Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design

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About us

OCTRI Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design (BERD) exists to provide the expertise and mentorship support that clinical and translational investigators need to carry out sound research. To set investigators up for success, our program provides one-on-one consultation in the design phase of research, as well as training opportunities on high-need topics in biostatistics and epidemiology. 

We have close ties with the Biostatistics and Design Program (BDP), a university shared resource (USR) core. The BDP engages with researchers via fee-for-service agreements to provide analytic support and offers weekly advice sessions to investigators across OHSU on a reservation basis.

Though these two programs have overlapping goals and common team members, the primary distinction is that BERD, as a provider of training opportunities and mentoring, facilitates clinical and translational research, while BDP, as a service core, assists in carrying out this research. 

What we do

The OCTRI BERD team facilitates clinical and translational research at OHSU and beyond in several ways: 

  • Educational and professional development opportunities on topics of high need for those involved with research in the OHSU community 

  • High-quality individual mentorship support to investigators initiating research 

  • Methodologic support to investigators pursuing analytically novel work 

In each of these efforts, we strive to support the fourth mission of OHSU, to become an anti-racist and multicultural institution. 

BERD support opportunities for your research

Education and professional development

BERD sponsors regular training opportunities on high-need topics for clinical and translational investigators through the OCTRI Research Forum.

Many of the seminars and workshops we offer fall under our ongoing series:

  • Anti-racism in Data and Analysis
  • Power and Sample Size Considerations
  • R and RStudio

We additionally offer free-standing seminars on other topics of interest to researchers.

Our seminars are offered on a recurring basis. Materials from each of our past seminars and workshops, including slides, recordings, and additional resources, can be found on the OCTRI Research Forum webpage, as well as any upcoming offerings.

Please reach out to Amy Laird with inquiries. 

Mentorship support

The OCTRI BERD team has expertise on a wide array of topics in biostatistics, data science, and epidemiology, and has worked with investigators from a diverse set of medical specialties, including pediatrics, neurology, and surgery. We have provided mentorship to junior investigators on pilot studies, survey studies, clinical trials, retrospective chart reviews, microbiome analyses, and other types of studies. 

While BERD support includes advice and guidance only, BDP fee-for-service support can include deliverables such as data management and wrangling, data visualization and analysis, manuscript preparation, and more. For investigators who are in need of support beyond the mentorship that BERD can offer, the BERD team can facilitate an arrangement with BDP. 

The OCTRI BERD team are experts in study design and encourage researchers to consult with us in the planning phases of research. As the design of a study is directly linked with the analysis of the data, researchers can benefit greatly from involving BERD experts early, starting in the design phase of the work. 

Methodologic support

Does your work require a specific statistical approach that doesn't seem to exist?

Contact us via email or at our Suggestion Box

Meet our team

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Professional photo of Barbara Brumbach

Barbara Brumbach, PhD

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Sarah Andrea, PhD

Professional photo of Alicia Johnson
Professional photo of Meike Niederhausen

Meike Niederhausen, PhD

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Headshot of a woman

Amy Laird, PhD

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Genna Kalal

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Ready to discuss your needs for mentorship support? 

Contact the BERD team at berd@ohsu.edu 

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OCTRI Research Forum 

Seminar series on current topics in clinical and translational research.

Find upcoming BERD seminars

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Strengthen your grant proposal

Get individualized feedback from BERD experts at an OCTRI Design Studio

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Seminar topic ideas or other thoughts?

Write to our Suggestion Box