The UI College of Public Health recently received funding from the National Institutes of Health’s National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) for the Iowa Summer Institute for Research Education in Biostatistics (ISIREB)—a three-year continuation of the former Iowa Summer Institute in Biostatistics (ISIB). ISIB has been offered since 2010.

ISIREB is a unique program that provides biostatistical training and applied research opportunities to undergraduate students from around the nation. The seven-week on-campus program is focused on clinical trials, translational research, and models used in the analysis of biomedical studies and serves as a fundamental building block for students to understand the field of biostatistics.

The institute hosts a group of 18 trainees each summer. Special emphasis is to recruit minority, underrepresented, and disadvantaged students who wouldn’t have otherwise been exposed to the field of biostatistics.

According to Gideon Zamba, associate professor of biostatistics, director and PI of ISIREB, the vision of the program is to increase the proportion of undergraduates who enter graduate programs in biostatistics and to maintain a solid underrepresented minority pipeline into biostatistics graduate programs.

“This program presents a unique opportunity for students with quantitative backgrounds,” Dr. Zamba says. “Trainees will have a privilege of shadowing a biostatistician, of working closely with outstanding faculty mentors on research projects that give them valuable experience as they move forward with their graduate education and careers.”

In addition to the hands-on biostatistical training and research, the institute also provides students with guidance on how to successfully prepare for their GRE and how to prepare a successful application for graduate school.

There are no fees or tuition costs associated with participation in the program. Roundtrip transportation, housing, and meal allowance are provided and students have full access to university computing systems, libraries, and other academic and recreational facilities.