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 in causal inference
  • The integration of machine learning and causal inference
  • Causal inference for individual patient data and aggregate data network meta-analysis

RESEARCH FUNDING

I have been awarded a CIHR Canada Research Chair in "Causal Inference and Machine Learning in Health Science" (2020-2025).

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

  • "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, Université Laval).
  • "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 (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

Ajmery Jaman, PhD student since 2020.
Ajmery Jaman
  • Program: Doctorate in Biostatistics at McGill University co-supervised by Profs Mireille Schnitzer and Robert Platt.
  • Project: On causal inference modeling for effect modification and model selection.
  • 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.
Yan Liu
Statistical research assistant
  • Projects: Modeling Treatment Effect Modification in Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis in an Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis. 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, research assistant since 2020 (and former MSc student 2018-2020)
Dr. El Hadji Malick Sarr, PhD student since 2016
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.

ALUMNI

Guanbo Wang, PhD student 2017-2022, MSc student 2015-2017
Guanbo Wang
  • Program: PhD in Biostatistics at McGill University co-supervised by Profs. Robert Platt and Mireille Schnitzer.
  • PhD Project: A new framework for structured variable selection and its application in time-dependent Cox models. Thesis
  • 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
 
Asma Bahamyirou, PhD student from 2015-2021
Asma Bahamyirou
  • Program: PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Doctorat en Sciences Pharmaceutiques) with a concentration in Biostatistics  at University of Montreal under the supervision of Prof. Mireille Schnitzer.
  • Project: Sur les estimateurs doublement robustes avec sélection de modèles et de variables pour les données administratives (On doubly robust estimation under model and variable selection with administrative data). Thesis | Publication 1 | Publication 2 | Co-authorship
  • Past: MSc in Mathematics (Statistics) from the University of Sherbrooke.  
  • After graduation: Biostatistician at The Public Health Agency of Canada (Formerly statistician at Statistics Canada).
Haleh ​Aghamolaey, MSc student from 2019-2022
Haleh ​Aghamolaey 
  • Program: Master's in Pharmaceutical Sciences, focus on Biostatistics supervised by Prof. Mireille Schnitzer.
  • 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
  • Past: Masters in Public Health from the Catholic University of Central Africa, Yaoundé in Cameroun. ​ ​
Eliane Disso, MSc student from 2019-2021
Cynthia Khanji, 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. 
Dr. Laurence Boulanger, MSc student
​2015-2018
Laurence Boulanger
Arman Alam Siddique, MSc student from 2017-2018
Arman Alam Siddique
Marie-Christine Robitaille-Grou, 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 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.
Fiona, research bunny since 2014