On October 29, the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute invites researchers to come together and celebrate an unexpected common interest – biostatistics.
The team behind the conference, “Turning Data into Discovery: Advancing Health Through Biostatistics” include Jesus Sarol, Senior Research Biostatistician, Aman Kaur, Research Biostatistician, and Fatima Ahmed, Assistant Research Biostatistician. The Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design – or BERD (pronounced “bird”) – team is excited to showcase collaborations with faculty, staff, and student researchers across campus and how their expertise can be integrated into research projects at any stage.
Why should you attend the 2025 BERD conference?
Here are five of our favorite reasons to take an autumn stroll to the Beckman Institute on October 29.
1. The keynote.
The conference will kick off at 9 a.m. with a keynote from Douglas Simpson, a professor of statistics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Prof. Simpson was invited to give the keynote based on his practical research at the intersection of statistics and health. He and his collaborators use quantitative ultrasound (QUS) to study cervical changes linked to preterm birth. Their work shows that QUS can detect risk earlier than standard measures, track how the cervix heals after birth, and be automated for easier use in clinics, bringing QUS closer to becoming a practical tool to help prevent preterm birth.
2. Connection.
Conferences are a great way to energize, learn, and build new ideas with others. This conference is free, conveniently located, and offers connection with IHSI’s network of people all across campus.
3. Inspiration for your own research.
The day will feature several panelists with a broad array of research interests and experiences. They’ll talk about their research and share how they have approached and worked through methodology, analysis, and design challenges. We hope this helps you look at your own research problems differently and provides some ideas of new resources or approaches to try.
4. The option to listen and learn, roll up your sleeves, or both.
The morning conference includes a keynote and two panel sessions, each featuring three researchers with distinct areas of interest. In the afternoon, Dr. Jesus Sarol will offer a deep-dive workshop on quantitative research design, offering insights on an integral part of every research project. This workshop will be especially beneficial to early career researchers, as well as those wanting to strengthen and perfect their research design.
5. To celebrate health research.
Addressing complex personal, public, and planetary health challenges with scientific rigor is worth celebrating. Come out to show your support for health research and to learn about the available research support and impactful work being done at Illinois.
Registration is now open to attend the morning conference, afternoon workshop, or both events. Contact Fatima Ahmed, fahmed81@illinois.edu, with questions.