 | Research Areas | Research Project Staff | Recent Student Papers Research Biostatistics faculty maintain active research programs in two general categories: the development of statistical methodology and multi-disciplinary, collaborative research addressing a wide range of topics in public health and medicine. Within the category of statistical methodology recent work has focused on a number of areas, including analysis techniques for handling missing data, design of experiments, robust estimation, survival analysis, analysis of microarray data, genomics and proteomics. Faculty also collaborate with colleagues in other departments within the public health and medical schools on a wide range of applied research projects. A brief description of some of these areas of research can be found below. For more information about faculty projects and publications, search the faculty database by keyword. | 
The Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls is a national school and community-based research study promoting physical activity among girls in the sixth through eighth grade.
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Research Areas
Cardiovascular Research
Biostatistics faculty have long been involved in studies of cardiovascular disease and risk factors. Collaboration with other investigators in the Bogalusa Heart Study, an observational study of children and adults, has led to numerous findings about the natural history of cardiovascular disease. Statisticians have also been involved with data safety and monitoring, as well as analysis and design, for intervention trials such as the on-going Protein and Blood Pressure study, a project based in the department of epidemiology that is examining the potential effect of dietary protein supplementation on blood pressure.
Faculty
Leann Myers, PhD
Larry Webber, PhD
Lillian Yau, PhD back to top Cancer Research
Members of the department have participated in a study of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Prostate Cancer, together with collaborators in the Louisiana Tumor Registry. This study seeks to determine the spatial and temporal trends in prostate cancer incidence using a variety of statistical and GIS methodologies to determine clustering (SaTScan) and factors associated with incidence (hierarchical modeling and Bayesian models). Of particular interest are the temporal trends of incidence by race. We are one of several groups analyzing these patterns throughout the nation. Faculty members are also actively involved at the Tulane Cancer Center in various research projects funded by NIH such as the study of Pathobiology of SAIDS-associated Lymphomas and the Hemostasis Clinical Research Network. The SAIDS-associated Lymphoma project is a long-term longitudinal study to identify prognostic factors predictive of the development of lymphoma in SIV-infected animals. The objective of the network project is to enhance access to clinical trials for patients with hemostasis disorders and to develop clinical trials appropriate for these patients. Faculty
Frances Mather, PhD
Sudesh Srivastav, PhD
Janet Rice, PhD With: Christopher Swalm, MS, senior cartographer; Leslie Morgan, PhD, Biostatistician; and Jeffrey Shaffer, PhD, post doctoral fellow back to top Geographic Information Systems
Members of the department have established a core unit to provide both training at the introductory and intermediate level and assistance in the use of GIS methodology to researchers at the SPHTM. These include both statistical and GIS methods in training students and support of research projects. Of particular interest are the methods for tracking environmental exposures and hazards and health outcomes together with methods of linking exposure/hazards and health outcomes. These efforts are being used in collaboration with programs in environmental health, epidemiology, tropical medicine and international health efforts. We are currently offering short courses in GIS with our ESRI authorized staff. Faculty
Frances Mather, PhD
Sudesh Srivastav, PhD With: Christopher Swalm, MS, senior cartographer; Leslie Morgan, PhD, Biostatistician; and Jeffrey Shaffer, PhD, post doctoral fellow Health Behaviors among Children, Adolescents and Adults
Faculty members have participated in several multi-center, school-based health promotion programs for children and adolescents. The Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH) was an NIH-funded trial to improve eating and physical activity behaviors in 3 rd through 5 th grade students. The trial was conducted in 96 schools nationally, 24 of which were in Southeastern Louisiana. The Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls (TAAG) is an NIH-funded multi-center trial to reduce the decline in physical activity in middle-school girls. Tulane is one of six centers in the United States that participated in the program. Faculty are involved with the design, implementation, and analysis of the program. The Acadiana Coalition of Teens Against Tobacco (ACTT) is a multi-school program to prevent the onset of tobacco use among high school students in South Central Louisiana. Faculty members are involved with the design, data management, and statistical analyses for the study. ACTION! Wellness for Elementary School Personnel is a work-site environmental intervention program to impact on obesity. The program is being implemented to all adults working in 22 elementary schools. Faculty
Larry Webber, PhD
Janet Rice, PhD
Leann Myers, PhD back to top Health Care Access and Evaluation
Members of the department have been involved in the evaluation of health care delivery programs in central Louisiana. The Central Louisiana Medication Access Program (CMAP), funded by the Rapides Foundation, provides chronic care prescription medications and education for low income individuals in central Louisiana. The evaluation of the success of this program includes a variety of health outcomes: patient satisfaction, emergency room visits and hospital admissions, Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) , chart abstraction data, and SF-8 Health Surveys. In collaboration with the American Heart Association and with funding by the Rapides Foundation, departmental personnel evaluated the progress of two programs dealing with first responder and public access of portable automatic external defibrillators (AED) in Central Louisiana. Faculty
John Lefante, PhD
Larry Webber, PhD
Janet Rice, PhD back to top Occupational and Environmental Health
Biostatisticians have a long record of research in the areas of occupational and environmental health, predominantly focusing on potential respiratory health consequences of such exposures. In collaboration with other investigators, primarily in the environmental medicine section of the department of medicine of the medical school, the health consequences of exposures in a wide range of industries have been examined, including asbestos, chemicals (e.g., chlorine and toluene-diisocyanate), cotton, fiber glass, industrial painting, pulp and paper, sandblasting and sand crushing. Respiratory health outcomes have included lung function, chest x-ray changes, self-reported respiratory symptoms and mortality. Faculty
Janet Hughes, PhD, (Professor Emeritus)
John Lefante, PhD Sexual Transmitted Infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS Research
Faculty from the department direct the Biostatistics and Data Management core for the Gulf South STI/TM Clinical Research Center. This center is housed at the Louisiana State University (LSU) Health Sciences Center but includes researchers from Tulane, LSU, and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Studies range from epidemiological studies of various STIs to intervention trials in clinical populations to microbiological studies. Faculty have also been involved with a number of epidemiological studies on HIV and AIDS. Most of these studies have been in collaboration with Dr. Patty Kissinger (Epidemiology); many have resulted in doctoral dissertations and publications. Faculty
Leann Myers, PhD back to top Research Project Staff
Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls (TAAG) Project
ACTION! Wellness Program for Elementary School Personnel Project Sandra Cameron | registered nurse | Donna Donovan | field assistant | | Laurie Geneva | health educator | | Jewel Harden | health educator | Janell Jones | field assistant | Rochelle Kielbon | field assistant | Patricia King | health educator | | Yen-Ling Lai | data control specialist | Sheryl Pedersen | health educator | Heidi Rink | health educator/nutritionist | Patricia Strikmiller | program manager |
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Recent Student Papers and Proceedings Student Papers
Harmon G , Lefante J, Roy W, Ashby K, Jackson D, Barnard D, Smart A, Webber L. (2004) The CENLA Medication Access Program: assisting the rural poor in a n outpatient pharmacy setting. American Journal of Health System Pharmacy , 61(6):603-7.
Lang, E.K., Thomas, R., Davis, R., Myers, L., Sabel, A ., Macchia, R., Gayle, B., Watson, R., Cho, T., Richter, F., Lechner, G., Marberger, M., & Helbich, T. (2004). Multiphasic helical computerized tomography for the assessment of microscopic hematuria: a prospective study. Journal of Urology , 171:237-243. Vupputuri S, Batuman V, Muntner P, Bazzano L, Lefante J, Whelton P,. He J. The risk of mild kidney function decline associated with illicit drug use among hypertensive men. Am J Kidney Diseases; 43(4):629-635, 2004
Harmon G, Lefante J, Roy W, Ashby K, Jackson D, Barnard D, Smart A, Webber L. Outpatient medication assistance program in a rural setting. Am J Health Syst Pharm, Mar 15;61 (6), 603-607, 2004. Lefante J, Harmon G Roy W, Ashby K, Barnard D, Webber L. Use of the SF-8 to Assess Health Related Quality of Life for a Chronically Ill, Low Income Population Participating in the Central Louisiana Medication Access Program (CMAP) Quality of Life Research, 14: 665-673, 2005. Hnizdo E, Yu, L, Freyder L, Attfield, M, Lefante J, Glindmeyer H. Precision of longitudinal lung function measurements-monitoring and interpretation. Occupational Environmental Medicine 62: 695-701, 2005.Lefante J, Harmon G, Roy W, Fontenot S, Brown K, Webber L. The effect of medication reviews in a rural community pharmacy assistance program-the CMAP program. Journal of Pharmacy Practice, 18 (6): 486-492, 2005.Harmon G, Lefante J, Krousel-Wood M. Overcoming barriers: the role of providers in improving patient adherence to antihypertensive medications. Current Opinion in Cardiology. 21(4):310-315, 2006. Naessens J, Culbertson R, Lefante J, Campbell C. When should a multicampus hospital be considered a single entity for public health reporting on patient safety issues? Quality Management in Health Care. 16 (2) : 153-165, 2007 Recent Student Presentations Lefante J, Harmon G, Roy W, Fontenot S, Brown K, Webber L. Medication reviews and improving patient knowledge and compliance in the rural elderly: The CMAP program. The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Midyear Clinical Meeting, Orlando, Florida, December 2004. Harmon G, Lefante J, Roy W, Ashby K, Smart A, Webber L .The Cenla Medication Access Program – Providing Pharmacy Services in Central Louisiana. Institute of Epidemiology and Health Services Research, Jackson State University Third Annual Conference, “Eliminating Health Disparities in Mississippi: Prospects for Change”. Jackson, Mississippi, October 14-15, 2004. Harmon G, Jackson D, Federici R, Roy W, Hoole E, Ashby K, Webber L, Lefante J. Reduction in the number and type of emergency room visits after enrollment in a medication access program. 2005 Louisiana Society of Health-Systems Pharmacy Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 8, 2005. Harmon G, Federici R, Roy W, Ashby K, Jackson D, Webber L Lefante J,. Reduction in emergency room visits, hospital admissions, and clinical outcomes after enrollment in a medication access program. Academy Health Annual Research Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts, June 2005. Harmon G, Federici R, Ashby K, Hoole E, Roy W, Jackson D, Webber L, Lefante J. Change in hospital utilization after the initiation of a medication access program - the CMAP experience. 133rd American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, December, 2005. Federici R, Harmon G, Ashby K, Hoole E, Roy W, Jackson D, Webber L, Lefante J. Reduction in glucose levels for diabetics in a medication access program in central Louisiana. Roundtable discussion, 133rd American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, November 7, 2005. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, December, 2005. Harmon G, Federici R, Roy W, Beuchler A, Webber L, Lefante J. Predictors of adherence to prescription medications in a rural medication access program. 134rd American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts, November 2006. Federici R, Harmon G, , Hoole E, Roy W, Beuchler A, Webber L, Lefante J. Effect of medication adherence on hospital admissions in a medication access program in central Louisiana. 134rd American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts, November 2006. Wu, Q, Lefante J, Magnus J, Rice J. Comparison of Modeling Approaches to Deriving Normative Values of Bone Mineral Density from NHANES III. Joint Meetings of the American Statistical Association, the International Biometric Society, the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, and the Statistical Society of Canada. Salt Lake City, Utah, July/August 2007. Myers, L. & Yi, Y. Extending the two-part model to accommodate multiple response opportunities. International Biometric Society Eastern North American Region, Pittsburgh, PA March 28-31, 2004. Lin, H. & Myers, L. A comparison of goodness-of-fit tests for binomial generalized estimating equations (GEE) modeling. International Biometric Society Eastern North American Region, Pittsburgh, PA March 28-31, 2004. Morgan, L., Myers, L., & Mather, F.J. Effects of misclassification error in hierarchical Poisson models. International Biometric Society Eastern North American Region, Pittsburgh, PA March 28-31, 2004. Broyles, S . An Empirical Comparison of Imputation Methods for Use with Public Health Data. International Biometric Society Eastern North American Region, Pittsburgh, PA, March 2004. Aldridge, K.E. & Broyles, S. Antibiotic Resistance Markers in the Bacteroides fragilis group: Clindamycin, cefoxitin,and trovafloxacin alone and in combination. European Congress for Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, Prague, Czech Republic, May 2004. back to top | | |
