About BEBTEH

Solving the most pressing environmental public health problems requires professionals highly trained in quantitative reasoning. While it is crucial to study the biological mechanisms underlying environmentally related diseases at the molecular level, it is also important to study the effects of environmental exposures that occur at the population level using epidemiological approaches. Both approaches provide insight into disease causation and often lead to the collection of very large datasets that require sophisticated quantitative (bioinformatic and statistical) tools to analyze.

The BEBTEH Training Program is uniquely positioned to bridge this gap by combining quantitative training with environmental health sciences (EHS) applications. 

Trainees in the BEBTEH program represent PhD programs from three UW departments: Biostatistics, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences and Epidemiology. Every student follows one of two pathways: the laboratory-based pathway or the population-based pathway. Trainees in quantitative disciplines (e.g., biostatistics, statistical genetics) emphasize quantitative training and receive enhanced training in environmental health sciences, while for students from life sciences disciplines (e.g., epidemiology, environmental and occupational health sciences), the reverse is true. 

Every BEBTEH trainee is assigned mentors who represent eight UW departments. Mentors provide expertise across a wide range of topics, including biostatistics, statistical genetics, epidemiology, genome sciences, computer science, medicine and environmental health sciences. Mentors help the trainees craft individualized training plans and identify cross-disciplinary research opportunities relevant to their areas of interest. 

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Detailed information about program requirements is also available in the BEBTEH Trainees Guidelines.