The 2024 Summer Program in Biostatistics & Computational Biology concluded last week, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the program and hosting its annual “Pipelines into Public Health Symposium”.
The summer program is designed to increase diversity in the field of biostatistics by promoting and supporting underrepresented communities. This year, the Symposium highlighted both the Summer Program in Biostatistics & Computational Biology and the Fostering Advancement & Careers through Enrichment Training in Science (FACETS) program hosted by ODI.
Biostatistics EDIB Director Heather Mattie kicked off the symposium with an inspiring welcome address that emphasized the importance of diversity and equity in public health, before introducing a short video dedicated to celebrating the summer program’s 30th year. The video features organizers, directors and alumni of the program spanning several years, where they share reflections, memories, and the impact the program had on their lives.
Dean Andrea Baccarelli then followed by welcoming the students to the Harvard Chan community and congratulating them on completing the rigorous summer program.
The keynote speaker was Senator Liz Miranda, who talked about growing up in Boston and her work in community activism that led her to a career in politics. Interim Chief Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging Officer, Ra’Shaun Nalls, delivered the final remarks before presentations.
Due to a COVID exposure, the Symposium was held as a hybrid event where the Biostats students presented their research projects virtually. The 8 students in the program all successfully presented their research on the following topics: ” Evaluating Post-Surgical Newborn Behavioral Observation as a Predictor of Neurodevelopmental Delays in Children with Congenital Heart Disease”; “Genome-Wide Association Study of Childhood Asthma in Two Family-Based Studies from a Central Valley of Costa Rica and North America”; and “From Categories to Continuum: Rethinking Genetic Diversity from All of Us”.
We thank everyone who attended the Symposium both in person and over Zoom and to everyone who has supported this important program over the years! These kinds of events require an enormous amount of work and participation from faculty, students and staff. The Summer Program would like to thank the following people:
