Di increases PHS’s statistical power

Dr. Chongzhi Di, a biostatistician from Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health, has joined the Public Health Sciences Division.

Di’s research integrates statistical methodologies and collaborative work on public health and biomedical studies. His interests include hypothesis testing, repeated measurement data (longitudinal and functional data), data with complex hierarchical structures and statistical genetics. He has previously collaborated on studies focused on schizophrenia, cardiovascular disease, sleep, and personality and psychiatric disorders.

“The Center is an ideal place for me to start my career because I can work with leading scientists and contribute to research with potentially large public health impact using statistical knowledge,” Di said. “The Center’s Biostatistics Program and the University of Washington Biostatistics department, both very collaborative, are considered among the best in the United States and the world.”

After undergraduate studies in Applied Mathematics at Peking University, Di received a doctoral degree in Biostatistics from Johns Hopkins University last year.

“Chongzhi is a promising young investigator, with a very strong background in statistical inference and considerable experience in collaborative research,” said PHS biostatistician Dr. Charles Kooperberg, who works closely with Di. “His skills will be particularly valuable for research projects like those involving nutritional and physical activity measurements in the Women's Health Initiative, as we consider new strategies to improve measurement accuracy and increase the statistical power to detect associations between these measurements and various health outcomes.”

Di is enthused about the Center’s friendly and collegial culture. “Senior faculty members are very supportive of junior people, and junior faculty members are willing to collaborate and help each other,” he said.