Student Spotlight: Cassie Chou

Cassie Chou is a second-year ScM student in the Department of Biostatistics and currently leads the Department's Statistics in the Community (STATCOM) chapter, which provides pro bono statistical consulting to community organizations.

Cassie grew up in the Bay Area of California and earned her BS in Computational and Systems Biology with a minor in Statistics and Data Science from the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research interests lie at the intersection of causal inference, machine learning, and data-driven modeling with applications in environmental health and other policy-relevant contexts.

What sparked your interest in public health? 

I’ve always had a passion for health and an affinity for math and statistics, so when COVID hit in my senior year of high school and brought public health to the forefront of everyone’s minds, I knew I had found the field for me. I am motivated by policy’s power to drastically change lives and am drawn to problems that connect methodological development to real-world decision-making, utilizing data-driven methods to inform legislation that protects our communities.

Tell us about a class, project, or faculty partnership that has been especially meaningful. 

I am extremely lucky to be working with Scott Zeger and Benjamin Huynh from the Environmental Health and Engineering Department on a project that uses machine learning and causal inference for extreme event attribution. It’s my first big research project, and it’s been perfect for introducing me to a wide scope of statistical/causal inference and machine learning/computational methods. It is also the perfect balance of methods development and application. We are exploring methods of improving the robustness of predicting the likelihood of extreme weather events under different climate scenarios, which has important implications for climate litigation and adaptation policy.

I’m profoundly grateful for the incredible mentorship and unwavering support from both of my advisers; both Huynh and Zeger invest not only in my academic success within the program, but also in my development as a rigorous, innovative researcher and my journey beyond my master’s. I am deeply thankful for their willingness to simply sit and chat, generously sharing wisdom and advice that I will carry throughout my life and career.

"I really love the Department’s welcoming, collaborative culture. Everyone is treated like a colleague, and everyone is super supportive; I’ve never felt like I didn’t belong in a room."

What do you like most about the Biostatistics Department? 

I really love the Department’s welcoming, collaborative culture. Everyone is treated like a colleague, and everyone is super supportive; I’ve never felt like I didn’t belong in a room. I also love that there are opportunities everywhere. Between seminars, working groups, student organizations, social events, research opportunities, and more, there are so many opportunities and ways to get involved in the Department that will help you achieve your academic and personal goals.

What has been your favorite class so far? 

I really enjoyed the Methods in Biostatistics III-IV courses taught by Elizabeth Colantuoni. In addition to introducing a range of regression methods on various data types and their R implementations, this course includes a scientific writing element that I found uniquely valuable. Each assignment required us to translate our findings into a manuscript-style summary, giving us the opportunity to practice the scientific communication that will be helpful throughout our careers. It made each assignment feel like a mini-research project, allowing us to practice the full cycle of statistical inquiry on real-world datasets like the National Medical Expenditure Survey (NMES) dataset, from data cleaning to analysis to writing and communication.

What kind of opportunities have you pursued during the program to translate research to practice? 

I am currently leading our Department’s Statistics in the Community (STATCOM) chapter, which provides pro bono statistical consulting to community organizations. I am working on our collaborative project with Know Your Rights Camp’s Autopsy Initiative, analyzing their data and translating their work providing free second autopsies for families of those who died in custody into an academic publication. We hope to use data-driven research to amplify the voices of affected families and emphasize the need for more legislation mandating transparency regarding in-custody death reporting. It reinforced for me the value in working on projects that connect academic research with the communities it aims to serve.

What advice do you have for prospective students interested in the Department of Biostatistics? 

Keep an open mind and don’t rush into research too quickly. Take advantage of our Department’s resources to explore different research areas and really find your passions. Go to working groups, Department seminars, and reach out to other students and faculty to talk about their research. Especially don’t be afraid to reach out to others to learn about their journeys; everyone is super welcoming and willing to share advice about both academic and personal goals!

What do you hope to do with your Biostatistics experience after graduation? 

My long-term goal after graduation is to innovate methodologically at the intersection of statistics and data science and work collaboratively with domain experts to deliver policy-relevant insights in applied fields like environmental health. I see myself leading impact-based projects that translate statistical methods into actionable interventions, prioritizing tangible societal impact over pure theoretical advancement. I hope to do this work in academia, teaching and mentoring the next generation of researchers and investing in my students with the same transformative support my mentors generously give me.

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