edinburgh uni education phd

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Education PhD

The university of edinburgh, different course options.

• Key information

Course Summary

Tuition fees, entry requirements, similar courses at different universities, key information data source : idp connect, qualification type.

PhD/DPhil - Doctor of Philosophy

Subject areas

Education Studies

Course type

The University of Edinburgh was ranked first in Scotland for research power in Education and Sport (THE Overall Ranking REF 2014) and we offer the largest concentration of researchers in education in a Scottish university, meaning you'll be supported by and collaborate with leaders in the field. Our research activities cover all aspects of education and learning - from pre-school to higher education and lifelong learrning.

Research community

As a postgraduate research student you will join a vibrant Graduate School community with over 150 research students. There are also several opportunities for optional training and development throughout your studies.

Research students are encouraged to attend and actively engage with the activities of School research thematic hubs, which include seminars, meetings and workshops. In addition, several academic and social events for research students take place throughout the year. We organise an annual series of around 25 trainings, talks and seminar events, as well as the student-led ‘Interweaving’ conference for research students and staff.

Training and support

Students following the PhD degree are normally supported in their research by two supervisors. The first of these will be a member of staff who has expertise in the general area of your proposed research topic and the second will be another expert in the field who may come from within the School, University or a field of practice.

Most students who are accepted begin a period of research leading to a PhD, however, the first year of the PhD degree is probationary and progression to year two is dependent on satisfactory progress.

We offer a number of courses in research methodologies, which research students are encouraged to take during their first year.

PhD students work closely with their supervisors, who are recognised experts in the field. All PhD students pursue an individually tailored programme of research training agreed with their supervisors. Our postgraduate research programmes provide core training in the research skills necessary to flourish at doctoral level and beyond.

UK fees Course fees for UK students

To be confirmed

International fees Course fees for EU and international students

For this course (per year)

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in a related subject is normally required. Normally also a postgraduate degree with a 60% overall grade point average and 60% in the dissertation, or its international equivalent.

Education (Special Educational Needs) MA

University of bedfordshire, education (leadership) ma, primary education (5-11) pgce, education (practice) ma, education (national award for special educational needs co-ordination) pgcert.

• Schools & departments

What is the Doctoral College?

The University of Edinburgh Doctoral College is a coordinating structure for all postgraduate researchers, supervisors and relevant staff at the university, designed to enhance and support the postgraduate student experience. 

For information and resources for research staff, please see the Research Staff Pages:   https://www.ed.ac.uk/researchers

A Doctoral College Welcome Event for all Postgraduate Researchers was held on 12th September 2023. A recording of this event is available to watch here -  https://edin.ac/3PIYbYv 

A Town Hall Event for all Postgraduate Researchers ran on the 23rd January 2024 - A recording of this event is available to watch here - Recording

PhD stories

Our extraordinary PhD students come from all walks of life and all backgrounds. In this collection of short videos, some of them share their experiences -   PhD Stories

Vision and strategy

The purpose of the Doctoral College, our vision and strategic objectives.

People and structure

About the Doctoral College leadership and management structure, and the wider Doctoral College team.

Personal and professional development and training

Information about professional, careers and personal development training and opportunities for  UoE   PGR  students.

Wellbeing, community and representation

Information on student representation, wellbeing services and opportunities for engagement.

Support for PGR supervision

Information and guidance for staff who supervise research students.

Doctoral training centres

Information on funded PhD training programmes and support for directors and administrators of these programmes.

Essential information for postgraduate researchers

Code of Practice for Supervisors and Research Students (PDF)

College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences - PGR pages

College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine - PGR pages

College of Science and Engineering  (EASE log in required)

Information for prospective postgraduate research students

New student pages

Postgraduate study degree finder

This article was published on 2023-12-07

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Why study at Edinburgh?

How to apply for a phd, what funding is available for your phd study, visiting research students.

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• School of Mathematics
• Studying Here
• Postgraduate Research Studies

Research Degrees (PhD)

Our Graduate School is supervised by internationally-leading researchers spanning a wide spectrum of topics, making our School a world renowned centre of excellence in mathematics.

Watch a recording of the School of Mathematics' Graduate School Virtual Open Day 20-21

The School of Mathematics welcomes applications to our Visitors Programme from research students who are registered at another university.

MAC-MIGS CDT

MAC-MIGS is a prestigious EPSRC-funded PhD programme in Mathematical Modelling, Analysis and Computation, run jointly by Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt universities, as part of the Maxwell Institute Graduate School, that offers fully-funded scholarships.

MAC-MIGS website

The Maxwell Institute Graduate School in Analysis and its Applications (MIGSAA) is a Centre for Doctoral Training that provides high quality instruction in analysis and the applications of analysis to a wide range of areas. MIGSAA has been made possible by a grant from the UK's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Scottish Funding Council.

MIGSAA website

Graduate School staff

School of Engineering

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SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

Study for a PhD

A PhD degree from Edinburgh is your chance to connect with internationally renowned researchers and innovators, with a unique opportunity to experience one of Europe's leading universities in one of the world's most iconic cities.

We carry out world class research and provide high quality training in research for both students and postdoctoral researchers.

Our world-leading research is conducted through our seven Research Institutes . These span across and connect between our core disciplines of Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering, and Electronics & Electrical Engineering.

You will carry out independent research resulting in an original contribution to knowledge in your chosen area, guided by your supervisor. You will submit a thesis and defend it in an assessed oral exam.

Alongside this research, all our researchers follow a comprehensive training programme that is an integral part of our research degrees. You will gain skills that will equip you for a wide range of future careers beyond your specialist research project. These will serve you for the rest of life, making you a more confident and knowledgeable person, and equipping you in both technical and soft skills. You can find additional information on our training and support here: https://edin.ac/3f7KyhE . This includes a link to the current handbook for postgraduate research students in the School of Engineering.

The School of Engineering has an active research community. PhD students present at research seminars in their research institutes, and attend talks by visiting speakers. Our Engineering Graduate Society organises networking, training, and social events across the School.

We have a very wide range of high-quality engineering facilities, including specialised test laboratories, fabrication workshops, and computing resources. Information on these facilities can be found on our research web pages .

Our graduates are amongst the most highly sought-after candidates for academic, commercial or consulting positions, entering careers around the world. The majority of our research graduates enter the engineering profession in a wide range of fields, including automotive, bioengineering, communications, medical imaging, engineering consultancy, fire safety, renewable energy, chemical processing, oil and gas, fast moving consumable goods, high-technology and the semiconductor industry.  Other graduates from our programmes continue to further research including postdoctoral fellowships, lecturing roles and research contracts in universities and research institutes.

Funding Required

• Tuition fees : All students pay tuition fees. Further information on the fee rates for Home, EU, and International students can be found here: Full time fees and Part time fees
• Research costs:  "Additional programme costs" are in addition to the tuition fees, and include the costs of carrying out research project, such as the costs of laboratory and experimental work, software licenses, or travel costs. The costs of research depend upon the nature of the research project.   Further information .
• Living Expenses / Stipend:  The University gives information on living costs in Edinburgh, which will be a substantial commitment: Latest estimates of living expenses .

Scholarships Available

The School of Engineering offers several scholarships for excellent students. The deadlines for scholarships applications are early in each year. Please view our scholarship options .

Academic Grades

You will need a UK 2:1 honours degree or its international equivalent in your first degree, which must be in a relevant subject.

A good MSc result, relevant work experience, or some other exceptional achievement will be considered for applicants who do not meet this requirement.

English language requirements

Information on our English language requirements can be found on the Engineering PhD degree finder page , with additional information for International applicants given on this web page .  Please note that our English language requirement cannot be waived.

Before applying for a PhD, you should look at our research pages  to help identify the field of research that you would be interested in studying.

Our list of Current PhD Opportunites gives several possible research projects, but it is not exhaustive, and you should contact a member of our academic staff to see whether they would be able to supervise your research.

Before you Apply

Before applying for a PhD in Engineering you should:

• Identify a possible academic supervisor working in the area that you would like to carry out research. You can find information on our academic staff on our research web pages , or view our list of PhD Opportunities .
• Check that you meet the entry requirements and that you have degree certificates and transcripts for your application.
• Established how you will fund your PhD: Funding and Scholarships

To apply for a PhD you will need the following documents:

• Degree certificates, transcripts, and evidence of meeting our English language requirements (as appropriate).
• Two references on official letterheads, with signatures.
• A  Research Proposal , which should be in your words even if your are applying an advertised project. This helps evaluate your writing skills and research ideas. It can help with both assessing your suitability for a research degree and whether we can offer supervision. It should be no more than 2 A4 pages.

​Potential students in all of our engineering disciplines and all of our research institutes should apply for our  PhD in Engineering  programme.  Apply here using the University's online application system .

Additional information for PhD applicants (and for our EngD, MPhil, MScR or visiting student programmes) can be found in these two documents:

• Additional information for postgraduate research students
• Postgraduate Research Student Handbook (School of Engineering)

Part-time Study

A small number of our students study part-time. This must, however, be discussed with your potential supervisor, as whether this is possible will depend upon the nature of the research project. As a part-time student you would be required to spend 50% of your time on your PhD and you are expected to be in the University 50% of your time. It is consequently not possible to pursue a part-time PhD in addition to full-time employment.

Distance Learning

Our PhD students usually study here in the University of Edinburgh, where they benefit from the research community, expert networks, training and activities that are an integral part of a PhD. It is occasionally appropriate to study remotely, for example, to make use of research facilities that are uniquely available at a different location. Distance learning requires careful planning and the arrangements need to be agreed in advance, to ensure adequate supervision, training, and opportunities to engage with our research community. Please discuss a possible distance learning proposal with an academic supervisor before applying.

THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH

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School of Social and Political Science

Phd politics, introduction.

The deadline to apply for September 2024 entry is Monday 1 July 2024.

We warmly invite candidates to apply for a PhD in Politics

We are delighted that you are interested in doctoral research in our programme. We would like to highlight what's special about doctoral education in Politics (and/or) International Relations - or PIR - at the University of Edinburgh.

Approximately 60 members of PIR academic staff enjoy international reputations for their research and have won numerous teaching, research and advising awards. Their scholarship covers a diverse range of research areas on Scotland, Europe, and the world, and is published in highly-rated journals and books.

The department has a strong tradition of advising, informing and debating policy with key decision-makers at Scottish, UK, European and international levels, and has a notable concentration of political theorists.

Our Politics and International Relations department at the University of Edinburgh is one of the leading centres of research excellence in the UK, ranked in the top 10 in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF). We are one of only three Politics and International Relations departments in the UK to achieve 100% 4* (the top ranking) for research environment. Amongst UK universities, we placed 7th in the 2022 QS World University Ranking by subject.

Our stimulating intellectual community

We have a large, vibrant, diverse, and international community of postgraduate students. We direct active research institutes, including:

• Europa Institute
• Centre on Constitutional Change
• Centre for Science, Knowledge and Policy (SKAPE)
• Centre for Security Research (CeSeR)
• Centre for Ethics and Critical Thought (CRITIQUE)

PhD research in Politics and International Relations at Edinburgh is located in the School of Social and Political Science. The School benefits from the broader University of Edinburgh community of world-class researchers. A flourishing programme of events, seminars, and research groups complements our postgraduate courses and doctoral supervision.

Our dedication to students

We are deeply committed to our students at all levels and offer individualized supervision, mentoring, and support at all stages of the doctoral programme. Many postgraduate students work closely with staff on research and themselves publish independent papers. The department warmly welcomes the participation by our postgraduate community in our research, our working groups and centres and in the daily life of the department.

Our students are further supported by a range of courses, workshops, and professional development opportunities sponsored by the School of Social and Political Science and the Institute for Academic Development:

• Institute for Academic Development

The degree is based on three to four years of full-time research. Each student follows an individual training programme designed with their supervisor and the Postgraduate Adviser. This programme is reviewed and updated on an annual basis.

In the first year, students acquire a wide range of research skills and formulate their research question and related design, under the guidance of their supervisors. At the end of their course of study students submit a thesis and are examined in an oral examination (viva voce) by two examiners (usually one internal to the University, the other external).

The thesis is a long piece of research on a topic of particular interest to the student and makes an original contribution to the field of politics and international relations.

Research training

All new research students follow a programme of research training, drawn from the MSc by Research courses coordinated by the School of Social and Political Science and Politics and International Relations-specific training.

The programme equips students with professional training to a high standard. After graduating you can expect to be a strong candidate for careers in a wide variety of contexts, including academia, the media, the private sector and a diverse array of public services. Nearly everyone needs good researchers!

Politics and International Relations helps you gain a range of transferable skills above and beyond those required by their specific projects, such as:

• organising seminars and conferences
• learning how to apply for research jobs in and out of academia
• learning how to deliver professional seminar presentations 

Postgraduate researchers also have access to the University and College-wide programme of training in transferable skills and other aspects of professional development, such as specialist careers advice.

PhD students in Politics and International Relations are allocated a supervisor and a co-supervisor, who will advise on the entirety of the research process, from reading and assembling ideas, to fieldwork, analysing empirical or theoretical materials, writing up chapters, completing the thesis, to the viva which rounds off the process. 

Although the first supervisor is based in Politics and International Relations, the second one may be from another discipline in the School or the wider University. This decision depends wholly on your topic and the availability of supervisors.

There is a regular progress review, discuss ideas, review progress and provide help and support where necessary. The Postgraduate Advisor in Politics and International Relations is also available to provide advice. The supervisors and the Postgraduate Advisor facilitate a supportive framework and promote an active and sustaining research culture for our PhD students.

You are encouraged to contact staff with similar interests to yours and discuss ideas prior to application.

Accomplishments

Politics and International Relations postgraduate researchers significantly contribute to the academic community, productivity and acclaim of Edinburgh. Our PhD students are involved in a range of initiatives within the University and beyond, including government and non-profit programmes.

Evidence of the quality and dedication of our students is clear from the awards they receive.  Here are a few examples:

• Judith Sijstermans – UACES & James Madison Charitable Trust Scholarship for fieldwork
• Lukas Slothuus – ESRC Studentship
• Francesco Bertoldi – ESRC Studenship
• Louis Fletcher – Robert L. Platzman Fellowship from the University of Chicago library for archival work
• Kathy Dodworth – Inaugural BISA African Affairs Postgraduate Paper Prize
• Sayra Van Den Berg – ESRC Studentship
• Alexandra Remond – ESRC Studentship
• Tom Charman – ESRC Studentship
• Kathy Dodworth – ESRC Studentship
• Cera Murtagh – ESRC Studentship
• Coree Brown – Principals Career Development Scholarship; Edinburgh Global Research Scholarship

Recent publications

Past and current cohorts of postgraduates in Politics and International Relations have actively sought to publish their innovative research drawn from PhD studies, related work, and collaboration with other academics and organisations.

Some examples of published writing include:  

• Yue Liu (2017) “UK’s participation in the One Belt & One Road Initiative” (Ying Guo Bu Gan Que Xi Yi Dai Yi Lu), World Vision Journal, 2017 NO.22.
• Yue Liu (2017) “The fourth election of Merkel: It is not the God’s preference” (Mo Ke Er Neng Si Lian Ren Bing Fei Shang Di Pian Ai), news.cri.cn , 26 September 2017.  
• Victor Gigleux (2016) Explaining the diversity of small states’ foreign policies through role theory, Third World Thematics: A TWQ Journal, 1:1, 27-45. 
• Francesco Bertoldi (2016), Change beneath the surface: the 2016 Northern Ireland Assembly election, Regional&Federal Studies
• Murtagh, C. (2016) ‘Civic Mobilization in Divided Societies and the Perils of Political Engagement: Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Protest and Plenum Movement,’ Nationalism and Ethnic Politics, 22(2), 149-171.

Conference papers and presentations

A number of our PhD students attend workshops and conferences at universities and other events.

Examples of conference papers include:

• Francesco Bertoldi (2017), Segregated Narratives: Communal Separation and Political Campaigning in Northern Ireland, presented at the PSA Annual Conference, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow .
• Yazmin Morlet Corti (2017) “Data protection a mixed public policy model in Mexico".  AMIC Conference  "Communication and democratic crisis in Mexico".  Guanajuato, Mexico.
• Lukas Slothuss (2017), ' Disobedience Reinforcing the Status Quo? A Critique of Dominant Accounts of Civil Disobedience , Empire, Capital, and Transnational Resistance: Centre for Applied Philosophy, Politics and Ethics 12th Annual Conference, University of Brighton.
• Jeremy Armon (2016), "Ethiopian Political Economy: Current Features, Possible Futures", presentation delivered at the Royal College of Defence Studies, London.
• Ritumbra Manuvie (2016) "Politics of Disaster and Mobility in Assam' paper presented at the 9th International Geographical Union Conference, New Delhi.
• Jeremy Armon (2016) "Can political settlements analysis help us better understand change in Africa?", Africa Working Group Workshop, University of Birmingham.

Many of our postgraduate researchers also undertake a number of professional and voluntary positions outwith the University. 

Examples include:

• Lukas Slothuus – A member of the Research School on Peace and Conflict at PRIO, Oslo.
• Anthony Salamone – Local Organising Committee Member, Council for European Studies – 24th International Conference of Europeanists (Glasgow 2017)
• Cera Murtagh – Research Assistant to Professor Fiona Mackay, Gender Politics, University of Edinburgh.
• Anthony Salamone – Lead Educator, Towards Brexit? The UK's EU Referendum (University of Edinburgh free online course), May-June 2016
• Sayra Van Den Berg – Member of the Research School on Peace and Conflict, Peace Research Institute, Oslo
• Francesco Bertoldi – European Relations Policy Support Officer, Scottish Government
• Jeremy Armon – Senior Governance Adviser, UK Department for International Development
• Ritumbra Manuvie – Visiting Scholar, National Law University and Judicial Academy, Assam, India.

Applying for this PhD

• Identify potential supervisors suited to your research interests
• Write a draft research proposal
• Contact the Postgraduate Advisor with your research proposal and list of potential supervisors
• Once discussed with the Postgraduate Advisor, formally submit your application on EUCLID

Postgraduate Advisor

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Tamam Shud. Performance by Alex Cecchetti, (Paris, 21.07.16), commissioned by David Maroto for his practice-led PhD The Artist's Novel

Art - PhD/MPhil

Postgraduate research in the School of Art, Edinburgh College of Art is internationally renowned, interdisciplinary and publicly engaged. Our research creates, embodies and responds to new registers of contemporary art and culture, whilst rearticulating processes and practices associated with established artistic media.  

We are an intellectually vibrant, ambitious and supportive community where research produced by staff and students – both individually and collectively – is disseminated nationally and internationally. Collaboration, experimentation and outward facing distributive actions are central to this; we understand our research to constitute cultural impact within and beyond the University. We lead scholarly inquiry into artistic practice in relation to the full range of academic disciplines and professional contexts available within one of the world’s leading research universities.  

Our MPhil and PhD candidates are supported by bespoke supervisory arrangements made across the University of Edinburgh and supported by training run by the Institute of Academic Development. Our membership of the Scottish Graduate School for Arts and Humanities allows us to arrange cross-institutional supervision with our partners in the consortium, ensuring expert supervision and guidance for interdisciplinary projects.  

• Use the People Directory to identify potential supervisors in the School of Art

Graduates with a MPhil or PhD in Art have career opportunities as academics concentrating on teaching and research, or research-only roles. They are also equipped for research and other roles within the industry, depending on the focus of their research, and how effectively they have taken advantage of the several non-academic links offered by the University with non-academic institutions, such as galleries, museums, and private companies. 

How to apply & entry requirements

We operate a gathered field approach to PhD/MPhil applications, followed by an interview process for shortlisted applications.

If you'd like to study on a postgraduate programme at Edinburgh College of Art, you must apply through EUCLID, the University's online application system. You can find out how to do this on the University of Edinburgh website, where you'll also be able to:

• see detailed entrance requirements for each programme on the Degree Finder
• get information on what to expect after you apply
• find out about study modes, start dates and fees
• find out if, and how, you need to submit a portfolio, showreel or research proposal
• find out where to go for further advice and guidance.

Preparing your application

Common to all research programmes are a set of research aims, a research context, a research process and a research product/outcome. The research proposal should include reference to all of these elements. All applicants for postgraduate research programmes must submit a research proposal.

Portfolios or writing samples are also required for some research degrees.

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MA Graduate Silvia Ortiz is a passionate advocate for rural, bilingual learners

As a proud bilingual teacher in her school, Silvia Ortiz exemplifies excellence in teaching, leadership and advocacy for bilingual learners at her school and in her small rural district. Ortiz is a passionate advocate for her mostly Latinx bilingual students as an English Language Development Teacher at Hudson Elementary School in Weld RE-3 School District. 

As a member of the BUENO Center for Multicultural Education’s Northeast Teacher Cohort, Otriz was able to earn her Master’s Equity Bilingualism and Biliteracy from the CU Boulder School of Education by attending courses close to home in Brighton and alongside 20 peer educators across three districts in the rural northeast region of Colorado.

Respected by her colleagues and revered in her community, Ortiz is also a strong bilingual writer and thinker. She completed her Teacher Inquiry Project, the culminating project and report for her master’s program, bilingually written in Spanish and English where she explored bilingual identities of her young Latinx students through linguistically and culturally responsive children’s literature. 

For her work as an exemplary educator and graduate student, Ortiz has been selected the 2024 Outstanding Graduate of the Master’s in Equity, Bilingualism and Biliteracy Program by the faculty in the BUENO Center. However, she has been a member of BUENO Center community since she participated first in the BUENO Career Ladder program in 2005, a partnership between CU Boulder and Aims Community College, on her pathway to becoming a teacher. Engaging in the master’s program helped bring Ortiz’s career, education, and connections with CU Boulder full circle.

Please tell us a bit about yourself

My journey to CU Boulder is a unique one. I reside in the Brighton area and teach in a small town in Northeastern Colorado. During my undergraduate program, I had the privilege of participating in the BUENO program through the Career Ladder Program. This experience not only deepened my passion for educational equity but also paved the way for my decision to pursue my master’s degree through the BUENO program at CU Boulder. The opportunity to return to BUENO now as a graduate student was a clear sign that this was the right path for me."

What is one of the most significant lessons from your time at CU Boulder that you’ll carry with you into the next chapter ?

[icon shape="fa-quote-left" size="fa-3x" pull="left" color="gray" /I have always considered myself a lifelong learner, and my time at CU Boulder has satiated my desire to explore new learning and revive my passion for equity for bilingual learners. The most profound and significant lesson I take away from my time at CU Boulder is this: all of our students come to us with various gifts and talents. It is up to us, educators, to explore such gifts and talents and leverage them to inspire and nurture independent learners and thinkers. By disrupting injustices created by systemic oppression we give our students the opportunities to thrive."

What does graduating from CU Boulder represent for you and/or your community?

Graduating from CU Boulder as a BUENO Center master’s student is a momentous achievement. CU Boulder has always been at the forefront of educational equity and advocacy for bilingual students and communities. As a Latina, this accomplishment holds a special place in my heart. It is a testament to my dedication and the support I have received from my community. This honor will undoubtedly enrich my work with my brilliant bilingual students."

What is your best piece of advice for incoming students?

I believe that one’s most remarkable ability is the ability to use metacognition. The ability to evaluate, monitor, and apply new teachings to our understanding is essential. A student with the caliber of being a critical thinker and having metacognitive awareness will find success in their endeavors."

What are your next steps after graduation?

As a lifelong learner, I have enjoyed my time as a student. Now is the time to apply all of what I've learned. My graduate program was robust and rich, with mastery in the field of educational equity. Now is my time to discern how best to apply my newfound knowledge in my specific role. Furthermore, I would like to inspire other educators through my example and leadership."

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The University of Saint Katherine announces sudden closure, filing for bankruptcy

University President and founder Frank Papatheofanis says the closure is due to financial struggles. The last day is May 18.

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The University of Saint Katherine, a private Orthodox Christian school in San Marcos, is shutting down indefinitely and filing for bankruptcy, President and founder Frank Papatheofanis announced Thursday.

In an email to students, faculty and staff members that circulated on social media, he said the institution could no longer meet its financial obligations due to “a steep shortfall in operating cash.”

“Multiple reasons for this shortfall include extraordinary inflation, higher-than-anticipated salary increases, and high institutional student financial aid,” he said. “The same factors have resulted in the closure of many small colleges and universities across the county.”

The university’s closing date is May 18, Papatheofanis said in an email Friday. He declined an interview but shared the following statement:

“The University of Saint Katherine is a non-profit Hispanic- and minority-serving institution that will close at the end of this semester. As a WASC-accredited institution, we offered many undergraduate and graduate degree programs at one of the lowest tuition rates in California. Financial pressure due to unprecedented inflation and rising state-mandated labor costs prevent us from continuing this valuable work while remaining affordable.”

In the Thursday memo, Papatheofanis said that he and the school’s Board of Trustees had “vigorously explored multiple options that might allow us to continue. Unfortunately, none of these has proven viable.”

He added that the institution is filing for bankruptcy and would “continue to pursue and consider any opportunity we can identify.”

Thursday’s announcement, issued just days before final exams, was sudden and took many by surprise. The school’s Athletics Department and others took to social media to express their thoughts.

“Our hearts break for our student-athletes at the conclusion of their Firebird careers, and we pray for their continued success as they move forward,” read a statement from the Athletics Department. “Our beach volleyball team is currently competing in the NAIA National Invitational and will continue to do so. They are excited about the opportunity to play for a national championship this Friday and Saturday.”

On Friday, students and faculty were seen packing up and questioning what comes next. Among them was senior student Chloe Thompson.

“I’m so hurt by this,” she said. “I’m supposed to graduate on May 18. Now, I don’t even know if they’ll have graduation. My parents bought airline tickets and were going to fly here from Alabama. This is shocking.”

Evan Getz, chair of the university’s Arts and Humanities department, said he was “deeply grateful” that he was able to teach at the USK.

“The faculty and students are marvelous,” he said. “It is the most collegiate atmosphere I have ever known. I am sad, but grateful. I need to find a new job. I have four children.”

Several years ago, the school envisioned becoming a nationally and internationally recognized residential institution of 5,000 undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate studies. It planned to do so by relocating from San Marcos to Chula Vista.

The USK was one of several schools Chula Vista had talked with in hopes of finally bringing a four-year institution to its University and Innovation District.

In November 2018, that dream seemed closer to reality. The university began negotiating an option to lease 10 acres of the South County city’s 383-acre, undeveloped university and technology park in Otay Ranch.

Plans included the development of “a multi-institutional university campus, including the development and construction of facilities for approximately 1,000 full-time students, student housing for approximately 400 students, and other infrastructure,” according to the agreement.

Lease negotiations were unsuccessful, however, and the agreement expired last year, Michele Clock, the city’s spokesperson, said Friday.

There were no specific factors that led to the negotiations being unsuccessful, she added.

The university, which operated from a large office building on Rancheros Drive near Ronald Packard Parkway, was founded in 2010 and offered more than two dozen undergraduate and three graduate programs of study. It enrolled about 300 students, mostly from California.

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Florida’s two top business schools now rank among the 70 best in the United States, according to a new ranking by U.S. News and World Report.

Joining UF in the top 70 was the University of Miami, which surged 13 points to a four-way tie for 62nd.

One other Florida business school made it into the top 100: the University of South Florida (in a tie for 87 th with the University of Denver).

U.S. News based its rankings on the employment rates and starting salaries of recent graduates, student test scores and assessments of the schools by recruiters and academic administrators.

The top business school overall? A tie between Stanford University and the University of Pennsylvania. Find the full rankings here .

Here are the three Florida business schools ranked in the top 100

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87. tie, University of South Florida (down 14)

Andrew Marra is a reporter at The Palm Beach Post. Reach him at [email protected] .

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Dozens of UT protesters arrested during pro-Palestine rally on the Austin campus

Hundreds of students at the university of texas at austin walked out of class to protest the war in gaza and demanded the university divest from investments in weapon manufacturers..

By Marcela Rodrigues and Aarón Torres

1:18 PM on Apr 24, 2024 CDT — Updated at 9:45 PM on Apr 24, 2024 CDT

AUSTIN — Arrests were continuing into early Wednesday evening at the University of Texas after hundreds of students walked out of class to protest the war in Gaza and demand that the university system divest from companies that manufacture machinery used in war.

Dozens of state troopers and police officers in riot gear — many carrying zip ties and pepper spray — were on the Austin campus shortly after the pro-Palestine protest began around midday.

The Texas Department of Public Safety issued a statement saying that as of 9 p.m., 34 individuals had been arrested at the state’s flagship public university. However, later in the evening, George Lobb, an attorney with the Austin Lawyers Guild, said at least 54 people were arrested.

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Officials had said that many faced charges of trespassing. A post from DPS also noted that state troopers responded to campus at the request of Gov. Greg Abbott.

Students began walking out of class just before noon, meeting outside the Gregory Gym. They eventually made their way to the South Mall, in front of the UT Tower, advancing even as officers tried to stop them.

Some state troopers carried assault rifles and others were stationed on horses. Periodically, officers could be heard ordering students to leave or face arrest.

Students chanted back to the officers, “Off our campus!”

Abbott posted on social media late Wednesday that “arrests being made right now & will continue until the crowd disperses. These protesters belong in jail. Antisemitism will not be tolerated in Texas. Period.”

He went on to say, “Students joining in hate-filled, antisemitic protests at any public college or university in Texas should be expelled.”

In addition to protesters, a video journalist was arrested while covering the events.

Student organizers of the UT rally shared on social media that they planned to walk out of class, “reclaiming our space as we demand divestment now.”

Huzi Sid, 23, a senior studying business, said today’s protest was about bringing awareness to the fact that people in Gaza are being “killed and massacred for just existing, for being born into a certain place.”

Sid said what is happening in Gaza is genocide and that he wants the killing to stop.

“Imagine leaving your house to go to work every single day and one day you come to the barricades there and you have to pass through a checkpoint,” he said. “[Palestinians] have been discriminated against nonstop in the West Bank, in Gaza, in Israel itself.”

UT President Jay Hartzell issued a statement late Wednesday noting that the university “held firm, enforcing our rules while protecting the Constitutional right to free speech. Peaceful protests within our rules are acceptable. Breaking our rules and policies and disrupting others’ ability to learn are not allowed.”

Hartzell said that the student group leading the protest made clear ahead of time that they were going to “occupy” the campus, which violates rules of the institution.

“The protesters tried to deliver on their stated intent to occupy campus. People not affiliated with UT joined them, and many ignored University officials’ continual pleas for restraint and to immediately disperse,” Hartzell said. “The University did as we said we would do in the face of prohibited actions.”

Erick Lara, 20, a sophomore studying mechanical engineering, said he was on his way to the gym in the afternoon when he ran into the protest. He said it seemed to transform within minutes from a peaceful rally to one in which he saw people being arrested.

“I didn’t think it would escalate this far,” he said. “And I didn’t think there would be this much police intervention from what’s supposed to be a peaceful protest. Not very peaceful when there’s a bunch of aggressors around, especially on horses.”

UT officials sent out a letter earlier saying they would not tolerate disruptions “like we have seen at other campuses.” A spokesperson for the university’s division of student affairs said in the statement that, “This is an important time in our semester with students finishing classes and studying for finals, and we will act first and foremost to allow those critical functions to proceed without interruption.”

Lara added that students have been upset with UT President Jay Hartzell for not speaking up about the war in Gaza, which is part of the reason why they were protesting.

KXAN news reported that a letter sent to the student organization Palestine Solidarity Committee from UT’s Office of the Dean of Students informed the group on Tuesday that the students were not permitted to hold their event on campus.

“Refusal to comply may result in arrest,” the letter read. It went on to note that the group had “declared intent to violate our policies and rules, and disrupt our campus operations” with Wednesday’s planned rally.

Meanwhile, in North Texas, dozens of students at the University of Texas at Arlington also walked out at that school on Wednesday, gathering in front of the campus library. Social media videos showed students with signs and a banner that read “Stop arming Israel.”

On Tuesday, about 100 students at UT Dallas occupied the administration building for several hours also calling for officials to pull university investments from companies that are supplying weapons to the conflict in Gaza.

At that gathering, students were seen singing, writing to school officials and even doing homework as the night went on before an announcement was made that the campus president would meet with them. The UTD students had noted they were also protesting against Abbott’s executive order that the governor said was aimed at fighting antisemitism, charging schools with updating their free speech policies.

In the order, issued in early April, Abbott noted that he wants college officials to establish punishments — including expulsion — and to “ensure that groups such as the Palestine Solidarity Committee and Students for Justice in Palestine are disciplined for violating these policies.”

The Texas protests this week come days after students at Columbia University in New York were arrested and charged with trespassing.

Campuses nationwide have had protests since Oct. 7 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking around 250 people hostage, according to the Israeli government . In the months following, Israel bombed the Gaza strip multiple times, killing over 34,000 people, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza . The Dallas Morning News cannot independently verify these numbers.

At UT, many students wore keffiyehs — a scarf that has been a symbol of support for Palestinians. Some students began setting up tents on the south mall.

“You don’t scare us,” the student crowd chanted, facing the officers. “We are the people!” “We pay your paychecks.”

Related: Abbott’s order targeting antisemitism on Texas colleges violates rights, students say

Jasmine Santilla, 20, a sophomore studying accounting, said she saw students protesting peacefully when law enforcement showed up.

“They weren’t throwing anything around, not harming anyone,” she said. “And the cops came in and arrested a good amount of people. For what?”

Meanwhile, dozens of students with Israel flags and signs watched from the sidelines, among them freshman Corey Taitel, 19.

“It’s great that [the police] are on our side,” the business major said. “They see the things happening in the Ivy League, and it’s extremely scary. So I feel overall safe.”

Taitel said his mother has been calling him worried for his safety as a Jewish student.

“Today three girls started screaming at me. They told me I need to burn my flag,” he said of the small Israeli flag he had. “I don’t think they should be arrested if they’re just standing there. But everybody that’s been arrested has [done something].”

By the early evening, the south mall was cleared off with a wall of officers prohibiting access.

Organizations and politicians across the country are watching the protests evolve at UT and other campuses.

“Though we fully respect the need for the campus to maintain security and keep individuals on the campus safe, what we saw today was far beyond that and caused fear and intimidation to many people on the University campus,” Gary Bledsoe of NAACP Texas and Brian Evans of American Association of University Professors Texas said in a joint statement.

“This is a deeply alarming and sudden escalation at UT-Austin, seemingly on the basis of the behavior of students on other campuses,” said Kristen Shahverdian, campus free speech program director at PEN America, in a statement Wednesday afternoon.

Law enforcement must prioritize deescalation tactics and constructive dialogue during peaceful demonstrations, Shaimaa Zayan, operations manager of the Council on American-Islamic Relations chapter in Austin, said in a statement.

“Arresting students advocating for peace sends the wrong message and only exacerbates tensions further,” Zayan said.

When asked by a reporter whether the White House has any concern regarding police response during protests, spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said that since events at UT were happening as she spoke, she didn’t know how it was being dealt with on the ground.

“But, look, we’ve been very clear we want to see this be peaceful. We understand it’s deeply concerning,” she said. “It should not be violent.”

Philip Jankowski and Sue Ambrose contributed to this report.

The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.

The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, The Meadows Foundation, The Murrell Foundation, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Sydney Smith Hicks and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.

Marcela Rodrigues , Staff writer . Marcela is a reporting fellow for the Education Lab at The Dallas Morning News. She has previously reported for The Chronicle of Higher Education, Chalkbeat, and The New York Times.

Aarón Torres , Austin Bureau Correspondent . Aarón is an Austin native who previously covered local government for The Kansas City Star and high school sports for the Knoxville News Sentinel. He is a University of Texas graduate, and Spanish is his first language.

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Driving Innovations in Biostatistics with Denise Scholtens, PhD

“I'm continually surprised by new data types. I think that we will see the emergence of a whole new kind of technology that we probably can't even envision five years from now…When I think about where the field has come over the past 20 years, it's just phenomenal.”  —  Denise Scholtens, PhD  

• Director, Northwestern University Data Analysis and Coordinating Center (NUDACC)  
• Chief of Biostatistics in the Department of Preventive Medicine  
• Professor of Preventive Medicine in the Division of Biostatistics and of Neurological Surgery  
• Member of Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (NUCATS)  
• Member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center  

Episode Notes 

Since arriving at Feinberg in 2004, Scholtens has played a central role in the dramatic expansion of biostatistics at the medical school. Now the Director of NUDACC, Scholtens brings her expertise and leadership to large-scale, multicenter studies that can lead to clinical and public health practice decision-making.    

• After discovering her love of statistics as a high school math teacher, Scholtens studied bioinformatics in a PhD program before arriving at Feinberg in 2004.  
• Feinberg’s commitment to biostatistics has grown substantially in recent decades. Scholtens was only one of five biostatisticians when she arrived. Now she is part of a division with almost 50 people.  
• She says being a good biostatistician requires curiosity about other people’s work, knowing what questions to ask and tenacity to understand subtitles of so much data.   
• At NUDACC, Scholtens and her colleagues specialize in large-scale, multicenter prospective studies and clinical trials that lead to clinical or public health practice decision-making. They operate at the executive level and oversee all aspects of the study design.  
• Currently, Scholtens is involved with the launch of a large study, along with The Ohio State University, that received a $14 million grant to look at the effectiveness of aspirin in the prevention of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy.  
• Scholtens first started her work in data coordinating through the Hyperglycemia Adverse Pregnancy Outcome (HAPO) study, which looked at 25,000 pregnant individuals. This led to a continued interest in fetal and maternal health.   
• When it comes to supportive working environments, Scholtens celebrates the culture at Feinberg, and especially her division in biostatistics, for being collaborative as well as genuinely supportive of each other’s projects. She attributes this to strong leadership which established a culture with these guiding principles.   

Additional Reading  

• Read more about the ASPIRIN trial and other projects taking place at NUDACC   
• Discover a study linking mothers’ obesity-related genes to babies’ birth weight, which Scholtens worked in through the HAPO study   
• Browse all of Scholtens recent publications 

Recorded on February 21, 2024.

Continuing Medical Education Credit

Physicians who listen to this podcast may claim continuing medical education credit after listening to an episode of this program..

Target Audience

Academic/Research, Multiple specialties

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Identify the research interests and initiatives of Feinberg faculty.
• Discuss new updates in clinical and translational research.

Accreditation Statement

The Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit Designation Statement

The Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine designates this Enduring Material for a maximum of 0.50  AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.  Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

American Board of Surgery Continuous Certification Program

Successful completion of this CME activity enables the learner to earn credit toward the CME requirement(s) of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABS credit.

All the relevant financial relationships for these individuals have been mitigated.

Disclosure Statement

Denise Scholtens, PhD, has nothing to disclose.  Course director, Robert Rosa, MD, has nothing to disclose. Planning committee member, Erin Spain, has nothing to disclose.  FSM’s CME Leadership, Review Committee, and Staff have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose.

Read the Full Transcript

[00:00:00] Erin Spain, MS: This is Breakthroughs, a podcast from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. I'm Erin Spain, host of the show. Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine is home to a team of premier faculty and staff biostatisticians, who are the driving force of data analytic innovation and excellence here. Today, we are talking with Dr. Denise Scholtens, a leader in biostatistics at Northwestern, about the growing importance of the field, and how she leverages her skills to collaborate on several projects in Maternal and Fetal Health. She is the Director of the Northwestern University Data Analysis and Coordinating Center, NUDACC, and Chief of Biostatistics in the Department of Preventive Medicine, as well as Professor of Preventive Medicine and Neurological Surgery. Welcome to the show.  

[00:01:02] Denise Scholtens, PhD: Thank you so much.  

[00:01:02] Erin Spain, MS: So you have said in the past that you were drawn to this field of biostatistics because you're interested in both math and medicine, but not interested in becoming a clinician. Tell me about your path into the field and to Northwestern.  

[00:01:17] Denise Scholtens, PhD: You're right. I have always been interested in both math and medicine. I knew I did not want to be involved in clinical care. Originally, fresh out of college, I was a math major and I taught high school math for a couple of years. I really enjoyed that, loved the kids, loved the teaching parts of things. Interestingly enough, my department chair at the time assigned me to teach probability and statistics to high school seniors. I had never taken a statistics course before, so I was about a week ahead of them in our classes and found that I just really enjoyed the discipline. So as much as I loved teaching, I did decide to go ahead and invest in this particular new area that I had found and I really enjoyed. So I wanted to figure out how I could engage in the field of statistics. Decided to see, you know, exactly how studying statistics could be applied to medicine. At the time, Google was brand new. So I literally typed in the two words math and medicine to see what would come up. And the discipline of biostatistics is what Google generated. And so here I am, I applied to grad school and it's been a great fit for me.  

[00:02:23] Erin Spain, MS: Oh, that's fantastic. So you went on to get a PhD, and then you came to Northwestern in 2004. And so tell me a little bit about the field then and how it's changed so dramatically since.  

[00:02:36] Denise Scholtens, PhD: So yes, I started here at Northwestern in 2004, just a few months after I had defended my thesis. At the time there was really an emerging field of study called bioinformatics. So I wrote my thesis in the space of genomics data analysis with what at the time was a brand new technology, microarrays. This was the first way we could measure gene transcription at a high throughput level. So I did my thesis work in that space. I studied at an institution with a lot of strengths and very classical statistics. So things that we think of in biostatistics like clinical trial design, observational study analysis, things like that. So I had really classic biostatistics training and then complimented that with sort of these emerging methods with these high dimensional data types. So I came to Northwestern here and I sort of felt like I lived in two worlds. I had sort of classic biostat clinical trials, which were certainly, you know, happening here. And, that work was thriving here at Northwestern, but I had this kind of new skillset, and I just didn't quite know how to bring the two together. That was obviously a long time ago, 20 years ago. Now we think of personalized medicine and genomic indicators for treatment and, you know, there's a whole variety of omics data variations on the theme that are closely integrated with clinical and population level health research. So there's no longer any confusion for me about how those two things come together. You know, they're two disciplines that very nicely complement each other. But yeah, I think that does speak to how the field has changed, you know, these sort of classic biostatistics methods are really nicely blended with a lot of high dimensional data types. And it's been fun to be a part of that.  

[00:04:17] Erin Spain, MS: There were only a handful of folks like you at Northwestern at the time. Tell me about now and the demand for folks with your skill set.  

[00:04:26] Denise Scholtens, PhD: When I came to Northwestern, I was one of a very small handful of biostatistics faculty. There were five of us. We were not even called a division of biostatistics. We were just here as the Department of Preventive Medicine. And a lot of the work we did was really very tightly integrated with the epidemiologists here in our department and we still do a lot of that for sure. There was also some work going on with the Cancer Center here at Northwestern. But yeah, a pretty small group of us, who has sort of a selected set of collaborations. You know, I contrast that now to our current division of biostatistics where we are over 20s, pushing 25, depending on exactly how you want to count. Hoping to bring a couple of new faculty on board this calendar year. We have a staff of about 25 statistical analysts. And database managers and programmers. So you know, when I came there were five faculty members and I think two master's level staff. We are now pushing, you know, pushing 50 people in our division here so it's a really thriving group.  

[00:05:26] Erin Spain, MS: in your opinion, what makes a good biostatistician? Do you have to have a little bit of a tough skin to be in this field?  

Denise Scholtens, PhD: I do think it's a unique person who wants to be a biostatistician. There are a variety of traits that can lead to success in this space. First of all, I think it's helpful to be wildly curious about somebody else's work. To be an excellent collaborative biostatistician, you have to be able to learn the language of another discipline. So some other clinical specialty or public health application. Another trait that makes a biostatistician successful is to be able to ask the right questions about data that will be collected or already have been collected. So understanding the subtleties there, the study design components that lead to why we have the data that we have. You know, a lot of our data, you could think of it in a simple flat file, right? Like a Microsoft Excel file with rows and columns. That certainly happens a lot, but there are a lot of incredibly innovative data types out there: wearables technology, imaging data, all kinds of high dimensional data. So I think a tenacity to understand all of the subtleties of those data and to be able to ask the right questions. And then I think for a biostatistician at a medical school like ours, being able to blend those two things, so understanding what the data are and what you have to work with and what you're heading toward, but then also facilitating the translation of those analytic findings for the audience that really wants to understand them. So for the clinicians, for the patients, for participants and the population that the findings would apply to.   

Erin Spain, MS: It must feel good, though, in those situations where you are able to help uncover something to improve a study or a trial.  

[00:07:07] Denise Scholtens, PhD: It really does. This is a job that's easy to get out of bed for in the morning. There's a lot of really good things that happen here. It's exciting to know that the work we do could impact clinical practice, could impact public health practice. I think in any job, you know, you can sometimes get bogged down by the amount of work or the difficulty of the work or the back and forth with team members. There's just sort of all of the day to day grind, but to be able to take a step back and remember the actual people who are affected by our own little niche in this world. It's an incredibly helpful and motivating practice that I often keep to remember exactly why I'm doing what I'm doing and who I'm doing it for.  

[00:07:50] Erin Spain, MS: Well, and another important part of your work is that you are a leader. You are leading the center, NUDACC, that you mentioned, Northwestern University Data Analysis and Coordinating Center. Now, this has been open for about five years. Tell me about the center and why it's so crucial to the future of the field.  

[00:08:08] Denise Scholtens, PhD: We specialize at NUDACC in large scale, multicenter prospective studies. So these are the clinical trials or the observational studies that often, most conclusively, lead to clinical or public health practice decision making. We focus specifically on multicenter work. Because it requires a lot of central coordination and we've specifically built up our NUDACC capacity to handle these multi center investigations where we have a centralized database, we have centralized and streamlined data quality assurance pipelines. We can help with central team leadership and organization for large scale networks. So we have specifically focused on those areas. There's a whole lot of project management and regulatory expertise that we have to complement our data analytics strengths as well. I think my favorite part of participating in these studies is we get involved at the very beginning. We are involved in executive level planning of these studies. We oversee all components of study design. We are intimately involved in the development of the data capture systems. And in the QA of it. We do all of this work on the front end so that we get all of the fun at the end with the statistics and can analyze data that we know are scientifically sound, are well collected, and can lead to, you know, really helpful scientific conclusions.  

[00:09:33] Erin Spain, MS: Tell me about that synergy between the clinicians and the other investigators that you're working with on these projects.  

[00:09:41] Denise Scholtens, PhD: It is always exciting, often entertaining. Huge range of scientific opinion and expertise and points of view, all of which are very valid and very well informed. All of the discussion that could go into designing and launching a study, it's just phenomenally interesting and trying to navigate all of that and help bring teams to consensus in terms of what is scientifically most relevant, what's going to be most impactful, what is possible given the logistical strengths. Taking all of these well informed, valid, scientific points of view and being a part of the team that helps integrate them all toward a cohesive study design and a well executed study. That's a unique part of the challenge that we face here at NUDACC, but an incredibly rewarding one. It's also such an honor and a gift to be able to work with such a uniformly gifted set of individuals. Just the clinical researchers who devote themselves to these kinds of studies are incredibly generous, incredibly thoughtful and have such care for their patients and the individuals that they serve, that to be able to sit with them and think about the next steps for a great study is a really unique privilege.  

[00:10:51] Erin Spain, MS: How unique is a center like this at a medical school?  

[00:10:55] Denise Scholtens, PhD: It's fairly unique to have a center like this at a medical school. Most of the premier medical research institutions do have some level of data coordinating center capacity. We're certainly working toward trying to be one of the nation's best, absolutely, and build up our capacity for doing so. I'm actually currently a part of a group of data coordinating centers where it's sort of a grassroots effort right now to organize ourselves and come up with, you know, some unified statements around the gaps that we see in our work, the challenges that we face strategizing together to improve our own work and to potentially contribute to each other's work. I think maybe the early beginnings of a new professional organization for data coordinating centers. We have a meeting coming up of about, I think it's 12 to 15 different institutions, academic research institutions, specifically medical schools that have centers like ours to try to talk through our common pain points and also celebrate our common victories.  

[00:11:51] Erin Spain, MS: I want to shift gears a little bit to talk about some of your research collaborations, many of which focus on maternal and fetal health and pregnancy. You're now involved with a study with folks at the Ohio State University that received a 14 million grant looking at the effectiveness of aspirin in the prevention of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. Tell me about this work.  

[00:12:14] Denise Scholtens, PhD: Yes, this is called the aspirin study. I suppose not a very creative name, but a very appropriate one. What we'll be doing in this study is looking at two different doses of aspirin for trying to prevent maternal hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in women who are considered at high risk for these disorders. This is a huge study. Our goal is to enroll 10,742 participants. This will take place at 11 different centers across the nation. And yes, we at NUDACC will serve as the data coordinating center here, and we are partnering with the Ohio State University who will house the clinical coordinating center. So this study is designed to look at two different doses to see which is more effective at preventing hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. So that would include gestational hypertension and preeclampsia. What's really unique about this study and the reason that it is so large is that it is specifically funded to look at what's called a heterogeneity of treatment effect. What that is is a difference in the effectiveness of aspirin in preventing maternal hypertensive disorders, according to different subgroups of women. We'll specifically have sufficient statistical power to test for differences in treatment effectiveness. And we have some high priority subgroups that we'll be looking at. One is a self-identified race. There's been a noted disparity in maternal hypertensive disorders, for individuals who self identify according to different races. And so we will be powered to see if aspirin has comparable effectiveness and hopefully even better effectiveness for the groups who really need it, to bring those rates closer to equity which is, you know, certainly something we would very strongly desire to see. We'll also be able to look at subgroups of women according to obesity, according to maternal age at pregnancy, according to the start time of aspirin when aspirin use is initiated during pregnancy. So that's why the trial is so huge. For a statistician, the statisticians out there who might be listening, this is powered on a statistical interaction term, which doesn't happen very often. So it's exciting that the trial is funded in that way.  

[00:14:27] Erin Spain, MS: Tell me a little bit more about this and how your specific skills are going to be utilized in this study.  

[00:14:32] Denise Scholtens, PhD: Well, there are three biostatistics faculty here at Northwestern involved in this. So we're definitely dividing and conquering. Right now, we're planning this study and starting to stand it up. So we're developing our statistical analysis plans. We're developing the database. We are developing our randomization modules. So this is the piece of the study where participants are randomized to which dose of aspirin they're going to receive. Because of all of the subgroups that we're planning to study, we need to make especially sure that the assignments of which dose of aspirin are balanced within and across all of those subgroups. So we're going to be using some adaptive randomization techniques to ensure that that balance is there. So there's some fun statistical and computer programming innovation that will be applied to accomplish those things. So right now, there are usually two phases of a study that are really busy for us. That's starting to study up and that's where we are. And so yes, it is very busy for us right now. And then at the end, you know, in five years or so, once recruitment is over, then we analyze all the data,  

[00:15:36] Erin Spain, MS: Are there any guidelines out there right now about the use of aspirin in pregnancy. What do you hope that this could accomplish?  

 Prescribing aspirin use for the prevention of hypertension during pregnancy is not uncommon at all. That is actually fairly routinely done, but that it's not outcomes based in terms of which dosage is most effective. So 81 milligrams versus 162 milligrams. That's what we will be evaluating. And my understanding is that clinicians prescribe whatever they think is better, and I'm sure those opinions are very well informed but there is very little outcome based evidence for this in this particular population that we'll be studying. So that would be the goal here, would be to hopefully very conclusively say, depending on the rates of the hypertensive disorders that we see in our study, which of the two doses of aspirin is more effective. Importantly, we will also be tracking any side effects of taking aspirin. And so that's also very much often a part of the evaluation of You know, taking a, taking a drug, right, is how safe is it? So we'll be tracking that very closely as well. Another unique part of this study is that we will be looking at factors that help explain aspirin adherence. So we are going to recommend that participants take their dose of aspirin daily. We don't necessarily expect that's always going to happen, so we are going to measure how much of their prescribed dose they are actually taking and then look at, you know, factors that contribute to that. So be they, you know, social determinants of health or a variety of other things that we'll investigate to try to understand aspirin adherence, and then also model the way in which that adherence could have affected outcomes.  

Erin Spain, MS: This is not the first study that you've worked on involving maternal and fetal health. Tell me about your interest in this particular area, this particular field, and some of the other work that you've done.  

[00:17:31] Denise Scholtens, PhD: So I actually first got my start in data coordinating work through the HAPO study. HAPO stands for Hyperglycemia Adverse Pregnancy Outcome. That study was started here at Northwestern before I arrived. Actually recruitment to the study occurred between 2000 and 2006. Northwestern served as the central coordinating center for that study. It was an international study of 25,000 pregnant individuals who were recruited and then outcomes were evaluated both in moms and newborns. When I was about mid career here, all the babies that were born as a part of HAPO were early teenagers. And so we conducted a follow up study on the HAPO cohort. So that's really when I got involved. It was my first introduction to being a part of a coordinating center. As I got into it, though, I saw the beauty of digging into all of these details for a huge study like this and then saw these incredible resources that were accumulated through the conduct of such a large study. So the data from the study itself is, was of course, a huge resource. But then also we have all of these different samples that sit in a biorepository, right? So like usually blood sample collection is a big part of a study like this. So all these really fun ancillary studies could spin off of the HAPO study. So we did some genomics work. We did some metabolomics work. We've integrated the two and what's called integrated omics. So, you know, my work in this space really started in the HAPO study. And I have tremendously enjoyed integrating these high dimensional data types that have come from these really rich data resources that have all, you know, resulted because of this huge multicenter longitudinal study. So I kind of accidentally fell into the space of maternal and fetal health, to be honest. But I just became phenomenally interested in it and it's been a great place.  

[00:19:24] Erin Spain, MS: Would you say that this is also a population that hasn't always been studied very much in biomedical science?  

[00:19:32] Denise Scholtens, PhD: I think that that is true, for sure. There are some unique vulnerabilities, right, for a pregnant individual and for the fetus, right, and in that situation. You know, the vast majority of what we do is really only pertaining to the pregnant participant but, you know, there are certainly fetal outcomes, newborn outcomes. And so, I think conducting research in this particular population is a unique opportunity and there are components of it that need to be treated with special care given sort of this unique phase of human development and this unique phase of life.  

[00:20:03] Erin Spain, MS: So, as data generation just really continues to explode, and technology is advancing so fast, faster than ever, where do you see this field evolving, the field of biostatistics, where do you see it going in the next five to ten years?  

[00:20:19] Denise Scholtens, PhD: That's a great question. I think all I can really tell you is that I'm continually surprised by new data types. I think that we will see an emergence of a whole new kind of technology that we probably can't even envision five years from now. And I think that the fun part about being a biostatistician is seeing what's happening and then trying to wrap your mind around the possibilities and the actual nature of the data that are collected. You know, I think back to 2004 and this whole high throughput space just felt so big. You know, we could look at gene transcription across the genome using one technology. And we could only look at one dimension of it. Right now it just seems so basic. When I think about where the field has come over the past 20 years, it's just phenomenal. I think we're seeing a similar emergence of the scale and the type of data in the imaging space and in the wearable space, with EHR data, just. You know, all these different technologies for capturing, capturing things that we just never even conceived of before. I do hope that we continue to emphasize making meaningful and translatable conclusions from these data. So actionable conclusions that can impact the way that we care for others around us. I do hope that remains a guiding principle in all that we do.  

[00:21:39] Erin Spain, MS: Why is Northwestern Medicine and Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine such a supportive environment to pursue this type of work?  

[00:21:47] Denise Scholtens, PhD: That's a wonderful question and one, honestly, that faculty candidates often ask me. When we bring faculty candidates in to visit here at Northwestern, they immediately pick up on the fact that we are a collaborative group of individuals who are for each other. Who want to see each other succeed, who are happy to share the things that we know and support each other's work, and support each other's research, and help strategize around the things that we want to accomplish. There is a strong culture here, at least in my department and in my division that I've really loved that continues to persist around really genuinely collaborating and genuinely sharing lessons learned and genuinely supporting each other as we move toward common goals. We've had some really strong, generous leadership who has helped us to get there and has helped create a culture where those are the guiding principles. In my leadership role is certainly something that I strive to maintain. Really hope that's true. I'm sure I don't do it perfectly but that's absolutely something I want to see accomplished here in the division and in NUDACC for sure.  

[00:22:50] Erin Spain, MS: Well, thank you so much for coming on the show and telling us about your path here to Northwestern and all of the exciting work that we can look forward to in the coming years.  

[00:22:59] Denise Scholtens, PhD: Thank you so much for having me. I've really enjoyed this.  

[00:23:01] Erin Spain, MS: You can listen to shows from the Northwestern Medicine Podcast Network to hear more about the latest developments in medical research, health care, and medical education. Leaders from across specialties speak to topics ranging from basic science to global health to simulation education. Learn more at feinberg. northwestern.edu/podcasts.  

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