Biostatistics Research

Bayesian Inferences Hongmei Zhang, PhD, MS Dr. Hongmei Zhang's statistical methodology research interest is in Bayesian inferences and includes applied areas. Click here for full description.
Assessing Disease Risk Yu (Joyce) Jiang, PhD Understanding gene × environment interactions and identifying potential molecular markers are critical in the study of chronic disease, such as cancer and inflammatory disease. Most existing genetic and epigenetic association studies either focused on one single type of data, genetic (single nucleotide polymorphisms; -SNP) or epigenetic data separately. Association studies with a single type of genetic or epigenetic measurement cannot comprehensively detect underlying biological processes, in particular, the failure to capture the joint work between genetic and epigenetic factors. This is likely to result in false or non-informative molecular markers. Our research interest is to develop hierarchical Bayesian integrative models, which can comprehensively and integratively assess both genetic and epigenetic effects on the risk of disease.

Clustering fMRI meta data to Identify Significant Regions of Brain Activation Meredith Ray, PhD Dr. Ray and her team have developed a Bayesian clustering method for identifying significant regions of brain activation (foci). Coordinate-based meta data originating from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which has the ability to measure the intensity of blood flow and oxygen to a location within the brain that was activated by a given thought or emotion, was of primary interest. Click here for the research abstract.

Obesity among Rural Adolescent Youth George Relyea, MS George Relyea is a research professor who collaborates with many faculty and students at UoM and with researchers at other universities. He publishes with colleagues in a variety of areas including public health/health service and managerial Epidemiology, substance abuse, gambling studies, smoking cessation, psychology, obesity studies, speech and hearing and ornithology. He currently collaborates with colleagues at East Tennessee State University on an NIH grant to reduce adolescent obesity in rural Appalachia.