Biostatistics Shared Service

15.0 Abstract: Biostatistics Shared Service (BSS)
The Biostatistics Shared Service (BSS) fosters and sustains excellence in quantitative cancer research at the
University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC), covering
the whole spectrum from basic science to translational and clinical research and population health science. BSS
provides in-depth knowledge of and access to state-of-the-art biostatistics and bioinformatics methods,
which are augmented by domain expertise in several fields of cancer research. BSS supports Cancer
Center pilot projects, aids in conceptualizing and developing research projects and applications for funding,
advises on study design and data capture, performs state-of-the-art data analyses, and contributes to the
interpretation and reporting of study outcomes. BSS supports statistical bioinformatics projects and increasingly
applies artificial intelligence and machine learning when collaborating on projects. BSS has experience in the
analysis of large population registries, for example the National Cancer Database, the SEER, and the SEER-
Medicare linked datasets, and can assist investigators to access these resources. When needed, BSS faculty
develop and implement data analytical methods that directly support UMGCCC projects. BSS faculty are
encouraged to pursue project-specific funding for independent, investigator-initiated research in statistical
methodology. An important part of the BSS mission is to train UMGCCC faculty and students in quantitative
biomedical research methods through teaching, mentoring, and workshops. The UMGCCC supports BSS as an
important component of the Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics (DBB) in the Department of Epidemiology
and Public Health which also serves as the biostatistics core for the University of Maryland School of Medicine
(UMSOM) and supports the Institute for Clinical and Translational Research. BSS faculty are in part supported
by funded investigator projects. This creates a stimulating environment for the activities of BSS and
provides value-added access for UMGCCC members to a wider range of innovative methodological
expertise. BSS statisticians participate actively in many UMGCCC collaborations, providing advice on specific
issues and often are coinvestigators. BSS draws on the expertise of a team of enthusiastic and highly skilled
biostatisticians, bioinformaticians, and administrative staff: 13 Ph.D.-level biostatisticians/bioinformaticians, 2
master's-level data analysts, and 1 FTE administrative coordinator, all working together to support the five
UMGCCC research programs. In 2019, BSS supported 153 total investigators including 43 UMGCCC-affiliated
faculty (28.1%). In 2019, BSS supported $15.7 million of cancer-related funding all of which was peer reviewed.
BSS supported 278 cancer-related publications from 2015 to 2019, including those published in high-impact
journals such as Nature Reviews Cancer, Nature Medicine, Journal of Clinical Oncology and Cancer Cell.

Grant Number: 5P30CA134274-18
NIH Institute/Center: NIH
Principal Investigator: Soren Bentzen