Colorado Summer Institute in Biostatistics

Classes
Students will attend daily lectures and laboratory instruction. The content of these classes cover material similar to that of a one-year course in basic statistics taught at the undergraduate level. The courses are organized by modules taught by various faculty. Previously taught modules include “Fitting models to data“ and “R for Data Science”. For more details on the courses, see the “Biostatistics Courses” tab.

Seminars
Faculty and scholars from various departments and campuses will present weekly seminars on various topics, such as their journey to statistics, their research interests, current research projects, and diversity, equity and inclusion in research.

Projects
Students will participate in mentored projects of ongoing research conducted by researchers at the University of Colorado and affiliated institutions. Projects will be co-mentored by a data scientist specialist in biostatistics, statistical genetics, or bioinformatics, and a companion biomedical investigator. The projects will provide students the opportunity to apply content learned in courses and gain collaborative research skills.

Hackathon
Students will participate in a hackathon, where they will have a chance to put the knowledge they gained from the courses and projects to work to answer innovative research questions with a given data set.

Activities
There will be organized weekend activities to offer students the opportunity to socialize with other program students and CU Denver faculty and students. Past trips have included hiking in Boulder, a Colorado Rockies game, and a trip to Breckenridge. Denver and the surrounding area has much to offer in terms of outdoor activities, great weather, and a thriving arts and culture scene.

 

Projects in the 2021 program included:

• Study of metabolite profiles for children with community acquired pneumonia
• Building predictive models for outcomes in chronic rhinosinusitis using machine learning
• Network analysis of airway microbiome in cystic fibrosis
• Investigating the role of guilds in microbiome data
• Association of growth trajectories and salt depletion in infants with cystic fibrosis
• Adventures in biostatistical consulting

Projects for future CoSIBS will also explore the cutting edge of biomedical research.

Applicants to the SIBS program must:

• Be an undergraduate or early graduate student at an accredited school or university
• Be a U.S. citizen or Permanent resident
• Have some background knowledge of programming and introductory courses in probability, calculus, and linear algebra (requirements are flexible)
• Have an interest in data science and biostatistical research
• (For 2022 program) Follow COVID protocols and policies at both the CU Anschutz Medical Campus and the CU Denver Campus.

A complete application submitted online must include the following:

• A personal statement of interest
• Electronic copies of college transcripts
• A letter of recommendation

Participants in the CoSIBS program will:

• Have the opportunity to interact with and be mentored by biostatisticians and clinical investigators that are engaged in biomedical research.
• Learn the principles of applied biostatistics and data science from the excellent faculty across our various campuses.
• Receive credit for 6 semester-hours at the University of Colorado Denver.
• Have their tuition and fees paid for by the program, as well as travel to and from Denver, and room and board. Students will also receive a $1,200 stipend for meals.

CoSIBS is targeted toward advanced undergraduate or early-stage graduate students with interest in the application of statistics and mathematics to biomedical research. The application requires a letter of reference and an unofficial, electronic transcript. Instructions and an online application form are found on the application page. The program is capped around 20 students, and individuals are encouraged to apply early.

Further information is provided at the NHLBI Summer Institute website.

​Brandie Wagner
Co-Director of the  CoSIBS program, Associate Professor

Krithika Suresh
Co-Director of the CoSIBS program, Assistant Professor

Debashis Ghosh
Chair of the Department of Biostatistics and Informatics

Courses and seminars are given by faculty from the various departments and campuses at the University of Colorado.

Housing
Room and board will be provided through conference services at the University of Colorado at Denver (CU Denver). CoSIBS students will be housed in double rooms (each room includes two twin beds) with private bathrooms and a shared common space. Students will receive a food stipend, the rooms include basic cooking appliances.

Housing is located in downtown Denver, and students will commute by light rail to the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. The CoSIBS program will provide light rail passes to use for commuting and other transport around the Denver region.

Educational location
CoSIBS is hosted on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus and will use lecture halls, classrooms, small group meeting rooms, computer labs, and student community space. Students will have sessions in one of the five computer-lab classrooms.

The CU Anschutz Medical Campus is a completely new education, research and patient care facility and the largest academic health center between Chicago or Dallas and the West Coast. Located in the heart of the Rocky Mountain region with a state-of-the-art campus that houses nationally-recognized education programs, internationally renowned research, and a clinical care zone with the University of Colorado Hospital and the Children's Hospital, which are the University of Colorado School of Medicine's primary adult and pediatric hospital partners.

Local outings
CoSIBS field trips are planned to local recreational areas and to other centers for statistical research in the greater Denver area.

The residential halls at UC Denver are a short light rail ride to the recreational opportunities in downtown Denver, which include Coors Field (home of the Colorado Rockies baseball team), walking and biking paths along the South Platte River and Cherry Creek, as well as the Denver Art Museum and numerous private galleries in the area.

CoSIBS will work with you to arrange your travel and registration for the CoSIBS courses.

Travel: The program will cover the cost of your round-trip costs in traveling to and from Denver. You will arrive on the Sunday before the program begins and depart on the Saturday after it ends.

Registration: We will help you register as a non-degree-seeking student at the University of Colorado Denver. You will register for two courses in the theory and methods of biostatistics. These courses are each worth 3 semester hours of credit at UC Denver. The CoSIBS program will pay your tuition for these courses.

• You will be housed in the Campus Village at the University of Colorado Denver. 
• Students will be housed in groups of four per room. The rooms have two 2-person bedrooms a common shared area, and bathroom. Floor plans can be found on the Campus Village website
• Each bedroom is fully furnished with two extra long twin size beds, dressers, desks, chairs, and a spacious closet, one for each resident. This floor plan also features a kitchenette with a full-size refrigerator, sink and microwave.  Living room furniture is also included. 

Yes, a food stipend is provided for each student to cover the cost of meals. Students will receive $1,200. In addition 4-5 meals are typically provided for special events.

Yes, the extra activities and shared experience are an important part of the SIBS programs, so it cannot be a commuting program.

Yes, and there is some parking available at Campus Village. If you are planning to drive to Denver, then we will get that information when we arrange travel.

If you have additional questions, please contact cosibs@cuanschutz.edu