The CBHDS team had a great showing at this year’s Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM 2025) in Nashville, where the theme, “Statistics, Data Science, and AI Enriching Society,” set the stage for a week full of innovation and collaboration.

We were proud to have four of our team members — Alex Hanlon, Alicia Lozano, Ben Brewer, and Chris Grubb — share their expertise through a mix of panels and presentations.

  • Alex Hanlon joined colleagues from Duke, NIST, and the University of Iowa for a panel on building collaborative skills in statistical training.

Alex Hanlon JSM 2025 panel

  • Alicia Lozano took part in a panel highlighting strategies to propel careers in collaborative statistics, alongside partners from Vanderbilt, Mayo Clinic, and Virginia Tech.

Alicia Lozano JSM 2025 panel

  • Chris Grubb presented his research on frameworks for simulating populations, co-authored with David Higdon and Leanna House.

Chris Grubb JSM 2025 presentation

  • Ben Brewer discussed methods for inference around biomarker cutoffs, with co-author Leonidas Bantis of the University of Kansas Medical Center.

Ben Brewer JSM 2025 presentation

Each session sparked meaningful discussion, and several attendees highlighted how timely these topics were, especially as AI and reproducibility continue to shape the future of statistics.

Beyond the presentations, our team joined in the networking and social events that make JSM such a vibrant experience. From reconnecting with Hokies at the Virginia Tech Department of Statistics rooftop social to meaningful conversations at the Quantitative Staff Network coffee meet-up, it was a week of both professional and personal connection.

Looking ahead, CBHDS is excited to carry forward into the upcoming academic year. This fall, our Biometry course (STAT 5605/5606) will place greater emphasis on collaboration, rigor, and responsible use of AI—areas that resonate strongly with this year’s JSM theme.

Hokies at the Virginia Tech Department of Statistics rooftop social