People

Bhramar Mukherjee, Ph.D.

Professor Bhramar Mukherjee is the Anna M.R. Lauder Professor of Biostatistics and Professor of Chronic Disease Epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH). Professor Mukherjee serves as the inaugural Senior Associate Dean of Public Health Data Science and Data Equity at YSPH. She holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Statistics and Data Science and is affiliated with the MacMillan Center and the Institute for the Foundations of Data Science. She serves on the Yale Cancer Center Director’s cabinet.

Yiran Wang, Ph.D.

Yiran Wang is a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Biostatistics at Yale School of Public Health. He holds a Ph.D. in Statistics from the University of Waterloo, a Master of Science in Statistics from the University of California, Irvine, and a Bachelor of Science in Statistics from Donghua University. Yiran’s research centers on mediation analysis and data equity.

Beyond his academic work, Yiran enjoys music, movies, exploring new cuisines, and traveling around the world. His two-year-old British Shorthair cat, Lemon, currently resides with his girlfriend in Toronto, where Yiran has also volunteered with two cat rescue organizations.

Sean McGrath, Ph.D.

Sean McGrath is a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Biostatistics at Yale School of Public Health. His research currently focuses on developing and applying causal inference methods, particularly in settings where data are integrated from multiple sources. Previously, he was a research fellow at Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute. He completed a PhD in Biostatistics at Harvard University.

Shelby Golden, M.S.

Shelby Golden is a data scientist with a background in computational mathematics, molecular biology, and biochemistry. She holds a Master of Science in Applied Computational Mathematics from Johns Hopkins University and dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology and Biochemistry with a minor in Engineering in Applied Mathematics.

At the Data Science and Data Equity Initiative, Shelby is responsible for managing the group’s GitHub repository, ensuring compliance with data use Agreements and IRBs, overseeing data harmonization and warehousing efforts, providing AI/ML consultation, offering Python support, developing APIs, and collaborating on analytic projects. Her expertise in both computational sciences and biology allows her to effectively bridge the gap between data and domain knowledge.

                           

Yiren Hou, M.S.

Yiren Hou joined the team as a statistician in June 2025. She holds a Master of Science in Biostatistics from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science in Statistics from the University of Georgia, where she also minored in Mathematics and Computer Science. At the Data Science and Data Equity Initiative, Yiren is responsible for applying appropriate statistical methods to support data-driven projects and research studies. Her academic training allows her to contribute effectively to the design, programming, execution, and analysis of studies.

                           

Jackson Higginbottom, M.P.H.

Jackson Higginbottom, MPH, is a public health practitioner working at the intersection of data science, health communications, and community engagement. He’s the Program Manager for the Public Health Data Science and Data Equity initiative at the Yale School of Public Health. His primary research interests include: (1) investigating the social determinants of mental and physical health among sexual, ethnic and racial minority populations; and (2) developing and evaluating evidence-based interventions to address health needs of under-resourced communities. In addition to his roles at Yale, Jackson is the President of Fundación Manos Juntas, a free medical clinic that provides care to over 3,000 patients in Oklahoma City.

Jiacong Du

I am currently a fifth-year PhD candidate in Biostatistics at the University of Michigan. I come from Mianyang, a beautiful city in Sichuan Province, China. I am fortunate to be advised by Dr. Bhramar Mukherjee and Dr. Xu Shi. My dissertation focuses on developing statistical methods for analyzing electronic health records (EHR), with particular emphasis on addressing confounding, selection bias, and bias arising from clinically informative visiting processes. In my free time, I enjoy playing racket sports such as squash, badminton, and table tennis.

Ritoban Kundu

I am currently a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Biostatistics at the University of Michigan. Three years ago, I relocated to the United States from my hometown of Kolkata, India. I earned my undergraduate and master’s degrees in Statistics from the Indian Statistical Institute in Kolkata. My current research focuses on addressing selection bias in electronic health records data and conducting Causal mediation analysis with network interference. Beyond my academic pursuits, I have a keen interest in traveling, hiking, photography, watching arthouse films, and participating in various sports such as badminton, cricket, squash, biking, and skiing.

Yi-Ting Lin

I am a second-year PhD student in the Department of Biostatistics at the University of Michigan. I got my bachelor’s degree in economics and statistics from National Taipei University and my master’s degree in biostatistics from Johns Hopkins University. My research interests are spatial statistics, causal mediation analysis, and environmental statistics.

Lillian Rountree

Lillian Rountree joined the Mukherjee Lab in August 2023, when she began her PhD at the University of Michigan. She did her undergraduate studies at Columbia University, graduating in May 2023 with a Bachelors of Arts in Statistics and French. Her research interests include fairness in clinical modeling, methods for infectious disease transmission, and her dissertation focus, which is currently undiscovered. In her other life, outside of research and academia, she is a fiction writer; in her free time beyond that, she loves literature, pop culture, and meandering walks.

Youqi Yang

Youqi Yang is a second-year PhD candidate in Biostatistics at the University of Michigan, working under the mentorship of Dr. Bhramar Mukherjee and Dr. Walter Dempsey. His research focuses on causal inference, data integration, and survey analysis. In his free time, Youqi enjoys exploring pop culture, discovering great movies, and playing badminton. He also runs a “growing” food Instagram account with 24 followers.