“I joined the PhD program in Biostatistics at Emory in 2014, after earning my Bachelor of Science in statistics in China and my Master of Public Health in Biostatistics in US. At Emory, I spent four years on receiving doctoral training with Dr. Qi Long and two years on a postdoc training with Dr. Hao Wu.

During my doctoral training with Dr. Long, I was exposed to research projects in multiple areas. This greatly expanded my horizons. I still remembered the rewarding experience of attending the group meeting with other members in Dr. Long's lab and presenting the most recent research development. Following Dr. Long's advice, I also actively participated in different academic conferences and forums to present my works. All these experiences made me grow quickly from a student to a student researcher.

A year before obtaining my PhD degree, I became very interested in Bioinformatics applications, which made me decide to stay and continue working with Dr. Hao Wu as a postdoctoral fellow. Dr. Wu is a patient mentor and a passionate researcher. Under his guidance, I further explored the research areas in bioinformatics and gained crucial skills for my career development. I feel very fortunate to be one of Dr. Wu's students. I remembered how he sit by me and taught me every detail to improve my research and my manuscripts, which is so helpful that I still use the tips he taught me today. I also remembered all the students in Dr. Wu's lab celebrating holidays together with his family each year. There is so much more that I learned form him. He is a precious mentor for me both academically and in life.

In the last half year of my postdoc training, I also fortunately obtained an opportunity to work Dr. Eugene Huang on one biomarker project. I am very impressive by Dr. Huang's scientific rigor and high standards for methodology research. This experience further improved my methodology skills and expanded my research area.

Currently, I am an Assistant Professor at the Department of Biostatistics of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. I collaborate with cancer physicians and biologists, teach graduate students at MD Anderson and Rice, and pursue my own methodology research. The solid trainings I’ve received in BIOS allow me to find this position and make me capable of the current responsibilities, for which I am very grateful for all I received at Rollins. ” 

“I joined Emory Biostatistics in 2011 for my MS degree and continued my PhD education in 2014 at the very same department. During my time at Emory, I was able to take a variety of courses on biostatistics, bioinformatics, computer science, and public health in general. For my research, I was fortunate to have Dr. Hao Wu mentoring me as my advisor. Now, when I look back, I recollect nothing but rewarding experiences and wonderful times.    

From a newbie MS student to a faculty member in biostatistics now, I benefited a lot from the systematic and comprehensive coursework design at Emory BIOS. There was a lot to learn, but the sequential and considerate education plan at Emory made the learning a smooth and natural experience. It prepared students well, in both theoretical concepts and method applications.

It was a great pleasure to conduct research at Emory. My supervisor, Dr. Hao Wu, is among the top of all the nice and knowledgeable professors in the department. From hands-on tutoring in research projects, to sharp insights in bioinformatics methodology, to guidance and planning in academic endeavor, he not only mentored but also inspired me intellectually. I am grateful for what I picked up from him.

I am now an Assistant Professor at the Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. I enjoy conducting statistical bioinformatics methodology research, collaborating with wet lab scientists and clinicians, teaching biostatistics courses, as well as serving the biostatistics community. It goes without saying that Emory Biostatistics provides the preeminent foundation to my daily academic life.” 

“Kylie Ainslie obtained a PhD in biostatistics from Emory University in 2018 under the supervision of Dr. Michael Haber. Her doctoral research focused on creating models and methods to evaluate the effectiveness of influenza vaccines from observational studies. After graduating from Emory, she was a postdoctoral research associate at Imperial College London in the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis. During her postdoc she was involved in research into the epidemiology of influenza, including the development of mathematical models to assess vaccination strategies in children and repeated influenza vaccination. She was also a member of the Imperial COVID-19 Response Team where she was actively involved in the modelling and characterization of the COVID-19 pandemic. She is currently an infectious disease modeller at the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) in The Netherlands. Her work at RIVM focuses on modelling the impact of different COVID-19 vaccination strategies on disease outcomes and helping inform the Dutch COVID-19 vaccination policy.” 

"I joined the BIOS program at Rollins School of Public Health in 2016 and graduated with my MSPH in 2018. While I enjoyed the classes and seminars, I really found my stride during my work as a research assistant to Dr. Howard Chang and in the environmental statistics student group. I miss the days spent discussing methods, ideas, and interesting research topics. Of the things I learned as an Emory student, programming (both R and SAS) and communicating complicated ideas simply have been my two most valuable assets in my transition to full-time work.

After graduating, I joined the autoimmune statistical analysts team at Lilly where I worked for a little over two-and-a-half years. I recently transitioned roles and now work as a Clinical Data Analyst (still at Lilly). This new position should open up opportunities to use machine learning and more advanced programming techniques -- both things I took an interest in during my time at Emory."

“My time with BIOS at RSPH was both exciting and rewarding. From SAS and R programming classes to Modern Regression Analysis, I enjoyed the right mix of statistical theory and application courses that prepared me to be a well-rounded statistician. I really benefited from the experience of working on projects together with my classmates, conducting research for my master’s thesis, and having close relationships with professors in the BIOS department that helped guide my academic career at RSPH. I often share my experiences in BIOS during my interviews that truly helped me be a strong candidate during the job search before graduation. 

Currently, I am an Associate Director of Analytics for the Center of Data Science and Analytics at Miami University. My main responsibility as the Associate Director is to lead the development of data science and analytic training programs for our corporate partners with the mission to develop the quantitative literacy and analytics skills of the modern workforce. Before Miami University, I was a Senior Statistician at Eli Lilly and Company for over 2 years where I conducted advanced statistical modeling and analysis to help optimize clinical trial success.” 

"I joined the MPH program in Biostatistics at Emory in 2013 and it provided exactly what I need to pursue a career in public health. Faculty members are all leading experts in biostatistician education and the rigorous curriculum is tailored to equip students with knowledge and techniques of practical and theoretical data-analysis skills. And Rollins could also provide students with many opportunities to pursue internships in a wide range of partner organizations, such as CDC, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory Hospital, CARE, etc.

While attending Rollins, I worked as a research assistant in the Emory Clinical Cardiovascular Research Institute providing support on data management and data analysis for two projects. Besides, I had two semesters of experience in conducting the analysis for a multisite, longitudinal, population-based study as a biostatistician assistant at the CDC. Additionally, I assisted in managing databases for three months in CARE, as part of my summer practicum.

Currently, I am a senior data analyst serving the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention (DHAP) at the CDC. I build statistical models and perform data analyses for DHAP publication reports, manuscripts, and data requests. In addition, I work directly with my team lead on projects of high priority to CDC and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services including the Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative Data and data for HIV Prevention Network Studies with the National Institute of Health (NIH). I find my work in CDC meaningful and exciting, and I believe the solid trainings I’ve received in BIOS will further my career."

“I joined the MSPH program in Biostatistics at Emory back in 2012. I could not thank the fantastic faculty and staff in the department enough for their support for international students in both study and life. The research interests of faculty members widely covered popular topics of Biostatistics and the students could easily find a mentor to guide their research interests. Meanwhile, the strong public health and medical research at Emory provided atmosphere to nurture skills and experience in Biostatistics with collaborations.

During my second year, I have been working as a Graduate Research Assistant conducting social network analysis under the supervision of Dr. Vicki Hertzberg and Ms. Lisa Elon. I completed my thesis with Dr. Hertzberg about social network and infectious disease and the paper was later published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.

Currently, I am working as a Sr. Biostatistician at the Center of Global Safe Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in the Hubert Department of Global Health at Emory University. My primary responsibility is conducting statistical and mathematical modeling research. My research over the recent years focused on infectious disease transmission modeling, wastewater surveillance of infectious diseases, quantitative microbial risk assessment, and water, sanitation, and hygiene. I also supervised data managers, analysts, and students to provide support for both global and domestic research projects in study design, data collection, data analysis, visualization, and reporting.

As a person who has been at Rollins for 8 years as a student and staff member, I will recommend Rollins and Biostatistics department without any reservations. I believe a journey at our wonderful department will be a solid step of your career path.” 

“I joined the Biostatistics MPH program at Rollins in 2012 following the completion of my undergraduate studies in biology, French, and statistics. I knew biostatistics as a discipline and Rollins in particular was a good fit as I was excited to continue to expand my statistical knowledge and was eager to pursue coursework in public health. I found my two years in the department two be incredibly rewarding, both academically with thought-provoking courses and a research assistantship at the American Cancer Society, as well as socially, from the departmental Christmas party to life-long friendships with my cohort.

Following my graduation, I worked at the CDC as a statistician in the Department of Global Health Protection, Emergency Response and Recovery Branch for four years, assisting with study design, data collection, analysis, and results dissemination. I was fortunate to be able to work on a wide range of projects in humanitarian and emergency settings, including reproductive health in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, the Hurricane Matthew response and subsequent Oral Cholera Vaccination campaign in Haiti, and a meta-analysis of hundreds of anthropometric surveys in refugee camps across the globe, among countless others. My experience at the CDC ignited my passion for the intersection of global health and statistical analysis, which has ultimately led me to my current position.

I now am a PhD student at the University of Washington in the Department of Global Health – Metrics and Implementation Science and working full-time as a Researcher at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation on the COVID-19 modeling team. My current role and coursework relies heavily on biostatistical methods and I strongly believe that my training at Rollins has been instrumental in my success. ” 

“I joined the PhD program in Biostatistics at Emory in 2006, after earning my Bachelor of Science in statistics in China. During my five years at Rollins, I received the exact training I was looking for—a nice combination of method and applications. The curriculum provided well-rounded training in theory and methods, and the ample consulting opportunities prepared me for collaborations with biomedical researchers.

My time at Rollins was rewarding and enjoyable. The faculty, staff, and fellow students never hesitated to help me when I was seeking advice and support regarding research, internship applications, and job hunting.

I was fortunate to work as a research assistant with several other professors on agreement studies and clustered data. The problems we worked on were motivated by real-life studies and were practical and meaningful. In terms of the applications, I was involved in several interesting consulting projects at the Biostatistics Consulting Center and the medical school.

During my graduate studies, I gradually became convinced that a research-oriented position would be best suited for me. I have been an assistant professor of Biostatistics at the University of Pittsburgh since August 2011. The emphasis of this position is on research—both methodological and collaborative—and teaching. I find my new position challenging and exciting, and believe that my training at Emory has given me a solid foundation for my career.”

“Before joining the biostatistics program at Rollins, I was trained in economics, but I was not sure about my career in economics. I love my choice in biostatistics because it is strongly related to life science, drug development, and public health—it also includes beautiful statistical theories as well as numerous interesting and important applications.

I completed my dissertation with Dr. Michael Haber. With his unfailing support, we successfully published our papers on my dissertation in Statistics in Medicine

During my five years at Rollins, I didn’t just focus on course studies and thesis writing. I was involved heavily in consulting projects with the Biostatistics Consulting Center, a summer internship at Merck &Co., Inc., and a part-time job at CDC’s Immunization Safety. After graduation, I decided to work at CDC as a mathematical statistician, which has been extremely rewarding.

Now, I’m working at the Inorganic and Radiation Analytical Toxicology Branch in the Division of Laboratory Science at the CDC. As the only statistician in our branch, I’m serving on many different research projects. I even had the opportunity to apply my dissertation work about inter-observer agreement to assess the accuracy and precision of iodine measurements globally. I have also learned a lot about complex survey methodology. I was fully motivated by public health promotion, and I really recommend anyone such a career if it’s also your dream.”

“During my previous study experience, I became fascinated with the beauty of statistics, and realized the great importance of both medical information systems and public health surveillance systems. 

So, I enrolled in the public health informatics MPH program at Rollins, which provided me with an excellent platform for studying developments in biomedical and public health Informatics in the United States.

I have become familiar with statistical methods, database management, geographic Information systems, and bioinformatics, as well as architectures and standards of public health surveillance systems and electronic medical record systems. With professors’ recommendations, I got an opportunity to work as a summer intern at the CDC where I became aware of nationwide efforts to expand electronic medical record systems and health information exchange networks. This experience helped me clarify my career goal—to become an interlocutor for computer science, informatics, and statistics.

Currently, I am a PhD student in the intelligent system program at the University of Pittsburgh. I am also working as a graduate student researcher in the Real-Time Outbreak and Disease Surveillance laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Biomedical Informatics. My research interest is to develop statistical and computational tools to leverage existing electronic medical record systems for public health and clinical decision making, public health surveillance, health care quality improvement, and population health research.” 

“From my first day of orientation at Rollins, I felt very comfortable and welcomed by the faculty and staff in the Department of Biostatistics. The small number of students in the department facilitated the development of closer relationships not only among students, but also between students and faculty. In the middle of my first year at Rollins, I began working part-time as a statistician at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Through my work at CDC, I developed a particular interest for specific areas of study. As a result of the broad range of courses offered at Rollins, I was able to choose classes that aligned with my personal and professional interests. I continued my job at CDC throughout my time at Rollins and began working full-time after graduation.

My primary responsibility as a statistician is to serve as statistical support for researchers throughout CDC, offering assistance relating to study design, data analysis, and the dissemination of results. In addition to performing the statistical analysis for many studies at CDC, I have had the unique opportunity to be an integral contributor to studies published in peer-reviewed medical journals. I believe I made the right choice for myself and my career by choosing to study Biostatistics at Rollins.”

“I joined the Biostatistics MSPH program at Rollins in 2006 after completing my undergraduate degree in Mathematics.  I was excited to learn about Biostatistics as a next step in my studies and after attending Visit Emory felt that Rollins was the place for me.  My two years in the program left me with an extensive network of leading public health professionals, the opportunity to work on multiple clinical trials alongside the Biostatistics faculty, the knowledge to start a career in Biostatistics, and a few more letters to add to the end of my name.  While at Rollins, I had the rewarding experience of participating in student government that helped me grow as a leader and interact with an even larger network outside of Rollins. 

While I started my career in a more traditional Biostatistics role within Rollins, I transitioned to industry and currently work at The Home Depot.  While my day-to-day work is not in the public health realm, I use many of the skills that I learned from my time at Rollins in my work.  I am part of the Supply Chain organization and use my analytical skills to help drive inventory productivity. ” 

“Dr. Patel received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Computer Science from Rice University in 2000 and 2002, respectively. He entered Emory's doctoral program in Biostatistics in 2002 and received his doctoral degree from Emory in 2006, working under his advisor Dr. DuBois Bowman. He developed novel statistical methods to analyze functional connectivity of the brain using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. Dr. Patel was selected by the Department of Biostatistics to be Emory’s first recipient of a Merck Company Scholarship in 2003 after his first year as a doctoral student.

Over the course of more than 14 years at Google, Dr. Patel has used his combination of statistical and computer science training to transform many of the products used across the world today. With Google Search, Dr. Patel developed the suite of experimentation tools we use thousands of times each year to make improvements to the core algorithms that power Search. From there, he led teams responsible for the freshness and topicality of search results. When you type a query to Google like, [who won the last Kutner award for distinguished service], the work he did to improve the freshness and topicality of Search is why we’re able to find the result showing the recent winner! This work affects over a billion users every day, and several billion searches a day.

Dr. Patel has always been unique in being able to combine his deep statistical understanding with his background in computer science to solve hard technical challenges, like understanding natural language in Search, or understanding images with Google Lens to build beautiful and simple products that have impacted billions of users across the world. Beyond Search, he also applied these ideas to kick off products like Gboard, the Android keyboard which autocorrects billions of words a day for hundreds of millions of users, and Google Podcasts, the best way to find and listen to audio on your phone. Impact like what he’s delivered doesn’t happen from just one person. Over the last 10 years, Dr. Patel has grown to become an excellent leader of junior engineers, analysts, and product managers, growing and leading teams of more than 300 people to help build Search, Google Lens, ARCore, Gboard, Google Podcasts, and now recently consumer shopping experiences across Google. For his contributions, over the last 14 years, Dr. Patel has been promoted through the ranks at Google, from a Level 4 Research Scientist to now being the Vice President of Engineering in the Consumer Shopping group at Google.

Prior to joining Google in 2007, Dr. Patel worked at Amgen, Inc. as a Senior Biostatistician and then a Biostatistics Manager for 2006 and 2007. At Amgen, Dr. Patel conducted statistical analyses for early phase clinical trials and pre-clinical trials and wrote statistical analysis plans, contributed heavily to clinical trial protocols, and worked with physicians, data managers, and clinical trial specialists to run early phase clinical trials.”