Q: What universities have you attended, degrees earned, and graduation years?

BS in Mathematics, the University of Alabama 2014; MPH in Epidemiology, Tulane University 2016; MS in Biostatistics, UAB 2022.

Q: Which program within the Department of Biostatistics are you currently enrolled?

DrPH

Q: What is your anticipated graduation date from your current program?

TBD

Q: Tell me about yourself.

I grew up in Auburn, AL (but Roll Tide!) While in middle school/junior high, I participated in Science Olympiad, specifically in an event that was called, I believe, Disease Detectives. This was my first introduction to public health. The person who was my event coach in Science Olympiad became my middle school/junior high hero; unfortunately, while I was in college, she passed away. I still have the Epidemiology handbook she gave me to use for studying before Nationals one year.

Q: Why did you choose to study Biostatistics? And why at UAB?

One of the things I love about Biostatistics is that we can dip our hands into various health research topics, and during that time learn countless things we otherwise wouldn’t have known. The statistics stay the same, as long all the pieces of the puzzle are there.

What drew me to UAB was the depth of opportunities available while being a student. The department is so supportive of finding projects for students to work on and gain incredible real-world experience. I also really appreciated the smaller size of the program - eventually most of the department knows one another. It helps the department feel like they are really engaged in your education and future career.

Q: Is there a faculty member who has made an impact on your academic journey during this program?

Dr. Lloyd Edwards. While he is my advisor, he was also professor of the class that has been one of the most beneficial to my current career, Generalized Linear Mixed Models. He also may not be aware, but when he and Dr. Chad Murchison recruited me to join them at UAB’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center after I gave my master’s thesis, it gave me a huge boost of confidence in myself. It was one of those, “Oh, I did do a good job to where people see me being beneficial to their projects.” As a graduate student, those moments become more impactful than people realize.

Q: Have you been involved in any interesting projects or organizations during your time here?

One of my first projects while at UAB was with the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) focusing on cognition trajectories and sex/gender. It was a great first experience because the project involved working with various longitudinal studies and researchers across the world (USA, Canada, France and England). But while at UAB, I have had the privilege of working on a few different longitudinal studies focusing on aging populations, including REGARDS and the Risk Underlying Rural Areas Longitudinal (RURAL) Cohort Study, to where I am currently, the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.

Q: What’s been your favorite class in the School of Public Health and why?

In the Department of Biostatistics, my favorite class was Generalized Linear Mixed Models. It broadened my statistical skills for working on longitudinal studies, which is my preferred study style. Outside of the department, my favorite was a special summer course offered by the School of Public Health during the COVID pandemic called, “Ethic/Political Issues: Pandemics.” It was a course that I would have never been required to take, but it introduced me to both the history of pandemics and the various ethical issues being debated currently and in the past.