New Strategy Helps Students Tackle Intimidating Discipline in Public Health

A public health professor is working to head off students' anxiety over one of the foundational-but challenging-subjects in the field

Before the first lecture begins, many public health students brace themselves for what they believe will be their most difficult course: biostatistics.

"I am really nervous about biostatistics. Any advice?" and "I am not a math person - how do I survive this course?" are questions Jaya M. Satagopan, a professor of biostatistics at the Rutgers School of Public Health, hears every semester.

Rather than waiting for that anxiety to surface during the term, Satagopan addresses it before classes even begin.

"Fear of statistics is predictable and addressable," said Satagopan, whose research focuses on statistical genetics and genomics in cancer. "If we want students to thrive as public health professionals, we have to prepare them emotionally as well as academically."

Biostatistics is foundational to public health practice, shaping evidence-based research, study design, data management, visualization and analysis. Yet the discipline's reputation as intimidating can create psychological barriersthat affect engagement, participation and persistence.

To counter that effect, Satagopan hosts a pre-course "meet-and-greet" session several days before the semester begins. The session isn't a lecture. Instead, it serves as an intentional onboarding experience designed to build confidence and psychological safety.

During the session, she explains the course structure and real-world relevance of the material, outlines clear strategies for success - such as consistent engagement and collaborative study - and emphasizes that challenging material is part of the learning process, not a sign of failure. She also openly normalizes fear and invites students to share their concerns.

"It's important that students understand anxiety doesn't mean they don't belong," she said. "It simply means they are stepping into something new."

She reinforces this approach with a pre-class online discussion board, where she introduces herself - including her interests outside statistics - and encourages students to do the same. The goal is to reduce hierarchy and foster approachability before formal instruction begins.

Over ten semesters, Satagopan has observed measurable cultural shifts in her classroom: Students ask questions earlier and more confidently, participate more actively in discussions and problem-solving, and persist through difficult concepts.

These behaviors mirror the competencies essential to the public health workforce, including data literacy, critical thinking, collaboration, communication and adaptability.

"Allaying fear doesn't lower standards," Satagopan said. "It strengthens preparation."

Allaying fear doesn't lower standards. It strengthens preparation.

Jaya M. Satagopan

Professor, Rutgers School of Public Health

The strategy's implications extend beyond biostatistics. By recognizing that a course begins in students' minds - shaped by past experiences and expectations - educators can intentionally design learning environments that build both competence and confidence.

For Satagopan, the lesson is simple: Helping students move from fear to engagement isn't just good pedagogy, but an investment in a stronger, more prepared public health workforce.

"Confidence in statistics does not start with formula - it starts with community," said Satagopan. "When students connect with each other and with the instructor early on, they are more willing to engage in new topics, take risks in attempting new problems, find joy in taking such risks and develop the analytic skills to thrive as professionals."