Welcoming New Faces to the International URBAN ARCH Center Biostatistics and Data Management Core

The International URBAN ARCH Center is happy to announce some exciting updates within the Biostatistics and Data Management (BDM) Core. As we continue working to examine the impact of alcohol on multiple aspects of the TB disease continuum, we welcome these new faces and their invaluable expertise to the team.

Dr. Sara Lodi will be joining the BDM Core as a co-director alongside Dr. Debbie Cheng, who has long been a key figure in the Core and is stepping into an exciting new chapter as the founding Executive Director of the Center for Health Data Science at Boston University School of Public Health. We are excited to have the leadership of both Drs. Cheng and Lodi to propel the BDM Core forward.

Dr. Lodi is an accomplished biostatistician whose research focuses on causal inference methods for observational studies using big data, methods for causal inference to improve the statistical analysis of clinical trials, and the reconciliation of results from clinical trials and observational studies. Dr. Lodi has previously worked with the URBAN ARCH team as lead biostatistician on studies in both Russia and Uganda. Her background in the field will be instrumental in guiding the BDM Core as it continues to provide statistical and data management support for URBAN ARCH studies.

In the fall, we were excited to welcome Dr. Fatema Shafie Khorassani and Dr. Huimin Cheng to the URBAN ARCH team. You can read more about Dr. Shafie Khorassani and Dr. Cheng in this issue’s spotlight interview.  Dr. Shafie Khorassani will serve as the biostatistician for the TALC and TRAC studies. Outside of URBAN ARCH, her work focuses on data integration methods for time-to-event outcomes and on statistical methods for surrogate endpoints. Her collaborative projects focus on studying health disparities in cancer, substance use, and stroke.

Dr. Huimin Cheng will serve as the biostatistician for the GRAIL study. Currently, her methodological research focuses on statistical network analysis, graph deep learning, causal inference, machine learning, and Riemannian geometry. She also works with biophysicists, engineers, computer scientists, political scientists, public health scientists, and sociologists to solve interdisciplinary scientific and public health problems.

As we move the Center’s research forward, we are excited to continue building upon the strong foundation laid by Dr. Debbie Cheng and the other dedicated members of the BDM Core. Together, with the expertise that each of these new faces brings to the team, we look forward to the next phase of impactful HIV and substance use research.