Speakers Information

Biography: 

Dr. Neeta Anna Eapen is a Special-Purpose Faculty at Radford University with over seven years of research experience in optimization algorithms, computational geometry, and machine learning. She holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Idaho and has conducted interdisciplinary research focusing on transportation systems, robotics, and manufacturing optimization.

In addition to her academic accomplishments, Dr. Eapen has two years of industry experience at Oracle as an Applications Engineer. She is passionate about empowering students, mentoring the next generation of researchers, and applying computational techniques to address real-world challenges.

Website: 

https://neetaannaeapen.netlify.app/

Biography: 

Madhumita (Bonnie) Ghosh-Dastidar is head of the Statistics Group and a senior statistician at RAND Corporation. Her areas of expertise include study design, sampling, survey methodology, evaluations, missing data, and longitudinal and multilevel modeling. Ghosh-Dastidar’s experience includes being lead statistician for large-scale surveys on sexual assault in the military and the Singapore mental health survey to assess national prevalence. Her current collaborations center on multiple National Institutes of Health studies leveraging quasi-experimental design to evaluate the effect of neighborhood-level change on residents’ diet, sleep, and cardiovascular health. She is a fellow of the ASA and has been recognized for her collaboration, leadership and mentoring. Ghosh-Dastidar is the 119th president of the American Statistical Association.

Website: 

https://www.rand.org/about/people/g/ghosh-dastidar_bonnie.html

Title: “Making Impact with Statistics and Data Science”

Abstract: 

The American Statistical Association (ASA) envisions a world that relies on data and statistical thinking to drive discovery and inform decisions. As a statistician working to impact public policy, I know it requires collaboration across disciplines to address society’s biggest challenges—e.g., pandemic recovery, climate change, precision medicine, education reform, or criminal justice. The gold standard for public policy is evidence-based decision making—deliberate and strategic application of real facts and research-supported principles that yield objective evidence. As an interdisciplinary field, statistics and data science are crucial to evidence-based public policy. My talk will emphasize the essential role of statisticians in health policy. I will close by mentioning a few opportunities for mentoring and community building within the ASA.