s T2, MANOVA, repeated measures, the multivariate linear model, random effects and growth curve models, generalized estimating equations, multivariate categorical outcomes, missing data, computational issues for traditional and new methodologies.
Note: Offered jointly with the School of Public Health as BIO245.
Prerequisite: Biostatistics 231 and Biostatistics 235.

[*Biostatistics 247. Design of Scientific Investigations]
Catalog Number: 3723
Michael David Hughes (Public Health)
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 3:30–5:20.
Sample size considerations, basic principles of experimental design (randomization, replication, and balance), block designs, factorial experiments, response surface modeling, optimal design, clinical trials, adaptive, and sequential designs.
Note: Expected to be given in 2008–09. Offered jointly with the School of Public Health as BIO247. Offered in alternate years. Minimum enrollment of 10 students required.
Prerequisite: Biostatistics 235.

*Biostatistics 248. Advanced Statistical Computing
Catalog Number: 6420
Paul J. Catalano (Public Health)
Half course (spring term). M., W., 8:30–10:20.
Computer arithmetic, matrix algebra, numerical optimization with application to MLEs and GEEs, spline smoothing, numerical integration, random number generation, simulation methods, Gibbs sampling, bootstrap methods, missing data and EM, imputation, and data augmentation algorithms.
Note: Offered jointly with the School of Public Health as BIO248.
Prerequisite: Students should be proficient with C or Fortran programming. Biostatistics 235 or signature of instructor required.

*Biostatistics 249. Bayesian Methodology in Biostatistics
Catalog Number: 0759
Christopher J. Paciorek (Public Health)
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., 10:30–12:20.
Bayes theorem, decision theory, general principles (likelihood, exchangeability, de Finetti’s theorem), prior distributions, inference (exact, normal approximations, non-normal approximations), computation (Monte Carlo, convergence diagnostics), model diagnostics (Bayes factors, predictive ordinates), design, empirical Bayes methods.
Note: Offered jointly with the School of Public Health as BIO249. Offered in alternate years.
Prerequisite: Biostatistics 231 and Biostatistics 232, or signature of instructor required.

*Biostatistics 250. Probability Theory and Applications II
Catalog Number: 5076
Andrea Gloria Rotnitzky (Public Health)
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 1:30–3:20.
Basic set theory, measure theory, Riemann-Stieltjes and Lebesgue integration, conditional probability, conditional expectation (projection), martingales, Radon-Nikodym derivative, product measure and Fubini’s Theorem, limit theorems on sequences of random variables, stochastic processes, weak convergence.
Note: Offered jointly with the School of Public Health as BIO250.
Prerequisite: Biostatistics 230 and Biostatistics 232, or signature of instructor required.

Biostatistics 251. Statistical Inference II
Catalog Number: 5280
Rebecca A. Betensky (Public Health)
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., 1:30–3:20 and one two-hour lab each week.
Advanced topics in statistical inference. Limit theorems, multivariate delta method, properties of maximum likelihood estimators, saddle point approximations, asymptotic relative efficiency, robust and rank-based procedures, resampling methods, nonparametric curve estimation.
Note: Offered jointly with the School of Public Health as BIO251.
Prerequisite: Biostatistics 231.

[Biostatistics 257. Advanced Statistical Genetics] - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 8359
Nan Laird (Public Health) and Christoph Lange (Public Health)
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 10:30–12:20.
This survey course, intended for a wide audience, will provide an introduction to analytic techniques for modern genomics and genetics.Topics include genome sequencing, DNA microarrays, proteomics, genetic epidemiology and gene mapping for complex disease.
Note: Expected to be given in 2008–09.
Prerequisite: BIO 231 and BIO 233, or permission of instructor required.

Biostatistics 277. Computational Biology
Catalog Number: 1337
Guocheng Yuan (Public Health)
Half course (fall term). M., W., 3:30–5:20.
Introduction to statistical methods for biological problems including microarray analysis, motif finding, CHIP-chip data, and gene regulatory network. Topics include multiple hypothesis testing, clustering and classification, variable selection, hidden Markov model, and Bayesian network.
Note: Cannot be taken Pass/Fail. Offered jointly with the School of Public Health as BIO277.
Prerequisite: BIO 230 and BIO 231, or permission of instructor required.

[Biostatistics 280. Introduction to Computational Molecular Biology]
Catalog Number: 2116
Xiaole Shirley Liu (Public Health)
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Graduate entry level course to basic problems, algorithms, and data analysis methods in computational biology. Sequence alignment, gene finding and annotation, microarray analysis, gene regulatory network, RNA/protein structure prediction, proteomics and pharmacogenetics.
Note: Expected to be given in 2008–09. Offered jointly with the School of Public Health as BIO280.

Biostatistics 290. Genomics & Genetics for Health Research - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 9941
John Quackenbush (Public Health)
Half course (spring term). M., W., 3:30–5:20.
This survey course is intended for a wide audience and will provide an introduction to genomics and genetics-inspired techniques and tools for their analysis, including genome sequencing, DNA microarrays, proteomics, and high density genetic screens.
Prerequisite: BIO 200, or BIO 201, or BIO 202 and BIO 203, or BIO 206 and one of BIO 207, BIO 208, or BIO 209, and EPI 200 or EPI 201, or signature of instructor required.

Biostatistics 291. Statistical Methods for Causality - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 5654
Andrea Gloria Rotnitzky (Public Health) and James M. Robins (Public Health)
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 3:30–5:20.
Theory of directed acyclic graph models. Identifiability of causal contrasts. Theory and applications of locally semiparametric efficient doubly-robust estimation in two models for counterfactual variables: marginal structural models and structural nested models.
Prerequisite: BIO 231, or permission of instructor required.

Graduate Courses of Reading and Research

*Biostatistics 350. Research
Catalog Number: 0406
Members of the Department
For doctoral candidates who have passed their written qualifying examination and who are undertaking advanced work along the lines of fundamental or applied dissertation research in the department.