Our Vision: The Department of Biostatistics is a world leader in statistical research and statistical practice for the purposes of improving the public’s health, improving biostatistical education and advancing the biostatistics profession.
Our Mission: To forge dramatic advances in health science research that benefit human health in North Carolina, the U.S. and globally through the development of profound and paradigm-shifting innovations in biostatistical methodology and the thoughtful implementation of biostatistical practice to solve public health problems. We bring about positive, equitable, sustainable changes in health by:
- Supporting excellence in biostatistical practice by conducting theory and methods research of clear relevance to practice;
- Promoting sound application of new and existing statistical methods;
- Fostering equity and diversity in the biostatistics field and beyond;
- Improving biostatistical education at the undergraduate and graduate level
- Working with undergraduate colleges to promote biostatistics as a discipline for graduate studies and a professional career;
- Anticipating and meeting the learning needs of our students by maintaining an open and inclusive environment in the department;
- Using the tools of our discipline to enhance human welfare through collaboration in research with colleagues in the biological and health sciences; and
- Seeking opportunities to advance the biostatistics profession.
Our History
In 1949, Gertrude Cox, MS, helped establish the Department of Biostatistics in the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Public Health, selecting her former student, Bernard Greenberg, PhD, to lead the new department. Dr. Greenberg pioneered efforts to establish the practice of cooperative multicenter trials, changing the course of practice for the evaluation of new drugs.
That tradition of statistical innovation continues in a program led by Lisa LaVange, PhD, professor of biostatistics. Today, the biostatistics department is the statistical home for many studies in the UNC schools of medicine and nursing, and provides statistical support for the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and the NC Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute (NC TraCS).
Our Milestones
Lisa LaVange, PhD
Dr. Lisa LaVange announced her retirement, effective Oct. 1, 2023, after nearly five decades in academia, industry, non-profit research and government. She led the department through the pandemic and into its current healthy state, retaining a top five national ranking and realizing a record number of applications for fall 2023 across all three degree programs (BSPH, MS and PhD).
Students fund their education through a combination of sources, including loans, fellowships and awards, assistantships and grants. Several awards and scholarships are supported by generous contributions to the School and University who value the current and future contributions of our students.
Contact: Sarah Kitchens, Funding and Awards Coordinator, sarah_kitchens@unc.edu
Career Opportunities
The demand for well-trained biostatisticians continues to grow: Fortune Magazine predicts 23% job growth by 2024.
