Practicum

Program Coordinator: Dr. Yingwei Paul Peng
Graduate Assistant: Dona Leigh&nbsp;Schofield

After successfully completing the required coursework in the Fall and Winter terms, MSc Biostatistics students must complete a four-month practicum placement in the summer term. The purpose of the practicum is to give students the opportunity to develop the analytical, technical and interpersonal skills required for a biostatistician to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary health research environment, and to apply the biostatistics research and analytic skills that they have learned in coursework to multi-disciplinary projects within health research groups in universities, hospitals, government agencies, industries and other related settings. Through the practicum placement, the experience that students gain in consulting, communication, report writing, and teamwork will allow them to develop their consulting expertise.

Students should begin discussing the practicum with their supervisor around four months prior to the summer placement (usually in December). The student's supervisor is responsible for providing possible placements for their students.

There are two forms of practicum:

Application Practicum: This practicum placement is within an academic or industry-based research group pertaining to the biostatistics applications. Practicum activities will vary according to student interest and the nature of available projects. In many cases, practicum activities may include opportunities for data management, statistical programming, statistical analysis, attending group meetings, report writing, and presentation of results.
Methodology Practicum: This practicum is a research project related to the biostatistics methodological research work of the student's supervisor. Practicum activities pertain to some aspect of biostatistics methodological research affiliated with the work of the supervisor, a core faculty member in a biostatistics area.

Program Contacts

Affiliated Research Groups