Bioinformatics Training Program
The Bioinformatics Training Program, initiated by the Department of Statistics at Texas A&M University, aims to equip statistically inclined individuals with the skills to operate as independent researchers in the interdisciplinary fields of nutrition and cancer. Established in the late 1990s, the program fosters connections across diverse scientific areas and targets U.S. citizens and permanent residents for recruiting talented trainees. With systematic lab rotations and a strong support network, the program continues to evolve and contribute significantly to biostatistics and bioinformatics.
Bioinformatics Training Program
E N D
Presentation Transcript
Bioinformatics Training Program Raymond J. Carroll Department of Statistics Faculty of Nutrition Texas A&M University http://stat.tamu.edu/~carroll
Official Name • Biostatistics, Bioinformatics and the Biological Basis of Nutrition and Cancer • Hence the clever acronym: http://www.stat.tamu.edu/b3nc
History • Roughly in 1997, Steve Safe started the idea of a Center for Environmental and Rural Health • He needed a Biostatistics Research Core, and Jim Calvin nominated me.
History • A major point of the CERH was to foster interdisciplinary contacts • Steve and Jim said: well you do nutrition, go talk to them • I met Nancy Turner at a reception to start off
History • Nancy first started telling me about her data, namely the idea of colonic crypts • She drew these by hand: I wished I had saved the original pictures
History • I then started talking with Nancy, Joanne Lupton and their student, Meeyoung Hong • Very cool: hierarchical functional data! • With location effects!
History • Naisyin Wang and I then gave the problem of these data to our student, Jeff Morris • Jeff started spending lots of time in the lab, and became very knowledgeable about the biology
History • I was at U-Penn for 2 years, and just before coming back spent a week at the Canyon Ranch in Tucson • Very fancy food, nothing to do
History • I wrote the first draft of the original Bioinformatics training program grant at Canyon ranch • I called a person at the NCI, and she suggested that I apply for a R25T, rather than a T32. • The difference: faculty salary money!
History • We also met Ed Dougherty of EE, who wrote an early paper on cDNA arrays • Robb Chapkin was a huge help in the proposal as well
Our Goal • Our goal is to train statistically oriented individuals (Biostatisticians, Statisticians, Signal Processors, etc.) • To function as independent researchers in a multidisciplinary environment focusing on Nutrition and cancer.
The Challenge • Even the Program Officer at the NCI thought we would not be able to recruit trainees • Because of the restriction to U.S. citizens and permanent residents
They Were Wrong! • We recruited a Danh Nguyen from statistics (2001) • Aniruddha Datta from EE
Recruits in 2002 • Two statisticians: • Qi Zheng • Mahlet Tadesse
Our First Pre-doc (2002) • Christie Spinka
Recruits in 2003 • Ivan Ivanov • Kimberley Drews • Wenjiang Fu
Recruits in 2004 • Michael Swartz He has a twin brother Richard, but these are actually two of Michael (I think)
Resubmission in 2005 • We have added a rotation through the Genomics Facility Core • We have a systematic plan for rotations through labs, with a final choice late in fall of year 1
Resubmission in 2005 • We received the best score in our round!! • We are now funded through July 2011 • I am looking forward (not!) to 2010 resubmission
Recruits in 2005 • Erchin Serepedin • Lan Zhou
Recruits in 2006 • Ann Chen • Sujay Datta
Other Mentors Laurie Davidson Bani Mallick Phil Mirkes Jerry Tsai Guoyao Wu Rosemary Walzem David Dahl Marina Vannucci
Administrative Assistant Joyce Sutherland runs the day-to-day operations for our Program, and for the proposed new Center for Statistical Bioinformatics
Thanks! http://stat.tamu.edu/~carroll