What is your role with Pediatrics Open Science, the new open access journal from the American Academy of Pediatrics?
I am the statistical editor.
What made you want to pursue a leadership role in journal publishing?
My interest in this role was primarily driven by my strong interest in the application of statistical methods to clinical medicine and biological science.
What are your primary research interests?
My research primarily involves the application of computational and statistical methods to understand the evolution and epidemiology of viruses and viral outbreaks. My graduate and postdoctoral research involved modeling the molecular evolution of influenza. Recently, I have been working on machine learning and statistical models to forecast various parameters of viral outbreaks.
What excites you about the field of pediatrics?
I think it is the place where medicine can have the most impact on a person’s life.
Do you have any words of wisdom for future researchers?
Many research questions can be answered using existing datasets when approached with well-formulated hypotheses and appropriate analytical methods.
Why do you think open access is important for the future of pediatric research?
Research funded through public resources should be publicly accessible. While basic science has made substantial progress in open access initiatives, clinical research—despite its direct impact on global health outcomes—remains largely restricted behind paywalls, limiting its reach to those with institutional access.
What does a typical day in your work week look like?
I recently returned to clinical medicine and research as an Internal Medicine and Pediatric Hospitalist. For research, I am often analyzing forecasting model failure modes, improving existing model training, and developing and implementing new models. I also teach evidence-based medicine to pediatric residents, help to coordinate resident journal club, and work with the medical students’ global health pathway.
Submit your paper to Pediatrics Open Science today!
