JHU Faculty & Staff

Walk-in Biostatistics Consultations

Effective March 16, 2020, and until further notice: Biostatistics Program's walk-in sessions are moved online.

Johns Hopkins researchers (Faculty, Staff, Pre-MD, and Post Docs)

When is clinic sessions held?

Tuesdays, 1:30- 2:30 pm (Statistical software expertise: SAS)

Wednesdays, 11 am- 12 pm (Statistical software expertise: R)

Thursdays, 11 am- 12 pm (Statistical software expertise: STATA)

What help is offered?

These consultations are designed for short questions that can be addressed within 20- to 30-minute sessions.

• Study design considerations and approaches to sample size justification
• Organization of data for statistical analysis
• Statistical analysis approaches
• Assistance with implementing, interpreting, and communicating analyses in statistical software (STATA, SAS, R).
• Projects that require more extensive considerations than can be handled within the walk-in consulting time, might be asked to submit biostatistics consulting request.

• We ask that researchers email jhbc@jhu.edu one hour prior to the standing clinic time. Space is limited and not guaranteed. Each researcher is served on a first-come, first-served basis.

• An email confirmation will be sent to first three individuals. “Session-full” notices will be sent to others.

How is clinic held?

• The virtual walk-in clinics will be conducted via MS Teams at the regular standing clinic times (Visit the Microsoft Teams Training Site)
• Each researcher has an approximately 20–30-minute consultation time.

How should I prepare for the walk-in clinic?

• Sort out any technical difficulties prior to the consultation by (1) familiarize yourself with Teams (2) be online and available by Teams and (3) be on the lookout for Teams messages or emails from the consultant. If you are not available when contacted, the biostatistical consultation opportunity will go to the next researcher in line.
• Come prepared to facilitate the biostatistician’s understanding of your research project. This includes:
  • Description of the research hypotheses
  • Population to be sampled or included in existing source data
  • Outcomes measured and to be analyzed, questions of interest.
  • For sample size/power calculations, clinically significant effect sizes for the primary outcome based on literature or previous pilot studies, and desired levels of precision or power.

How to check for closing and cancellations?

Please check the link: https://my.jhsph.edu/Departments/Biostat/BiostatisticsCenter/Pages/default.aspx

What help is NOT offered?

Please, do not contact the consultants outside the clinic time. If more help is needed, please submit a Biostatistics Consulting Request at the ICTR website to get up to 5 free hours of biostatistics or data management consultation/analysis per research project.

Biostatistics Consulting Requests

Biostatistics and/or data management consultations are offered for up to 5 free hours (each) per research project.

Johns Hopkins researchers (Faculty, Staff, Pre-MD, and Post Docs) engaged in faculty-led clinical and translational research

Study design, including sample size justification

Grant preparation and letter of support

Randomization algorithm development and implementation

Record sampling and matching using existing database

Review of database design for data collection

Data visualization techniques

Review of the statistical approach / response to reviewers

Combining datasets from multiple sources

Data management / preparing data for analysis

Regression analyses (ANOVA, Linear and Generalized Linear Models)

Longitudinal or multi-level data analysis

Survival / time-to-event analysis

Analysis of survey data

Meta-analysis

Missing data approaches

Multivariate analysis, including PCA and factor analysis

An ICTR request should be submitted for biostatistics and for data management support, separately, each for up to 5 free hours. These requests can be submitted as a follow-up to a walk-in clinic visit, or when a researcher knows that their questions require more substantive discussion than afforded by the clinic.

For a biostatistics request, a biostatistician will be assigned to the request based on the information provided. If a data management request is also submitted, the biostatistician and data manager will work together to ensure consistency in approach.

Once the assignment has been made, the biostatistician will contact the researcher (within a week) to set up an initial meeting at which they will discuss and clarify the needs of the research project, and an approach for supporting the request.

Come prepared to facilitate the biostatistician’s understanding of your research project. This includes:

• Description of the research hypotheses
• Population to be sampled or included in existing source data
• Outcomes measured and to be analyzed, questions of interest.
• For sample size/power calculations, clinically significant effect sizes for the primary outcome based on literature or previous pilot studies, and desired levels of precision or power.

Consultants are assigned on a rotating schedule. A researcher has the option of requesting a consultant with whom they have previously worked through the walk-in clinic or a previous ICTR request.

To recognize the assistance provided by the grant, NIH requests that the statement on the ICTR website be included as an acknowledgement in any dissemination of the supported research.

Please check the link:  https://my.jhsph.edu/Departments/Biostat/BiostatisticsCenter/Pages/default.aspx

What should I do if I don’t hear back within a week after submitting a request?

Please email jhbc@jhu.edu.

If the researcher's request requires more than the 5 free hours, the researcher can coordinate with JHBC for support through a Fee-for-Service or long-term collaboration agreement.