11/4/2026 Aman Kaur
Written by Aman Kaur
When researchers need to have data analyzed, they have a few options: they can do the analysis themselves, they can hire a graduate student, or use fee-based expert support services like the Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design (BERD) team at the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute (IHSI).
When researchers lack the level of expertise, time, or budget needed for the data analysis, the projects may be left incomplete or set aside until the researchers can secure the needed resources. The BERD team, who provides biostatistical consulting and analysis services for health-related research, wanted to find a way to overcome these barriers to research that would benefit human health.
To support these researchers, the BERD team designed an internship opportunity that provides a graduate-level trainee with mentorship and supervision from experts in epidemiology, biostatistics, research design, and consulting as they complete a project.
Patricia Turner, a professor of social work, made an ideal collaborator for the pilot program.
Professor Turner’s research focuses on serious mental illness and developing psychological, social, cultural, and environmental prevention and treatment approaches. A junior faculty member with limited time and funding, Prof. Turner was seeking assistance with analysis of data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study, a nationally representative dataset, to examine the rate of recovery from internalizing and externalizing distress symptoms of psychopathology, as well as factors predicting general mental health recovery over time.
Turner connected with Aman Kaur, a research biostatistician at IHSI, who manages the BERD internship program. A member of IHSI’s diversity committee, Kaur was particularly attuned to the extra support needed for health equity researchers like Turner, whose deep dedication to social justice shows up in her publications on the psychosocial prevention and treatment of psychotic disorders, advancing understanding and care for those with serious mental illness.
The BERD team then found an ideal candidate to conduct the analysis. Olufemi Nicholas Olulaja (Femi) joined IHSI as a BERD intern for Fall 2026.
Femi is currently completing his Ph.D. in Community Health, with a focus on epidemiology, within the Department of Health and Kinesiology. He holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) from Northern Illinois University and also serves as secretary of the Illinois Public Health Association. From day one, Femi brought incredible enthusiasm and strong public health expertise to his work.
As a BERD intern, Femi is building on the epidemiological foundation he has established in his MPH and PhD studies, while gaining advanced hands-on training in biostatistical methods and consulting. At the end of the semester, Prof. Turner will receive the results of the statistical analysis that answer her research questions, enabling her to advance her research and potentially leading to publication.
"This program requires very little from faculty, and it provides you with a free research assistant who receives training in quantitative methods outside of you,” Turner said. “It seemed too good to be true, and I kept wondering what the catch was, but it's just a really great program."
Looking ahead, Femi aims to focus on psychiatry in his future research and practice. He also plans to eventually establish a research-support core modeled after BERD in his home country. This internship can, hopefully, play a role in fulfilling his future goals.
“Collaborating with Dr. Turner and hosting Femi as an intern has been a rewarding experience,” Kaur said. “This program bridges Dr. Turner’s analytical needs with Femi’s skills, and it’s been exciting to see new questions emerge each week, along with their proposed solutions. Mentoring Femi through this project and supporting research dedicated to closing treatment gaps and improving preventative care for individuals navigating severe psychiatric distress makes this work truly meaningful.”