Director, Harvard Data Science Initiative
Clarence James Gamble Professor of Biostatistics, Population and Data Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Director of the National Studies on Air Pollution and Health Group
Principal Investigator of the BUSPH-HSPH Climate Change and Health Research Coordinating Center (CAFE)
Dr. Francesca Dominici is a data scientist whose pioneering scientific contributions have advanced public health research around the globe. Her life’s work has focused broadly on developing and advancing methods for the analysis of large, heterogeneous data sets to identify and understand the health impacts of environmental threats and inform policy.
Dr. Dominici received her B.S. in Statistics from University La Sapienza in Rome, Italy and her Ph.D. in Statistics from the University of Padua in Italy. She did her postdoctoral training with Scott L. Zeger and Jonathan M. Samet at the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. In 1999, she was appointed Assistant Professor at the Bloomberg School of Public Health and in 2007 she was promoted to Full Professor with tenure. Dr. Dominici was recruited to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health as a tenured Professor of Biostatistics in 2009. She was appointed Associate Dean of Information Technology in 2011 and Senior Associate Dean for Research in 2013. She is currently the Director of the Harvard Data Science Initiative. Dr. Dominici was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2018.
Dr. Dominici is also the founder and the lead PI for the National Studies on Air Pollution and Health Group (NSAPH), which is a group of faculty, research scientists, post-doctoral fellows, graduate students, and college students studying data science methodologies in the context of climate change, environmental impacts on health outcomes, and regulatory policy. The group has over 100 members and includes 25 Principal Investigators & Faculty over 12 institutions.
Dr. Dominici is also one of the lead PIs for the BUSPH-HSPH Climate Change and Health Research Coordinating Center, CAFÉ. The CAFÉ is a three-year cooperative agreement with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a critical component of the NIH Climate Change and Health Initiative to manage and support ongoing climate change and health research and capacity building efforts.
For a detailed overview of Dr. Dominici’s academic and professional contributions, read her extended bio.
In the news:
- U.S. Air Pollution Still Kills Thousands Every Year, Study Concludes
- Air pollution exposure may hasten death, even at levels deemed ‘safe,’ study says
- Even ‘Safe’ Pollution Levels Can Be Deadly
- If the Air Got Just a Little Cleaner, Thousands Fewer Would Die
- Air pollution limits in U.S. inadequate to prevent deaths
- Study: Exposure to even ‘safe’ levels of air pollution could lead to early death
- Even at Low Levels, Dirty Air Raises Death Risk for U.S. Seniors
- Francesca Dominici & David Parkes named co-directors of Data Science Initiative.
- Harvard plans significant Data Science Institute.
- Data science for a new era: A Q&A with co-directors of emerging Data Science Initiative.
- Dr Dominici, a native Italian, was recently recognized in a popular Italian newspaper for her work on the the effects of noise on health (similar to that of passive smoking) and the hidden dangers of airborne pollutants.
- Dr. Dominici receives Janet L. Norwood Award for Outstanding Achievement in Statistical Sciences. In bestowing the award to Dr. Dominici, UAB’s School of Public Health recognized not only her achievements but also acknowledged the accomplishments of all women in the statistical sciences.
- Dr. Dominici was one of 38 female scientists named on the list of the most influential Italian researchers in the biomedical field.
- From more than 2514 NIEHS-funded studies published in 2015, leaders of the NIEHS selected 28 for special recognition, Dr. Dominici’s paper on the causes of hospitalization during heat waves was recognized as one of the top papers in 2015.
- Dr. Dominici has recently been recognized in Thomson Reuter’s 2015 list of the most highly cited researchers, ranking in the top 1% of cited scientists in her field.
Contact Dr. Dominici
Building 2, Room 441
655 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115