The Biostatistics and Modeling (BAM) Core of the San Diego Center for AIDS Research is a centralized resource that provides quantitative expertise, collaboration, and training in the areas of biostatistics and infectious disease modeling.
The Biostatistics and Modeling (BAM) Core’s mission is to enhance the scientific rigor and impact of SD CFAR’s HIV research by providing centralized quantitative expertise, collaboration, and training in the areas of biostatistics, infectious disease modeling, and artificial intelligence (AI) and its application to high dimensional analyses. We apply our specialized HIV expertise to innovative quantitative methods that advance HIV research. We are also dedicated to mentoring and training emerging investigators in quantitative approaches that shed new light on HIV research questions. The BAM Core’s strengths include our expert biostatistical and modeling personnel, our close collaboration with all other SD CFAR Cores, and our commitment to providing state-of-the-art quantitative services, methodological innovation, and training/mentoring.
To accomplish its mission, the BAM Core is organized into four units – biostatistics, modeling, AI and machine learning, and mentorship.
BAM Core service areas:
The BAM Core has a particular focus on training and mentoring the next generation of HIV researchers on biostatistics and modeling methodologies. As such, we provide multiple formal and informal training activities in quantitative methods, please submit a Service Request (link service request) to learn more.
We provide statistical consultation and collaboration in the following areas:
- Clinical trials
- Observational studies
- Machine learning
- Survey designs
- Health economics
- Genomics studies (in collaboration with the AT Core)
- High-dimensional analysis
- Geospatial analyses
- Bayesian methods
- Clinical trial design and analyses
- Dynamic modeling and cost-effectiveness evaluations
The BAM core provides the following services:
Pre-award grant proposal support (when the BAM Core or personnel are included in the application’s budget after a discussion with BAM leadership regarding the appropriate level of support):
- Study planning, including assistance in formalizing aims
- Design and health economics advice and referrals
- Design of AI/ML analyses (added 5/4/26)
- Sample size and power calculations
- Development of analysis plans
Collaboration on funded proposals (with funding committed to the BAM Core or personnel):
- In-depth collaboration as a co-PI or co-investigator
- Funding allocated towards quantitative effort separate from CFAR support
- Collaboration in research communication
- Interpretation of results
- Drafting of abstracts, posters, or articles as co-authors
Access to BAM services
All requests must be submitted via the Service Request Form . One hour of consultation is available to SD CFAR members for free.
All investigators receiving BAM assistance during grant preparation are required to include BAM personnel or recharge in the budgets for their grant proposals (a practice that usually strengthens the applications).he applications).
The Core responds to service requests with an initial scheduling email within 3 working days. Request are placed in a queue. Queue time ranges from a few days to several weeks, depending on Core workload. To ensure proper review of grant applications and adequate time to support an associated work product (e.g. power calculations or text to include in a grant), we require at least 4 weeks advance notice before the grant deadline to receive BAM support.
Considerations of co-authorship should be based on intellectual and research contributions, which include design, analysis, and interpretation, regardless of compensation. For more on authorship guidelines, see International Committee of Medical Journal Editors uniform requirements for manuscripts
FAQ
SD CFAR members (affiliated with; UCSD [including the SD Veterans Affairs Healthcare System and the Veterans Medical Research foundation], San Diego State University, Scripps Research, and The La Jolla Institute for Immunology) who request HIV-related research support. BAM Core also supports individuals applying for SD CFAR developmental grants.
The Core responds to service requests with an initial scheduling email within 3 working days. Request are placed in a queue. Queue time ranges from a few days to several weeks, depending on Core workload. When your project reaches the front of the queue, you will be contacted to arrange a meeting. We recommend making a request as early as possible to ensure your deadlines are met (see the Timelines section above).
The first meeting typically involves a discussion with one of the members of the BAM Core Leadership and lasts no more than one hour. During the meeting, please be prepared to discuss the background, research aims, and the goals of the project. Discussions about the specific work items requested (e.g., a power calculation or statistical analysis plan) will occur in conjunction with budget discussions, including a timeline for delivery.
Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate last-minute requests. Please feel free to reach out to us, but we cannot guarantee consultation under short deadlines due to the many projects we support.
Quantitative Working Group
In the summer of 2018, the Quantitative Working Group (QWG) was established to help investigators develop collaborative, quantitative, and methodological innovations for their grant proposals and research projects. The video linked below provides more detail. Let us know how we can help you!
For more information, submit a service request here
