Biostatistics Core Center Rationale

Faculty face a number of challenges as they write competitive (R01 or equivalent) funding proposals to major Federal agencies (NIH, NSF, etc.). One noticeable challenge is the gap that exists between statistics as a discipline and its use in the biomedical sciences: 

• If a research lab collects data and provides it to a statistician, does the statistician understand how to properly interpret the meaning of data within the context of the experimental design?
• Does an experimental design created by biomedical research teams generate enough useable data to meaningfully apply statistical tools? 

Biostatistics Core Center Goals

The Biostatistics Core Facility seeks to become the premier source on North Dakota State University’s campus for integrated information analytics.  

• Unlike other centers on campus that provide statistical consulting services, the Biostatistics Core aims to assist bench scientists with their data generation from conceptualization to implementation and publication.
• We provide services to all faculty on campus, not just those funded through the Center for Diagnostic and Therapeutic Strategies in Pancreatic Cancer COBRE grant. 

Through its collaborations with bench and clinical sciences on campus, the Biostatistics Center seeks to develop new statistical methods to address the unique characteristics of data generated by bench scientists.  

• Methods include, but are not limited to, the development of new experimental designs and statistical techniques that can be applied to small samples.

Pdf of Flyer

Dr. Megan Orr
(eRA Commons user name: megan.orr)
Assistant Professor of Statistics 

Dr. Orr is also trained as a statistician and data scientist who has collaborated on many projects with other researchers.  These projects have involved assisting other researchers in the design and data analysis of studies concerning a variety of topics relating to biostatistics and public health. Dr. Orr’s personal research focuses on the development of new methods for analyzing data generated from gene expression experiments, specifically in estimating false discovery rate.

Pricing and Contact Information

For more information, or to discuss your data analysis needs, please visit our Biostatistics Core Facility Intake Form.