BWH Biostatistics Consulting Service
August 1, 2009
Fees:
- We provide design support for pilot projects and grants at no charge through the Harvard Catalyst Biostatistics Program.
- Education and advice consultations are also free through the Harvard Catalyst Biostatistics Program.
- The rate for data analysis is $100 per hour to the Center for Clinical Investigation.
- The fees are for Center for Clinical Investigation operating expenses and do not supplement our salaries.
Procedure:
- If you provide sufficiently detailed project information, your consultant will give you an initial time estimate.
This may be a range.
- The estimate will be revised if the investigator adds work, or if there are unexpected complications not
disclosed originally (like messy data, additional data, design complexities, or complex hypotheses not initially discussed).
- It is very common for analysis projects to expand beyond the initial estimate.
Occasionally projects are shorter than anticipated.
- Please keep in close communication with your consultant about the amount of time devoted to your project.
- Bills are sent monthly by the Center for Clinical Investigation. Payment is remitted to the Center for Clinical Investigation.
Recommendations to minimize costs:
- Clean your data. Click here for recommended data format.
- The senior faculty member on the project team should be involved in the statistical collaboration
and should be the main contact person for the statistical consultant. This will avoid incorrect
assumptions by less experienced assistants and fellows. We are committed to the education mission
of this institution, and wish to provide statistical education to all members of the project team,
while at the same time minimizing costs.
Grant Development:
- Grants should budget at least 5% FTE of a CCI statistician for eventual statistical analysis.
- Grants are often criticized for budgeting insufficient statistical support.
- Grants are never criticized for having too much statistical support.
- Larger grants should budget 5-10% at the beginning, 5% in the middle, and 15-25% in the last couple of years.
- Your statistical consultant will provide his/her biosketch.
- CCI Administrator Chris O'Byrne 617-732-7793 can provide some administrative details like salaries and fringe.
- You must send a copy of your grant or your grant's budget to Chris O'Byrne when you submit it.