Assistant professor Amber Hackstadt (shown here with summer intern Dounia Ferhat) is the recipient of an 2026 Outstanding Chapter Service Award, in recognition of her work as treasurer of the Middle Tennessee chapter.
ACTStat (Association of Clinical and Translational Statisticians), an affiliate organization, is holding its annual meeting August 1-2 at Westin Boston Seaport. Associate professor Dandan Liu is president of ACTStat and one of the conference organizers.
Sunday, August 2
From Data to Impact: Statistical Approaches for Healthier Communities · invited paper session · 2:00 - 3:50 pm
- Chaired by Sarah Lotspeich (PhD 2021)
Connecting for Impact: Social Media, Coffee Chats, and Beyond · invited panel session · 2:00 - 3:50 pm
- Organized by Jamie Joseph (PhD 2024) and Jiangmei Xiong (PhD 2025)
- Sarah Lotspeich is one of the panelists.
- See Chak Kwong (Tommy) Chen's LinkedIn post for photos of the session.
Introduction to Ethical Practice in Statistics and Data Science · introductory overview lecture · 4:00 - 5:50 pm
- Associate professor Mario Davidson is one of the speakers for "Statistical ethics takes the stage: Exploring ethical thinking through role play" (4:25 - 5:40 pm)
(Re)-Assessing the Role of Qualifying Examinations in Training Next-Generation Biostatisticians · topic-contributed paper session · 4:00 - 5:50 pm
- Organized by associate professor Andrew Spieker, who will present "The qualifying examination as one piece (but not the whole) of the puzzle: Suggestions regarding thoughtful exam development" (4:25 - 4:45 pm)
ASA GivesBack
Therapy Dogs at JSM 2026
Feeling like you may have bitten off more than you can chew? Conferences can be overwhelming! ASA GivesBack will host a dog room at JSM2026 on Monday, August 3, and Tuesday, August 4, from noon to 2 pm. The staff will include Mia, a nationally certified therapy dog who periodically works with her human, Jamie Joseph (PhD 2024), at Henry Ford Health. Questions about ASA GivesBack? Contact Caroline Birdrow (MS 2021).
Monday, August 3
Nonparametric Bayesian Modeling: An Introduction to Gaussian Processes with PyMC · short course · 8:30 am - 12:30 pm
- Taught by adjoint associate professor Chris Fonnesbeck, creator of PyMC
Smarter Data Integration: Statistical Methods for Multi-phase and Multi-source Data · topic-contributed paper session · 10:30 am - 12:20 pm
- Professor Bryan Shepherd will present "Implementing a multi-wave two-phase study to correct for data errors in a multinational study of HIV and tuberculosis" (10:35 - 10:55 am).
- PhD candidate Joshua Slone will present "Optimal sampling for generalized raking estimators to address data quality in a multinational three-phase study of frailty among people with HIV" (11:35 - 11:55 am).
Innovative Approaches to Teaching Survival Analysis for Learners of All Levels · topic-contributed paper session · 10:30 am - 12:20 pm
- Chris Slaughter will present "Flexible Survival Analysis Teaching Strategies for Graduate Students in the Age of AI" (10:35 - 10:55 am).
AI, Machine Learning & Digital Tools in Clinical Development · contributed paper session · 10:30 am - 12:20 pm
- Chih-Yuan Hsu will present "Interval Estimation, Hypothesis Testing, and Power Analysis for Fβ scores" (11:20 - 11:35 am), which was co-authored by professors Qi Liu and Yu Shyr.
Section on Statistics in Epidemiology 2 - Instrumental Variables & Causal Inference · contributed paper session · 10:30 am - 12:20 pm
- PhD candidate Alexis Schwartz will present "A Modified Instrumental Variable Framework for Sensitivity-Based Estimation of Engagement in mHealth" (10:35 - 10:50 am), co-authored by Andrew Spieker.
Federated Learning and Inference · contributed paper session · 2:00 - 3:00 pm
- Recent graduate Haozheng Xu (MS 2026) will present "A Simulation study on coverage probabilities of Double Machine Learning: analytical vs bootstrap CI" (2:05 - 2:20 pm), co-authored by assistant professors Qingyan Xiang and Siyuan Ma.
Innovative Methods in Mental Health Statistics · contributed papers session · 2:00 - 3:00 pm
- Assistant professor Jinyuan Liu is the session chair.
Bayesian Variable Selection and Shrinkage Methods · contributed papers session · 2:00 - 3:00 pm
- Assistant professor Panpan Zhang co-authored "Novel Bayesian Bi-Level Variable Selection Method with Application to Alzheimer’s Disease."
SPAAC (Scientific and Public Affairs Advisory Committee) · Poster Competition topic-contributed poster session
- Biostatistician Elisa Yazdani (MS 2023) will present "An Emulated Trial Approach to Assess the Impact of Time-Updated Retention on Virological Failure." Co-authors include assistant professor Amber Hackstadt and associate professor Peter Rebeiro.
Vanderbilt Biostatistics happy hour at 6:00 pm - contact Andrew Guide if interested.
PhD candidate Alexis Fleming Schwartz, who is presenting a contributed paper Monday morning, is the winner of the 2026 Wray Jackson Smith Scholarship, from the American Statistical Association's Government Statistics Section. Schwartz will use the scholarship for professional development courses at JSM, which will expand her toolkit for providing biostatistical support to child welfare projects in Tennessee. Schwartz recently completed her term as president of Vanderbilt's Biostatistics Graduate Student Association and was a member of the team that won the ASA's SPAIG (Statistical Partnerships Among Academe, Industry, and Government) Award in 2025.
Tuesday, August 4
Making an Impact through Statistical Leadership: Methods, Collaboration, and Beyond · topic-contributed panel session · 10:30 am - 12:20 pm
- Chaired by Lucy D'Agostino McGowan
Methods for Data Integration under Constraints · contributed paper session · 10:30 am - 12:20 pm
- Chaired by Qingyan Xiang
Robust and Explainable Statistical Learning for Large-Scale Neuroimaging and Brain Networks · topic-contributed paper session · 10:30 am - 12:20 pm
- Co-organized by assistant professor Panpan Zhang, who will present "A Bayesian Model for Network Analysis under Edge Misclassification" (10:35 - 10:55 am)
- Associate professor Simon Vandekar will present "Improved Estimation of Correlation Accuracy for Machine Learning Brain-Phenotype Associations" (11:15 - 11:35 am), co-authored by recent graduates Megan Jones (PhD 2026), Ishaan Gadiyar (BS 2026), and Kaidi Kang (PhD 2025); PhD candidate Xinyu Zhang; and Jinyuan Liu.
Statistical Innovations in Harnessing Large Language Models and EHR Data for Rare Disease Research · topic-contributed paper session · 10:30 am - 12:20 pm
- Co-organized by assistant professor Cathy Shyr, who will present "Large Language Models for End-to-End Rare Disease Phenotyping from Clinical Notes" (11:15 - 11:35 am)
Contributed Poster Presentations: Section on Statistics in Imaging · 10:30 am - 12:20 pm
- Simon Vandekar is a co-author of "Addressing Group Effects In The SPICE Test For Intermodal Correspondence."
Section on Statistical Consulting Lunch Roundtables · 12:30 - 1:50 pm
- Mario Davidson is a co-author of "The New Realities of Statistical Consulting and Collaboration in the Age of AI."
Causal Effect Estimation: Recent Advances · contributed papers session · 2:00 - 3:50 pm
- Assistant professor Qingyan Xiang will present "Double machine learning to estimate the effects of multiple treatments and their interactions" (2:35 - 2:50 pm).
- PhD candidate Hao Wu will present "Doubly Robust Estimators of Quantile Treatment Effects With Cumulative Probability Models" (2:50 - 3:05 pm).
- Bryan Shepherd is a co-author of both presentations.
Omics Integration and Network Analysis · contributed papers session · 2:00 - 3:50 pm
- Siyuan Ma co-authored "Deciphering Functional Regulation in Multi-Omics via Knowledge-Informed Low-Rank Factorization."
Contributed Poster Presentations: Biometrics Section · 2:00 - 3:50 pm
- Maximilian Rohde (PhD 2025) will present "Bayesian Factored Regression for Efficient Analysis of Two-Phase Study Designs," co-authored by associate professor Ran Tao and professor Jonathan Schildcrout
Contributed Poster Presentations: ENAR · 2:00 - 3:50 pm
- Ishaan Gadiyar will present "Machine Learning Evaluation using Semiparametric Correlation in Brain-Psychopathology Associations," which was co-authored by Megan Jones and Simon Vandekar.
The Human Side of Statistical Leadership · topic-contributed panel session · 2:00 - 3:50 pm
- Organized and chaired by Richard Zink (guest instructor, Fundamentals of Applied Improvisation, August 14 in Nashville)
- Panelists include Lucy D'Agostino McGowan.
Wednesday, August 5
Methodological Advances by 2025 COPSS Emerging Leaders · invited paper session · 8:30 - 10:20 am
- Lucy D'Agostino McGowan will present "Symmetric Vaccine Efficacy: Interpretable Estimation and Inference for Vaccine Trials" (9:50 - 10:15 am).
Statistical Advances in Neuroimaging and Cognitive Health · topic-contributed paper session · 8:30 - 10:20 am
- Kaidi Kang will present "Precise Characterization of the Longitudinal Cognitive Decline Toward Alzheimer's Disease Progression: A Novel Double Anchoring Events-Based Sigmoidal Mixed Model" (9:35 - 9:55 am).
ENAR Contributed 2 - Machine Learning, High-Dimensional Modeling, and Translational Biomedical Analytics · contributed paper session · 8:30 - 10:20 am
- PhD student Xin Gai will present "Subtype-Aware Registration of Longitudinal Electronic Health Records" (9:35 - 9:50 am).
AI Approaches in Microbial Community Multi-Omics · invited paper session · 10:30 am - 12:20 pm
- Siyuan Ma will present "Leveraging new genomic LLMs for studying under-annotated microbial genes" (10:35 - 10:55 am).
Memorial Session for Paul Rathouz · invited paper session · 10:30 am - 12:20 pm
- Jonathan Schildcrout will present "Sequential Offsetted Regression, Semiparametric Estimators, Semiparametric Models and Some Such" (11:25 - 11:50 am).
Targeted Validation, Broader Benefit: Advancing Public Health with Two-Phase Designs · topic-contributed paper session · 10:30 am - 12:20 pm
- Chaired by Lucy D'Agostino McGowan (PhD 2018)
- Organized by Sarah Lotspeich, who will present "Strategically validating error-prone food access measures using map-based software with efficient, equity-focused analyses in mind" (10:55 - 11:15 am)
Contributed Poster Presentations: Transportation Statistics Interest Group · 10:30 am - 12:20 pm
- PhD student Zongyue Teng will present "When Does the Silhouette Score Work? A Comprehensive Study in Network Clustering," co-authored by Dandan Liu and Panpan Zhang. Teng placed 2nd in TSG's 2026 student paper competition.
Section on Statistical Consulting Lunch Roundtable · 12:30 - 1:50 pm
- Mario Davidson will lead discussion of "Implementing Role-Play in Statistical Courses."
Strengthening Our Community through Impactful Multi-Sector Data-Driven Collaborations · invited paper session · 2:00 - 3:50 pm
- Professor Rameela Raman will present "Informing policy and implementation in the child welfare system using integrated administrative data" (2:55 - 3:20 pm).
Semiparametric and Nonparametric Advances Confronting Non-ideal and Testable Model Assumptions in Causal Inference and Missing Data · topic-contributed paper session · 2:00 - 3:50 pm
- Co-organized by Jinyuan Liu
- Presenters include Jinyuan Liu (3:05 - 3:25 pm)
Frontiers in Survival Analysis: Models, Inference, and Tools · contributed paper session · 2:00 - 3:50 pm
- Sarah Lotspeich is a co-author of "Predicting Huntington Disease Integrated Staging System Stage Transitions to Inform Clinical Trial Enrichment."
Thursday, August 6
Causal Inference, Applied Modeling, and Specialized Statistical Methods · contributed paper session · 8:30 - 10:20 am
- Xinyu Zhang will present "Asymptotic Distribution of Robust Effect Size Index" (8:35 - 8:50 am); co-authors include Megan Jones and Simon Vandekar.
Bayesian Methods for Categorical and Survey Data · contributed paper session · 8:30 - 10:20 am
- PhD candidate Haoyang Yi will present "Bayesian latent hierarchical Imputation of Missing Ordinal Survey Responses via INLA" (9:50 - 10:05 am), co-authored by professor Qingxia Chen.
Improving and Assessing Risk Prediction Models · contributed paper session · 8:30 - 10:20 am
- Sarah Lotspeich is a co-author of "Comparing Risk Stratification of Existing Models for Time to Diagnosis of Huntington Disease."