Temple University: Epidemiology & Biostatistics Department

10/05/2026

Dr. Levent Dumenci, Professor, and co-author recently published their research in the Journal of Patient-Reported Outcomes. The study, “The Latent Difference Score Model Is a Viable Alternative to Arithmetic Difference Score-Based Anchor-Driven Minimal Important Change Calculation,” examines how latent difference score modeling can account for measurement error when estimating minimal important change in patient-reported outcomes. Using data from patients who underwent knee arthroplasty, the study highlights how this approach may provide more precise estimates of meaningful changes in pain and functional outcomes.

Read the full article below:

The Journal of Patient-Reported Outcomes (JPRO) is an international, open-access, fully peer-reviewed multi-disciplinary journal publishing original ...

09/28/2026

Dr. Sezgin Ciftci, Assistant Professor of Instruction, and co-authors recently published their research in the American Journal of Cardiology. The study, “Reducing Unnecessary Preoperative Cardiology Referral and Cost in Patients Undergoing Bariatric Surgery,” examines the use of a standardized referral approach for patients undergoing bariatric surgery. The findings highlight how a more targeted approach to preoperative cardiology referrals may help reduce unnecessary consultations and healthcare costs while supporting appropriate patient care.

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09/23/2026

Dr. Allison R. Casola, Assistant Professor of Instruction, Dr. Resa M. Jones, Chair and Professor, and co-authors recently published their research in the American Journal of Health Promotion. The study, “Reasons for Not Having S*x and Differences in Contraceptive Knowledge Among S*xually Active and Inactive College Students,” examines s*xual activity, reasons for not having s*x, and contraceptive knowledge among college students 18-24. The findings highlight differences in contraceptive knowledge by s*xual activity status and underscore the importance of comprehensive s*xual health education for all students.

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09/17/2026

Introducing the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics! Our faculty and staff are proud to be part of a department where everyone counts. Together, we strive for excellence in teaching, research, and service, and we know that every member plays a part in making that happen.

09/10/2026

Calling all Temple Undergrads!!

Join us for the first-ever Applied Epidemiology Minor Meetup! Come meet fellow students, chat with Dr. Allison R. Casola, enjoy an afternoon snack, and connect with your classmates.

Make sure to bring a friend! 🦉

Everyone interested in learning more about the Applied Epidemiology Minor is welcome.

08/25/2026

We were excited to welcome our new and returning students, faculty, and staff at this year’s Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics Welcome Event last week!

It was a great evening where we all had the opportunity to meet and connect with one another. The evening included remarks from Department Chair Resa M. Jones, MPH, PhD and Temple University Barnett College of Public Health Dean Jennifer Ibrahim with department highlights presented by Graduate Program Director Allison Casola, PhD, MPH, MCHES, a look into EBSA by Dr. Erin Kulick, and a student panel giving advice and tips on student life and academic success.

08/21/2026

What a great day welcoming all of the new TU Barnett College of Public Health students at Convocation and connecting with students from across the college at BCPH’s Student Resource Fair. We were excited to meet so many students interested in our Applied Epidemiology minor, Public Health Beyond Borders, and the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Student Association. Our Department Chair, Dr. Resa M. Jones, and Graduate Program Director, Dr. Allison R. Casola, even showed off our new department shirts!

We can’t wait to see you all next week! 🍒🦉

08/10/2026

Congratulations to Tugce Kinik, MS, our PhD in Epidemiology student, for successfully defending her dissertation "Exploring Functional Limitations by Thyroid Cancer Status, Mental Distress, and Predictors of Functional Limitations in Thyroid Cancer Survivors" last Friday!

07/24/2026

Congratulations to our PhD student, Haoyu Zhou, for successfully defending his dissertation "Missing Data Methods for Nonignorable Missingness in Clustered Health Data and the Effect of Cigarette Smoking on Venous Thromboembolism Following COVID-19 Among Adults" this past Tuesday!

07/21/2026

The Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics welcomed Qiuyu Wu, PhD, Assistant Professor, at the beginning of this month!

Before joining the TU Barnett College of Public Health , Dr. Wu was a postdoc research fellow in the Departments of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics at Duke University and received her Ph.D. from the Department of Biostatistics & Computational Biology at the University of Rochester. Her research interests include high-dimensional data analysis, spatial statistics, functional data analysis, and multi-omics integration.

Fun fact: Dr. Wu's Erdős number is 3.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Wu to the Department and to Temple University !