Christina Esteban Photography, http://cepstudio.com

RESEARCH INTERESTS

My current statistical methods research is on the following topics:

  • Targeted minimum loss-based learning (or Targeted maximum likelihood estimation)
  • Estimation of time-dependent exposure effects (in longitudinal or survival analysis)
  • Data-driven variable selection and smoothing in causal inference
  • The integration of machine learning and causal inference
  • Causal inference for individual patient data meta-analysis

RESEARCH FUNDING

I hold a tier 2 Canada Research Chair in "Causal Inference and Machine Learning in Health Science" (2020-2025, renewed 2025-2030).

My currently (or recently) funded research projects as (nominated or co-) Principal Investigator are:

  • "Managing Data Complexities in Electronic Health Records: Statistical Strategies for Enhanced Learning", 2024-2027; with Eleanor Pulleneyagum (PI), Sick Kids and UToronto, and Grace Yi, Western. Funded by CANSSI Collaborative Research Team Grant.
  • "Implementing Novel Causal Evaluations in the PRACTICAL Trial and through an International Observational Data Network (INCEPTION) Project", CIHR, Project Grant, 2024-2028; with Martin Urner (PI), Eddy Fan, Kuan Liu (UToronto). 
  • "The test-negative design for the estimation of COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness: design evaluation and development of statistical methods in the evolving context", CIHR, Project Grant, 2022-2025; with Denis Talbot (ULaval). 
  • "Large reductions in arterial CARbon dioxide and development of acute Brain Injury in invasively mechanically ventilated patients with acute respiratory failure (CARBI)", CIHR, Project Grant, 2022-2024; with Yiorgos Alexandros Cavayas (PI) (UdeM), François Martin Carrier (UdeM), and Eddy Fan (UToronto).
  • "Data-adaptive causal inference methods for effect modification", Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Discovery Grant, 2021-2026.
  • "Medication adherence as a predictor of morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic respiratory diseases", Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Personalized Health Catalyst Grant, 2018-2020; with Lucie Blais, Université de Montréal.
  • "Evaluating treatment effect heterogeneity and optimal regimens in multidrug resistant tuberculosis using causal inference modeling", CIHR, Project Grant, 2017-2021; with Andrea Benedetti, McGill University.
  • "Data-adaptive learning in causal inference for high-dimensional data structures", Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Discovery Grant, 2015-2020, and Accelerator, 2015-2018.​

RESEARCH TEAM

Arthur Chatton, PhD; postdoctoral researcher since 2022
Arthur Chatton
IVADO Postdoctoral fellowship
  • Postdoctoral Researcher in Biostatistics ​at Université de Montréal, co-supervised by Prof Robert Platt (McGill). 2024- Co-supervised with Denis Talbot (ULaval).
  • Project: Personalized dynamic super learning: an application in predicting hemodiafiltration convection volumes. Publication
  • Past: PhD in Biostatistics at Université de Nantes, France.
  • Website

Helen Bian
  • Program: Doctorate in Biostatistics at McGill University co-supervised by Prof. Robert Platt (McGill).
  • Project: The test-negative design for the estimation of COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness: development of statistical methods.
  • Past:  MSc in Biostatistics at the University of Toronto, Canada.
Helen Bian, MSc.; PhD student since 2023.
Ajmery Jaman, MSc; PhD student since 2020.
Ajmery Jaman
  • Program: Doctorate in Biostatistics at McGill University co-supervised by Profs Robert Platt (McGill) and Mireille Schnitzer.
  • Project: Penalized G-estimation for effect modifier selection in a structural nested mean model for repeated outcomes and selective inference.​ Publication | arXiv
  • Past: MSc in Statistics at the University of Calgary. Bachelor's and Master's in Applied Statistics from the Institute of Statistical Research and Training (ISRT), University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Edgar Ortiz-Brizuela
  • Program: Ph.D. in Epidemiology at McGill co-supervised by Profs. Mabel Carabali (McGill) and Mireille Schnitzer.
  • Project: Assessing the validity of the test-negative design for vaccine effectiveness estimation: a target trial approach (Évaluation de la validité de la conception du test-négatif pour l'estimation de l'efficacité des vaccins : une approche d'essai ciblé). Editorial | Publication
  • Past: M.Sc. in Epidemiology from McGill University (Montreal, Québec, Canada); M.Sc. in Medical Sciences from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (Mexico City, Mexico); Infectious Diseases and Internal Medicine Specialist from the Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán (Mexico City, Mexico); M.D. from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de San Luis Potosí (San Luis Potosí, Mexico). 
  • Google scholar
Dr. Edgar Ortiz-Brizuela, MD, MSc; PhD student since 2022.
David Berger, MSc; PhD student since 2019.

David Berger
  • Program: PhD. in Computer Science (Doctorat en Informatique) at Université de Montréal. Co-supervised by Profs. Laurent Charlin (HEC) and Mireille Schnitzer.
  • Project: Nonparametric inference for the mean outcome under time-varying treatments.
  • Past: Master in Statistics at Université de Montréal supervised by Marie-Pierre Sylvestre. Bachelor in Pure Mathematics at Université de Montréal.
Yan Liu
Statistical research assistant
  • Projects: Modeling Treatment Effect Modification in Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis in an Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis, Longitudinal confounder selection. Publication | Publication | Publication
  • Past: MSc in Biostatistics at McGill University co-supervised by Profs Mireille Schnitzer and Andrea Benedetti. Bachelors degree in Mathematics and Statistics at Concordia University. Bachelor's degree in Clinical Medicine and a Master's degree in Paediatrics from Southeast University in China.
Dr. Yan Liu, MD, MSc; research assistant since 2020 (and former MSc student 2018-2020)

ALUMNI

​Cong Jiang, PhD; postdoctoral researcher 2022-2024
Cong Jiang
  • Postdoctoral Researcher in Biostatistics ​at Université de Montréal, co-supervised by Prof Denis Talbot (Laval).
  • Project: Robust estimation under the test-negative design for COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness. Publication | medRXiv
  • Past: PhD in Statistics at the University of Waterloo, Canada.
  • After completion: Postdoctoral researcher in Biostatistics at Harvard University
  • Linkedin
El Hadji Malick Sarr
  • Program: Doctorate in Public Health (Doctorat en Santé Publique) option Epidemiology at Université de Montréal co-supervised by Profs. Anita Koushik and Mireille Schnitzer.
  • Project: Inflammation, médicaments anti-inflammatoires et risque de cancer de l’ovaire (Inflammation, Anti-inflammatory medication, and ovarian cancer risk).
  • Past: Master's in Public Health at Université de Montréal. Medical doctorate from Cheikh Anta Diop University (University of Dakar) in Sénégal.
Dr. El Hadji Malick Sarr, MD, MPH, PhD; PhD student 2016-2023
Guanbo Wang, PhD; PhD student 2017-2022, MSc student 2015-2017
Guanbo Wang
FRQS bourse de formation au doctorat
  • Program: PhD in Biostatistics at McGill University co-supervised by Profs. Robert Platt (McGill) and Mireille Schnitzer.
  • PhD Project: A new framework for structured variable selection and its application in time-dependent Cox models. Thesis | Publication | Publication
  • MSc Project: Estimating treatment importance in multidrug-resistant tuberculosis using Targeted Learning: an observational individual patient data network meta-analysis. Thesis | Publication | Co-authorship | Co-authorship | Co-authorship
  • Past: Master's in Biostatistics at McGill University co-supervised by Profs. Mireille Schnitzer and Andrea Benedetti. Bachelor's in Financial Statistics in Shanghai University of Finance and Economics.  
  • After graduation: Postdoctoral researcher in Biostatistics at Harvard University; Assistant Professor of Biostatistics, Dartmouth College
  • ​Website
Asma Bahamyirou, PhD; PhD student from 2015-2021
Asma Bahamyirou
Haleh ​Aghamolaey, MSc; MSc student from 2019-2022
Haleh ​Aghamolaey 
  • Program: Master's in Pharmaceutical Sciences, focus on Biostatistics.
  • Project: Generalization of the causal effect of a given regimen in a network meta-analysis using TMLE and AIPTW. Thesis
  • Past: Master's of Science in Biostatistics from Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran.
​
​Eliane Disso 
  • ​Program: Masters in Epidemiology (Maîtrise en épidémiologie) co-supervised by Profs Mireille Schnitzer and Sylvie Perreault.
  • Project: Association entre la polypharmacie aux médicaments cardiovasculaires et non cardiovasculaires et le risque de mortalité chez les patients nouvellement diagnostiqués d’une insuffisance cardiaque au Québec (Association between cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular polypharmacy and mortality risk in patients newly diagnosed with heart failure). Thesis | Co-authorship
  • Past: Masters in Public Health from the Catholic University of Central Africa, Yaoundé in Cameroun. ​ ​
Eliane Disso, MPH, MSc; MSc student from 2019-2021
Cynthia Khanji, PhD; PhD student
from 2015-2018
Cynthia Khanji 
  • Program: PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Doctorat en Sciences Pharmaceutiques) at University of Montreal under the co-supervision of Profs. Lyne Lalonde and Mireille Schnitzer.
  • Project: Évaluation de la qualité des soins et des services préventifs cardiovasculaires en première ligne (Evaluation of the quality of first line cardiovascular care and preventive services). Thesis | Publication 1 | Publication 2 
  • Past: Bachelor's degree in Biomedical Sciences at University of Montreal, research internship in the Quebec's primary care sector.
  • After graduation: Market Access Senior Manager. 
Laurence Boulanger, PhD; MSc student
​2015-2018
Laurence Boulanger
Arman Alam Siddique, MSc; MSc student from 2017-2018
Arman Alam Siddique
Marie-Christine Robitaille-Grou, MSc; MSc student from 2015-2017
Marie-Christine Robitaille-Grou
  • Program: Master’s in Statistics (Maîtrise en statistique) co-supervised by Profs. Mireille Schnitzer and David Haziza.
  • Project: Biais écologique de la méta-analyse avec modificateur d'effet sous le paradigme de l'inférence causale (ecological bias in meta-analysis with effect modification from a causal inference perspective). Thesis
  • Past: Bachelor's degree in Mathematics from University of Montreal, research internships in Bayesian statistics, population genetics and algebraic topology. 
  • After graduation: Statistical consultant in industry.
Steve Ferreira Guerra, MSc; MSc student from 2014-2017
Steve Ferreira Guerra 
  • Program: Master’s in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Maitrise en Sciences pharmaceutiques) with an orientation in Biostatistics at the University of Montreal.
  • Project: Impact of the discretization of a longitudinal timeline on the estimation of causal effects, with special application in asthma during pregnancy. Thesis | Publication | Co-authorship 1 | Co-authorship 2
  • Past: Undergraduate in Mathematics and Statistics at University of Montreal. 
  • After graduation: PhD in Biostatistics at McGill University.

HONORARY LAB MEMBERS

Fiona, research bunny 2014-2025 (RIP)