Alisa Stephens Shields, PhD, Associate Professor of Biostatistics, was selected by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health to receive the 2024 Myrto Lefkopoulou Distinguished Lectureship.
Each year the lectureship is awarded to a promising statistician who has made contributions to either collaborative or methodological research in the applications of statistical methods to biology or medicine, and/or who has shown excellence in the teaching of biostatistics.
During her academic career, Dr. Stephens Shields has demonstrated great capacity as both a methodological and collaborative biostatistician and as a leader impacting health, statistical education, and inclusion in the field. Her lecture, “A Discrete Choice Experiment to Enhance Participation and Diversity in Clinical Trials,” which she presented at Harvard University on September 26, 2024, examined innovative strategies to increase trial participation among underrepresented groups, addressing a critical issue in medical research. Dr. Stephens Shields’ research, informed by behavioral economics, offers vital insights into making clinical trials more inclusive.