James Adefisoye, MS

PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Having never visited the Mid-South, I was uncertain about relocating to an unfamiliar region of the country. However, after reviewing the information on the University website about the School of Public Health and communicating with a faculty member, I became convinced that the Ph.D. Epidemiology and Biostatistics program at the University of Memphis (UofM) School of Public Health (SPH) was the right fit for me, despite my background in pure Statistics and no formal prior training in public health.

During my time in this program, I have gained all-round experience, including in areas such as Bayesian Statistics, network analysis, machine learning, epigenetics, epidemiology, and public health principles. Specializing in network analysis and epigenetics, I have had the opportunity to present parts of my work at the Mid-South Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Society (MCBIOS) 2023 held in Dallas, TX. I was also able to present my work at the Joint Statistical Meeting (JSM) in Ontario Canada. With JSM being the largest gathering of Statisticians around the globe, I had the opportunity to meet and interact with participants from different parts of the world. These trips were supported by the school and my participation at the conferences afforded me exposure to the latest methods in the field of statistics, epigenetics, and network analysis, and networking with scholars in the fields. With support from The School of Public Health, I am a now registered member of the American Public Health Association (APHA) in addition to the American Statistical Association (ASA) and International Biometric Society’s Eastern North American Region (ENAR).

The School of Public Health at the University of Memphis not only prioritizes diversity in its student and staff body but is also dedicated to students’ success, adequate advising, mentoring, and promotion of collaboration. This unique level of prioritization at each step in my academic journey has allowed me to build relationships with members of the faculty and staff of SPH and I feel truly connected to this community of academics, public health experts, and global change makers. It has been a pleasure being part of the UofM SPH.