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Panelists
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Moderator
Sandra Safo, PhD, Associate Professor, Division of Biostatistics & Health Data Science, University of Minnesota
About the Speakers
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About the Moderator
Sandra Safo, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Division of Biostatistics and Health Data Science and a Graduate Faculty of Data Science in the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota. Her research focuses on developing robust, explainable, and practical statistical and machine learning methods for high-dimensional data to advance clinical translational research and precision medicine. Her methodological expertise includes classification, discriminant analysis, clustering, dimension reduction, deep learning, and sample size estimation, with a particular interest in functional data analysis and social determinants of health. Dr. Safo’s research is supported by multiple PI grants, including the Maximizing Investigators Research Award (MIRA, R35 from NIGMS) for early-stage investigators, administrative supplements from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the Office of Data Science and Strategy, as well as internal funding from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Safo earned her Ph.D. in Statistics from the University of Georgia in 2014, an M.Sc. in Applied Mathematics from The University of Akron in 2009, and a B.A. in Mathematics and Economics from the University of Ghana in 2006. Her applied research spans several critical health areas, including cardiovascular diseases, HIV, diabetes, COPD, COVID-19, genetic epidemiology, and metabolomics. Recognized for her contributions to the field, she has received numerous prestigious honors, including the 2024 COPSS Emerging Leader Award and the University of Minnesota McKnight Land-Grant Professorship (2023-2025). She is a standing member of the NIH Analytics and Statistics for Population Research Panel A (ASPA) and an elected member of the International Statistical Institute (ISI). Her past accolades include the NIH ESI Outstanding Award (2021-2026), the University of Minnesota CTSI KL2 Scholar Award (2018-2021), and the PRIDE Cardiovascular Genetics Epidemiology Scholar Award from Washington University in St. Louis (2016-2018).
About the COPSS-NISS Leadership Webinar Series
COPSS (Committee of the Presidents of Statistical Societies) and NISS have come together to organize and host a new webinar series focusing on leadership in statistics and data science. Plan to attend these webinars every month during the academic year! Visit the COPSS-NISS Leadership Series Page for previous webinars.
The COPSS-NISS Leadership Webinar Series is co-organized by the Committee of the Presidents of Statistical Societies (COPSS) Emerging Leaders in Statistics and the National Institute of Statistical Sciences (NISS). The purpose of the webinar series is to promote leadership skills for members of the statistical societies at any stage in their careers. The series features conversations with leaders throughout the discipline, including leaders from major academic and government institutions, and companies. Invited speakers share their leadership stories and answer questions about their experiences. Each webinar is moderated by a member of the COPSS Emerging Leaders in Statistics program.
Access the Full COPSS-NISS Leadership Webinar Series YouTube Playlist | COPSS-NISS Leadership Webinar Series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoRtupvDJTjvFukMcO6NfDr0GvxDsIj81
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- NISS Hosted
- NISS Sponsored
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