Heather Mattie, PhD, SM, MS

Dr. Heather Mattie is a Lecturer on Biostatistics, Co-Director of the Health Data Science Master’s program, and Director of EDIB Programs in the Department of Biostatistics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She teaches several Data Science and Biostatistics courses each year including Core Principles of Data Science, Collaborative Data Science in Healthcare, and Core Principles of Biostatistics and Epidemiology for Public Health Practice. Dr. Mattie’s research focuses on the intersection between biostatistics, data science, and network science. Specifically, she has used network science and machine learning to study interactions in communities, as well as the development and application of artificial intelligence in healthcare research.

Her research has also involved the notion of algorithmic bias, in terms of an algorithm compounding inequities working against underrepresented or disadvantaged groups in society. Her work has found links between unhealthy weight control behaviors and the use of mobile dating applications, particularly in racial and ethnic minorities. She has developed methods that predict tie strength in a network, which assists in modeling the spread of disease and information. Additionally, her work has examined the potential for artificial intelligence to improve inference from data for care and population health, as well as the challenges related to bias and scalability in such models.

Dr. Mattie earned a BS in mathematics from the University of La Verne, an MS in mathematics from Claremont Graduate University, and both an SM and PhD in biostatistics from the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Mattie also serves as an Associate Editor for PLOS Digital Health.