Services

What We Offer

The BCC offers a range of fee-based biostatistical consulting services. While our primary interest is in assuring the appropriate use of statistical methodology in research, the BCC also offers services ranging from power and sample size planning for future studies, development of rigorous study designs, database development, implementation, and maintenance, and production of publication-quality graphics and tabular illustrations to support the presentation and publication of research results. 

Obtaining biostatistical advice in the planning stages of a project, or very early on during the conduct of a project can often improve the chances of meeting study objectives. We encourage our collaborators to connect with the BCC in these early stages   --before any data collection begins, if possible.

For more detailed information, please download the BCC Brochure and the latest information on BCC rates by clicking the links to the right. For examples of tasks that the BCC can perform and to learn about how you can initiate a project with the BCC, please see below.

   

Collaborating with the BCC

  • Development of rigorous study designs for future studies
  • Assistance in preparing statistical content for grant applications
  • Statistical and bioinformatics analysis for abstracts and manuscripts
    • These can include short-term (1-2 month) projects where the analysis data sets are already available, as well as longer-term projects where data sets are not in final form
  • Database development, implementation, and management
  • Analysis of existing administrative datasets

If you are interested in initiating a research project, please contact us by email at bcc@emory.edu. The BCC program manager will reply with preliminary information and, if you are interested in proceeding, the manager will set up an initial meeting for you with the BCC Director. The purpose of the meeting will be to gain an understanding of the research project's main aims, study design, stage of research, status of data collection and analyses performed, if any. Before the meeting, we recommend that investigators provide the BCC with a  summary of the project and its aims.

At the meeting, a determination will be made as to whether a collaboration will be feasible given the needs of the research study. If agreement is reached to move forward, a list of BCC deliverables and a realistic timetable will be formulated by the BCC Director and agreed upon by all parties.

No work can begin until a statement of work has been completed and agreed upon by both BCC staff and the client—this includes our cost estimate, an Emory speedtype to be billed, and contact information for a person authorized to expend funds from the account. (Projects external to Emory must provide similar acceptable billing information).

Co-authorship on scientific journal articles is expected on studies where the BCC team members have worked on the design and/or analysis for a project, and/or have assisted in the preparation of the statistical results for the manuscript. It is our policy not to forgo funding in return for co-authorship.

The BCC can assist in study design and grant proposal writing, as a fee-for-service activity; fees are paid when this task is performed and cannot be contingent on future funding. If there is a need for a biostatistician to serve as co-investigators on the project after funding, the BCC can assist in identifying appropriate faculty from the BCC or other faculty from within the Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics. Adequate funding for the faculty will be expected to be included in the grant application budget.