Distinguished Lecturer: Bhramar Mukherjee
The Importance of Statistical Thinking in an AI-augmented World
Dr. Bhramar Mukherjee, Yale School of Public Health
When: Monday, Apr 14, 2025 at 4pm (light reception to follow in the atrium)
Location: Wake Forest Biotech Place, 575 Patterson Ave, Winston-Salem (View map)
Abstract: In this presentation, I will first delve into the obvious: AI algorithms and systems developed on exclusionary datasets can lead to erroneous conclusions and misguided policies. However, while we strive for data equity and wait for the ideal scenario of globally representative datasets or training corpora, statisticians play a pivotal role in mitigating systematic sources of bias in analyzing LARGE healthcare data—an expertise that few other quantitative disciplines possess. I will illustrate my point by two examples: (1) Handling selection bias and outcome misclassification in analyzing electronic health records (2) Combining data across multiple biobanks/healthcare systems under heterogenous sampling strategies. I will conclude the talk with a call to arms for statisticians to lead efforts for creating, curating, collecting data and pioneering new scientific studies, not just remain on the design and analytic fringes. As public health statisticians, our job is not just to predict efficiently, but to prevent effectively.
Bio: Professor Bhramar Mukherjee is currently appointed as Anna M.R. Lauder Professor of Biostatistics and Professor of Chronic Disease Epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health. Professor Mukherjee serves as the inaugural Senior Associate Dean of Public Health Data Science and Data Equity at the school. She holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Statistics and Data Science at Yale. Prior to joining Yale University in 2024, Dr. Mukherjee built a distinguished career at the University of Michigan where she was appointed as John D. Kalbfleisch Distinguished University Professor of Biostatistics and the first woman Chair of the Department of Biostatistics (2018-2024). She is known for her contribution to statistical methods for integration of genetic, environmental and disease data from large healthcare databases. She is winner of many awards, including the 2023 Karl Peace award from the ASA for betterment of society through statistics, the 2024 Marvin Zelen Leadership in Statistical science award from Harvard Biostatistics. She is a fellow of the ASA, AAAS and an elected member of the US National Academy of Medicine. She has written more than 400 articles and supervised 22 PhD and 4 post-doctoral scholars. She is the founding director of a flagship undergraduate summer program on big data. She is the President elect for ENAR starting January 1, 2025, an eminent professional society for biostatisticians.