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Biostatistics and Data Management Services for JHU-Affiliated Researchers

Faculty and staff across the Johns Hopkins community can get comprehensive biostatistical and data management support from our Center. Our cross-disciplinary experience, unparalleled expertise, end-to-end capabilities, and NIH- and ICTR-subsidized services make us a one-stop shop for cost-effective research support at Johns Hopkins. 

“This is an incredibly valuable resource, especially for junior faculty who need to make the most out of smaller studies and limited budgets!”  

Three Ways to Access Our Services

Free Online Consultations via Teams

Schedule a 30-minute Teams session with a consultant to address quick problems or questions. Please sign up at least one hour before the scheduled clinic time. (See schedule and FAQ below.) 

Instruction

Free Five-Hour Project Support

Our Center will provide five hours of support per project for each project you bring to us, from grant writing help to data visualizations. (See FAQ below) Make your request through the ICTR.  

Request Free Consulting 

Paid Consulting Services 

For projects that extend beyond the five free hours of support available through ICTR, we can collaborate on a fee-for-service or long-term basis. 

 

Contact Us For Help  

FAQs About Free Online Consultations 

Who is eligible?

Johns Hopkins researchers (faculty, staff, pre-med, and post docs) are eligible.

When are clinic sessions held?

Please sign-up here one hour prior to the clinic's standing time. The biostatistician expert running the clinic will send a MS Team note to confirm availability and initiate a MS Teams call.   

  • Tuesdays, 11am- 12 pm (Statistical software expertise: R/SAS) 
  • Wednesdays, 11 am- 12 pm (Statistical software expertise: R/Python) 

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

Check here for cancellations

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 

How should I prepare?

Be online and available by Teams and 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. 

What help is  NOT offered?

Please, do not contact the consultants outside the clinic time. If more help is needed than can be provided in a half-hour session, you can request up to five free hours of consultation services per research project. Requests are made through the ICTR. 

FAQs About Free Five-Hour Project Support

How do I request free support?

Make a request through the ICTR here. You can make a request as a follow-up to a walk-in clinic visit or if you know your questions require more discussion than the 30-minute clinic can provide. A consultant will be assigned to you and will reach out directly. 

Who is eligible?

Johns Hopkins researchers (faculty, staff, pre-MD, and post docs) engaged in faculty-led clinical and translational research. 

Can I get free support for multiple projects or only for my first project?

Every project you bring to use is eligible for five free hours of support from our Center, which is different from many other consulting organizations. Many researchers get free services for multiple projects, sometimes simultaneously. 

What help is offered?

Our biostatistical and data management services are comprehensive, and you can come to us at any point in your research lifecycle. For example, we offer help with: 

  • 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 

Can I get help with a grant proposal?
When will I hear back after submitting a request?

Once the staff assignment has been made to your ICTR request, the consultant will contact the researcher (within a week) to set up an initial meeting.

How should I prepare for the consultation?

Come prepared to facilitate the biostatistician’s understanding of your research project. For example, please provide: 

  • 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.

Can I request a specific consultant?

Yes. For consistency, you can request a consultant with whom you have previously worked through the walk-in clinic or a previous project.

How do I recognize co-authorship and financial support?

Co-authorship will be discussed during the collaboration/consultation process. The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors has issued guidelines for when the efforts of the biostatistician(s) should be recognized with co-authorship, which include:  

  • Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work 

  • Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content 

  • Final approval of the version to be published 

  • Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved 

To recognize the NIH-supported grant funding that provides free services through our Center, NIH requests this acknowledgement in any dissemination of supported research: 

What if I need more than five hours of help?

Contact the Center to arrange for fee-for-service consulting or to establish a long-term collaboration agreement.