Students

Current Lab Photo

Awards (beyond scholarships) recently received by trainees

2022

• Yixiu Liu received first place at the Canadian Statistical Sciences Institute (CANSSI) summit student poster competition for her research entitled “Multimorbidity Patterns in US Adults with Subjective Cognitive Decline and their Relationship with Functional Disabilities.” The paper was published in Journal of Aging and Health.
• Azizur Rahman, along with three other students, Ashiq Haque, Samuel Quan, and Muditha Bodawatte Gedara ) won the student case studies competition at the Statistical Society of Canada’s annual meeting for their entry entitled “Does Feedback from Allied Health Professionals Enhance Prediction of Mortality.”
• Beili Huang received third place in the Canadian Statistics Student Conference for the Master’s oral competition. Her presentation was entitled “Two-part mixed effects models for longitudinal outcomes with ‘Don’t Know’ category: Implications for program evaluation”.
• Chendong Li received a award of Dean of Graduate Studies for excellent in the Manitoba Health Research Poster Competition, June 13, 2022. His poster presentation was entitled “Trajectories of Frailty and Associated Factors in Older Men”.
• Kun Liu received the Department of Community Health Sciences Bold Idea Best Quantitative and Best Results award in the Manitoba Health Research Poster Competition, June 13, 2022. Her poster presentation was entitled “Vaccine Effectiveness against Severe COVID-19 Outcomes during Different VOC-Dominances in Manitoba, Canada”.

2021

• Yixiu Liu won 2021 VADA Summer School Big Data Challenge Competition Award.
• Azizur Rahman won 2021 Artificial Intelligence for Public Health (AI4PH) Big Data Challenge Competition Award.

Prospective Students

I am looking for new students interested in biostatistics and/or application in public health. Previous experience in these areas is helpful, but I consider interest/enthusiasm in research and good quantitative background (statistics, quantitative psychology or preventive medicine) to be more important than any specific knowledge. To help me know more about your background, please send me the following items via email.

1. A copy of your CV;
2. A copy of your undergraduate transcript, AND (if applicable) your graduate transcript (a scanned copy is enough);
3. Up to two representative publications that you are most proud of if you have;
4. TOEFL/IELTS score when applicable (our department does not require GRE);
5. A brief description of your research interests, and your background (course work, projects, etc.).

If you have additional questions about graduate admission or working in my group, you can contact me via email.

Current Lab Members

PhD Graduate Students

• Yixiu Liu
  • 2019.9 - Present: PhD Candidate in Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Canada.
  • MSc in Community Health Sciences Specialization in Biostatistics from University of Manitoba (2019); MSc in Mathematics from Hainan Normal University, China (2017); BSc in Mathematics and Applied Mathematics from Hainan Normal University, China (2015).
  • Award/Scholarship: The Visual and Automated Disease Analytics (VADA) Trainee Scholarship (NSERC CREATE; 2020.9-2022.8); International Graduate Student Entrance Scholarship of University of Manitoba (2019.9-2020.8) ; University of Manitoba the Faculty of Graduate Enhancement of Tri-agency Stipends (GETS) stipends (2019.9-2020.8; 2022.9-2023.8).
  • Internships: School of Rehabilitation of University of Manitoba (2021.5-2021.8); St Boniface Hospital Cardiac Research Center (2022.1 - Present).
• Azizur Rahman
  • 2019.9 - Present: PhD Candidate in Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Canada.
  • M. Phil in Statistics from Jahangirnagar University (2017); MSc in Statistics from Jahangirnagar University (2008); BSc in Statistics from Jahangirnagar University (2007).
  • Award/Scholarship: The Visual and Automated Disease Analytics (VADA) Trainee Scholarship (NSERC CREATE; 2019.9-2021.8); University of Manitoba the Faculty of Graduate Enhancement of Tri-agency Stipends (GETS) stipends (2021.9-2023.8).
  • Internships: Department of Families of Government of Manitoba, 2020.6-2021.10; 2022.1-2022.3.
  • Current Position (2023.1 - Present): Program Evaluator at Social Innovation Office (SIO), Department of Families, Government of Manitoba, Canada.
• Fatma Osman
  • 2020.1 - Present: PhD Candidate in Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Canada.
  • MSc in Community Health Sciences from University of Manitoba (2020); MSc in Administration from Central Michigan University (2011); BSc in Public Health from Benghazi University, Libya (2005).
  • Award/Scholarship: Libyan North American Scholarship (2020.1-2023.8).
• Shi Zhang
  • 2022.9 - Present: PhD Candidate in Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Canada.
  • MSc in Statistics from University of New Brunswick (2022); MSc in Mathematics and Statistics from Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, China (2020); BSc in Administration of Accounting from Shanghai Lixin University of Accounting and Finance (2017).
  • Award/Scholarship: The Visual and Automated Disease Analytics (VADA) Trainee Scholarship (NSERC CREATE; 2022.9-2024.8).
• Yansin Leung
  • 2022.9 - Present: PhD Candidate in Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Canada.
  • MSc in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (2018); BSc in Analytical and Testing Science from Hong Kong Baptist University (2017).
• Yuying Sun (Co-supervisor with Dr. Zhenyu Wu)
  • 2019.9 - Present: PhD Candidate in Finance, Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba.

Master Graduate Students

• Marco Ayroso
  • 2022.9 - Present: MSc in Community Health Sciences Specialization in Biostatistics, University of Manitoba, Canada.
  • BSc in Biochemistry and Microbiology from University of Manitoba (2019).
  • Award/Scholarship: Manitoba Training Program for Health Service Research (2022.9-2023.8).
  • Internships: Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit of Manitoba Health, 2020.10 - Present.
• Mst Farzana Akter
  • 2021.9 - Present: MSc in Community Health Sciences Specialization in Biostatistics, University of Manitoba, Canada.
  • MSc in Statistics from Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh (2019); BSc in Statistics from Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh (2016).
  • Award/Scholarship: The Visual and Automated Disease Analytics (VADA) Trainee Scholarship (NSERC CREATE; 2021.9-2022.8); Rady Faculty Graduate Scholarship (2023.1-2023.12).
  • Internships: Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit of Manitoba Health, 2022.5 - Present.
• Qunfeng Wang
  • 2021.9 - Present: MSc in Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Canada.
  • BSc in Environmental Engineering from University of Manitoba (2003); BSc in Pulping and Papermaking Engineering from Nanjing Forestry University, China (1998).
• Shrinivas Rathod
  • 2020.9 - Present: MSc in Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Canada.
  • Current Position (2022.9 - Present): Cancercare BC, Vancouver, Canada.

Visiting Scholars

• Bosheng Li, PhD student from China Pharmaceutical University, China, 2021.11 - 2023.11, funded by China Scholarship Council (CSC).

Alumni

Master students

• Chendong Li
  • 2020.9 - 2023.8: MSc in Community Health Sciences Specialization in Biostatistics, University of Manitoba, Canada.
  • Thesis title: “Modeling developmental trajectories with nonrandomly missing data: Investigating trajectories of frailty using data from the Manitoba Follow-up Study”.
  • Current Position (2022.9 - Present): PhD student at Texas A&M University, Texas, USA.
• Beili Huang
  • 2020.9 - 2023.5: MSc in Community Health Sciences Specialization in Biostatistics, University of Manitoba, Canada.
  • Thesis title: “Statistical Models for Multilevel Data with “Don’t know” Category: Implication for Program Evaluation”.
  • Current Position (2023.5 - Present): Data Analyst at University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
• Kun Liu
  • 2019.9 - 2022.9 MSc in Community Health Sciences Specialization in Biostatistics.
  • Thesis title: “Comparisons of different propensity score methods in a multilevel framework: Implications for cluster-based program evaluation”.
  • Current Position (2022.9 - Present): Data Analyst at Manitoba Centre for Health Policy (MCHP), Winnipeg, Canada
• Dorian Ospina Galeano (Co-supervisor with Dr. Javier Mignone)
  • 2019.9 - 2023.8: MSc in Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Canada.
  • Thesis title: “Multimorbidity among the Wayun people of Colombia: Retrospective cohort study based on administrative data”.
• Md Abu Hasan
  • 2018.9 - 2021.7 MSc in Community Health Sciences Specialization in Biostatistics.
  • Thesis title: “Program Evaluation with Multilevel Longitudinal Data: Evidence from Simulation Study and Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial”.
  • Current Position (2021.8 - Present): Data Analyst at Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Canada
• Xuejing Jiang
  • 2017.9 - 2021.4 MSc in Community Health Sciences Specialization in Biostatistics.
  • Thesis title: “Validation Studies on a Screening Tool for Mental Disorder of Children and Youth in Canada and the Implication for Program Evaluation”.
  • Current Position (2021.5 - Present): Data Analyst at First Nations Information Governance Centre, Ottawa, Canada.

• Yixiu Liu

  • 2017.9 - 2019.8 MSc in Community Health Sciences Specialization in Biostatistics.
  • Thesis title: “Study of Quality-of-Life Trajectories at Late Life: Impact of Statistical Models and Study Design”.
  • Current Position (2019.9 - Present): PhD student at Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba.

• Fatma Osman

  • 2016.9 - 2020.4 MSc in Community Health Sciences.
  • Thesis title: “The Effect of Stop Now And Plan (SNAPTM) Program on Children with Conduct Disorder in Community Settings: A Meta-Analysis”.
  • Current Position (2020.1 - Present): PhD student at Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba.

• Xuan Chen

  • 2015.9 - 2018.6 MSc in Community Health Sciences.
  • Thesis title: “Impact of Cluster Sampling on Scale Psychometrics: Simulation Study and Application to Mental Health Survey”.
  • Current Position (2018.7 - Present): Epidemiologist at Manitoba Health, Winnipeg, Canada.

• Ebtihal Ali

  • 2012.9 - 2015.5 MSc in Community Health Sciences.
  • Thesis title: “Is caffeine a Risk Factor for Osteopenia of Prematurity”.
  • Current Position (2015.6 - Present): Research Fellow at Health Sciences Centre, Winnipeg, Canada.

• Lin Xue

  • 2012.9 - 2015.7 MSc in Statistics (Co-supervisor with Dr. Linqun Wang).
  • Thesis title: “Adaptive Lasso for Second Order Least Square Estimator”.
  • Current Position (2021.6 - Present): Data Scientist, Loop Insurance of USA, USA.

Undergraduate Students

• Zhongyuan Zhang

  • 2018-2019 Undergrad Research Assistant.

  • BMath (University of Waterloo, 2019); MSc in Biostatistics (University of Toronto).

  • Current Position: PhD student at University of Toronto

• Chendong Li
  • 2019.9 - 2020.5 Thesis project advisor, School of Science, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China.
  • Thesis title: “Nonlinear models and turning points for radiation therapy treatment duration for breast cancer”.
  • Current Position (2020.9 - Present): Master student at University of Manitoba, Canada

• Jiazhou Bi

  • 2015.9 - 2016.5 Thesis project advisor, Department of Psychology, University of Manitoba.
  • Thesis title: “Socioeconomic status’ impact on mental health and effectiveness of PAX in Children”.
  • Current Position (2020.9 - Present): Master student at University of Manitoba, Canada

Post-Doctorate

• Sahar Nazari
  • 2018.3 - 2019.3: Project title: “Program Evaluation with Multilevel Longitudinal Data: Evidence from Simulation Study and Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial”.
  • Current Position (2020.8 - Present): Post doctoral fellow at University of Alberta.
• Puying Zhao
  • 2014.7 - 2016.2 project title: “Statistical methods for missing data”.
  • Current Position (2019.5 - Present): Professor at School of Mathematics and Statistics, Yunnan University, Kunming, China.

Visiting Scholars

• Hua Zhang, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing China; Visiting period: 2020.2 - 2020.10.
• Shaoping Jiang, School of Mathematics and Computer Science, Yunnan Minzu University, Kunming, China; Visiting period: 2019.8 - 2020.8.
• Jianwei Gou, School of Science, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China; Visiting period: 2019.6 - 2019.8.