Biostatistics Consulting and Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration Lab

The Biostatistics Consulting and Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration Lab (Biostat CIRCL) is a group of biostatisticians who specialize in balancing rigorous statistical methodology with the complex challenges of interdisciplinary biomedical research. Our goal is to work with University of Kentucky researchers to build effective research teams in order to optimize data-driven discoveries. The Biostat CIRCL is not a service core; it is an organization that fosters research partnerships for biostatisticians as team scientists.

The Biostat CIRCL is owned and operated by the University of Kentucky’s Department of Biostatistics and Institute for Biomedical Informatics, with generous contributions from the College of Medicine and College of Public Health.

Work with us

The Biostat CIRCL offers two avenues for collaboration with University of Kentucky researchers: voucher partnerships and collaborative units. For information about becoming a voucher partner or establishing a collaborative, please reach out to us at BiostatCIRCL@l.uky.edu.

Voucher partnership

Voucher partnerships are designed for large entities such as Colleges to provide access to biostatistical collaboration for investigators on short-term, unfunded research projects. Any researcher covered by the voucher partnership can apply for a voucher to collaborate with a biostatistician on a single project, and vouchers are awarded based on availability and expertise of CIRCL biostatisticians. Voucher partners provide funding for a limited number of vouchers; as such, individual investigators who receive a voucher are not responsible for funding biostatistician time/effort.

Our current voucher partners are the College of Medicine (any researcher) and the College of Public Health (faculty only). If you are a member of one of these groups, you can apply for a voucher at https://bit.ly/BiostatCIRCLvoucher. Examples of voucher-sized projects include data analysis for a single manuscript or development of a statistical analysis plan for a single grant proposal. For quick statistical questions or brief advice (no data analysis), open consultations are also available on a first come first served basis for College of Medicine and College of Public Health researchers. To a schedule a 30-minute consulting appointment, visit https://calendly.com/BiostatCIRCL.

Collaborative unit

Collaborative units are designed for smaller entities such as Departments/Divisions to create a meaningful, long-term research collaboration between a lead biostatistician and a research team or group of researchers working in a similar domain area. As opposed to the voucher system which gives investigators access to short-term collaboration on a single project with any member of the Biostat CIRCL, a collaborative unit funds a dedicated lead biostatistician to work with members of the partnering group on an ongoing basis. Researchers in the partnering group are encouraged to embed the lead biostatistician within their research team(s) through activities such as research idea generation, analyses and writing for manuscripts, study design/grant preparation, participation in research team meetings and journal clubs, personalized seminars or workshops for the partnering group, etc.

Collaborative units are the recommended method for collaborating with CIRCL biostatisticians for groups of researchers seeking ongoing biostatistical partnership in a focused domain area. Please contact BiostatCIRCL@l.uky.edu for pricing structure and more information about establishing collaborative units.

Frequently Asked Questions

No, CIRCL biostatisticians are team scientists who work with investigators as research partners. We never analyze data without deeply understanding the research questions, how the data were collected, and what important information may not have been measured. Selecting and interpreting appropriate statistical analyses not only requires expertise in statistical methodology, but it also requires critical assessment of factors related to study design. In fact, the most successful projects include collaboration with biostatisticians in the study design phase as well as the analysis phase of the project.

We follow the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)’s recommendation for criteria warranting authorship on scientific manuscripts which can be found here. Brief statistical advice from open consultations does not warrant authorship, but in most cases, contributions to projects through the voucher system or collaborative units would meet these criteria.

Funding and authorship are independent questions. The Biostat CIRCL requires funding in order to employ excellent biostatisticians, and regardless of funding, intellectual contributions to research should be recognized with authorship as they would be for any other team scientist (see ICMJE guidelines mentioned above).

It varies from project to project. When a new voucher is awarded, the lead CIRCL biostatistician will develop a Statistical Analysis Plan (SAP) that describes in detail the planned statistical analyses. The SAP serves as the agreement of biostatistician time/effort. If analyses are requested outside of those detailed on the SAP, a new voucher application may need to be submitted.

Biostat CIRCL faculty may be available to join grant proposals as key personnel, subject to their own interest, expertise, and availability. This should be requested and negotiated directly with the individual Biostat CIRCL faculty member, just as it would be for any other team scientist. To discuss options for staff support on funded projects, reach out to BiostatCIRCL@l.uky.edu. Planned collaborations with the Biostat CIRCL should not be written into grant proposals without explicit approval from the Biostat CIRCL.

Our Team

The Biostat CIRCL team is comprised of both faculty and staff in the Department of Biostatistics (below). Interested in joining us? We’re always looking for biostatisticians who are passionate about team science – just reach out to learn more!

Emily Slade, PhD Director/Faculty Biostatistician	Chris McLouth, PhD Faculty Biostatistician	Tony Mangino, PhD Staff Biostatistician
Will Cranford, MS Staff Biostatistician	Kory Heier, MS Staff Biostatistician	Sarah Robbins, MPH Staff Biostatistician