Department of Statistics - Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences

Department of Statistics - Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences

A Look at Health and Technology Trends for 2021 and Beyond

The fields of computer science, informatics and statistics have been influencing healthcare for decades, and 2020 served as an important reminder of the critical role both healthcare and technology play in people’s daily lives. The COVID-19 pandemic put a spotlight on healthcare, while stay-at-home orders significantly boosted technology use in general and telehealth practices in particular. Looking to the new year ahead, how might the connections between technology and health become further entwined, and how will this impact the future of healthcare? Here to address these questions are three professors from the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS):

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UCI Launches New Professional Program: Master of Data Science

“Data scientist” is third on Glassdoor’s list of the “50 Best Jobs in American for 2020,” which shouldn’t be too surprising given the rise of big data and growing demand for empirical-based decision making across many industries. To help meet this demand, the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS) is currently accepting applications for the new Master of Data Science (MDS) program it is launching in the fall of 2021. Anyone interested in joining the inaugural cohort of this 15-month professional graduate program can apply online. The early application deadline is December 15th, 2020. After that, applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until April 15th, 2021.

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A Campus Gem: UCI’s Statistical Consulting Services

If you’re a campus researcher who hasn’t yet taken advantage of UCI’s statistical consulting services, you’re missing out on a valuable resource. UCI’s Center for Statistical Consulting (CSC), which works in collaboration with the more medical- and clinical-focused Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Research Design (BERD) unit within the Institute for Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS), can help address any of your data analysis needs. With services such as grant proposal development, sample size calculation, data interpretation, biostatistical education and research database design, CSC/BERD is your one-stop shop for everything from study design to final presentation.

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UCI statisticians release new online Orange County COVID-19 information resource

A months-long collaboration between the University of California, Irvine, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Orange County Health Care Agency has resulted in a new Orange County COVID-19 website that tracks the spread of the disease and forecasts future trends.

By feeding county data into a coronavirus transmission model, the site estimates “current and future numbers of infectious individuals in Orange County, which is important for understanding risks of getting infected,” said Vladimir Minin, UCI professor of statistics and associate director of the UCI Infectious Disease Science Initiative.

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Professor Annie Qu Works to Enhance the Detection of Invasive Cancers Using Medical Imaging Data

Recent technology advancements have catalyzed the rapid growth of large volumes of biomedical data with complex structures — particularly medical imaging data. The sheer volume and relatively unstructured nature of imaging data, coupled with its ability to carry significant amounts of information on disease status and treatment outcomes, exemplify the double-edged sword of big data for the medical world. Although more data is being collected to develop sophisticated statistical models and to train and test machine learning algorithms, the amount of useful information extracted is not necessarily proportional to the size of the data.

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Hal Stern Selected as a Fellow of the International Society of Bayesian Analysis

Interim Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Hal Stern is one of nine new fellows selected by the International Society of Bayesian Analysis (ISBA). Stern, a Chancellor’s Professor of Statistics in the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS), was recognized “for extraordinary contributions to Bayesian theory and methodology; for advancing Bayesian thinking and the principled use of Bayesian methods in a wide range of disciplines, and for his outstanding service to the profession through editorial and administrative positions.”

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Statistics Ph.D. Student Mary Ryan Receives Public Impact Fellowship

Statistics Ph.D. student Mary Ryan has been awarded a 2019-2020 Public Impact Fellowship, which supports graduate students whose research “demonstrates the potential to significantly improve or enrich the lives of Californians and/or national and global communities.” With her research into statistical methodology related to identifying biomarkers in Alzheimer’s disease, the impact of her work has far-reaching potential. The debilitating neurodegenerative disorder currently affects approximately 5.6 million Americans over the age of 65, and that number is projected to reach 13.8 million by 2050.

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