Public Health Research Methods - Public Health Thesis and Dissertation Writing Consultant
Biostatistics Research Consulting - Biostatistics Tutor
Epidemiology Research - Epidemiology Data Analysis
NHANES Data Sets - NHANES Data Analysis
Dr. Vicki Lawrence is an academic researcher who studies the epidemiologic nature of social conditions in relation to cardiovascular and other disease outcomes. More specifically, her work focuses on studies of poor health among African Americans and health disparities that may occur my age, race, and gender in cardiovascular and mental health outcomes. Utilizing her background in epidemiology and biostatistics, she has provided statistical support on multiple studies with various investigators commonly focused on physical and mental health data. In addition, she has worked with clinicians, research investigators, and tutored multiple graduate students as well in public health, epidemiology, social work, medicine, education, and nursing to tackle statistics related issues.
Dr. Lawrence takes a significant amount of effort to ensure the students and researchers she collaborates with or supports understand the theoretical rationale behind the methods appropriate for their research problems, meeting the students and researchers at their stage of understanding. In addition to explaining the foundations, she regularly provides each individual with the opportunity to ask questions, and explains the differences in statistical approaches as needed. Further, she can help develop data analysis plans, refine research questions, and examine data collection methodologies with clients as well.
In her own work, Dr. Lawrence has used exploratory/ descriptive analysis tools (such as t-tests) and nonparametric tests, ANOVA (including one way, two way, repeated measures and others), structural equation modeling, exploratory factor analyses, multilevel models, linear regression, logistic regression, multinomial regression, and growth curve modeling as well. She has prepared analytical methods sections for publications, including tables of regression outputs. Further, she can provide information relevant to epidemiologic methods, including prevalence, incidence, risk and rate ratios, causal diagrams (including mediating and moderating variables) and other topics as needed. She has used a variety of data sets of both large and small magnitude, including nationally representative public data sets such as NHANES and the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, but has also used survey as well as medical systems based data. She has substantial experience using SAS and Excel, and also uses HLM and SPSS.
Education & Training
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Psychiatry
Doctorate in Epidemiology
Master of Science in Biostatistics
Bachelor of Science in Public Health concentrated in Biostatistics
Relevant Experience
Assistant Research Scientist, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education (company confidential)
Study neighborhood level social determinants of racial, gender, and aged based disparities in depression and cardiovascular health outcomes in urban Detroit
Perform statistical analyses using multiple programs, such as SAS, HLM, SPSS
Prepare manuscripts for publication
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Psychiatry (university confidential)
Examine social determinants of racial, gender, and aged based disparities in co-morbid mental and physical health outcomes, as well as the impact of these factors on receipt of mental health treatments
Perform statistical analyses using large sets of complex survey data, including the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)
Prepare manuscripts for publication
Research Associate, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education
Investigate underlying causes and contributing factors that influence the presence of health disparities, including those by age, race, and gender
Design and perform statistical analyses using data from the National Survey of American Life, a complex survey of a nationally representative sample of Black Americans
Health Research Science Specialist, United States Department of Veterans’ Affairs
Examine mental health outcomes among national samples of Veterans
Prepare manuscripts for publication
Research Associate, Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health (CSEPH) (university confidential)
Prepared data for analyses, including extensive discussions as to the methods used in gathering and managing the data
Prepared commentary on data collection methodologies from historic resources, including the census
Statistical Consultant
Assist researchers and doctoral students with development of well-defined statistical analysis plans in accordance with research questions
Provide thorough explanation of the purpose and details of specific statistical analyses using both SPSS and SAS
Conduct statistical analyses as needed for health research projects using both SPSS and SAS
Graduate Student Research Assistant, Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health (CSEPH) (university confidential)
Compiled datasets and performed statistical analyses using the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, the Alameda County Study, and the NHANES datasets
Studied the role of mental health in relation to financial and employment measures
Worked with colleagues to study the impact of socioeconomic factors on health behaviors, immune function, stress, cardiovascular disease outcomes and mortality
Worked with a study aimed to examine the transmission of influenza in campus dormitories
Collaborated with investigators to create coding schema for subject responses
Statistics Tutor
Weekly reviews of material covered in introductory graduate level statistics courses, including the use of SPSS and SAS statistical software
Provide practice examples to illustrate and emphasize major points in the statistical interest
Review homework problems and quiz materials to explain statistical reasoning and theories
Graduate Student Teaching Assistant, Longitudinal Data Analysis, Inter-political Consortium for Political and Social Research Summer Program in Quantitative Sciences (ICPSR)
Provided computer lab tutorials in SAS and statistical assistance for repeated measures data
Graded assignments and returned to students with feedback
Studied and explained, as necessary, issues that generally arise in the analyses of repeated measures data
Instructor In Training, Department of Biostatistics, Biostatistical Inference Course (BIOSTAT 602)
Graduate Student Research Assistant, Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health, Department of Biostatistics
Began study of the national datasets NHANES, BRFSS and NHIS in order to understand health disparities in minority populations, and statistical approaches for analysis of such issues
Interviewer, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education
Phoned African American residents of Wake County to complete surveys on access to resources in relation to health behaviors
Entered data into SPSS
Research Intern, Project IMHOTEP, Morehouse College and Carnegie Mellon University
Developed a research project on the cardiovascular health of young people, ages 12-30 years, based on risk factors including race, gender, exercise, diet, and smoking using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey under the guidance of faculty in the Carnegie Mellon University Department of Biostatistics
Developed and executed the statistical analyses in STATA and SAS
Memberships and Activities
2010- American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry
2008- Society for Epidemiologic Research
2005- American Statistical Association
2005- Institute of Mathematical Statistics
2005-2007 International Biometric Society- Eastern North American Region
2005-2007 Public Health Student Association
2005-2007 Public Health Students of African Descent
Honors
2010- Mental Health and Aging Research Fellow, NIH Grant
2005-2010 Rackham Merit Fellowship Recipient
2007-2008 Center for Research on Ethnicity, Culture, and Health Training Grant Participant, NIMH Grant 2R25GM058641
2006-2007 Biostatistics in Biosciences Training Grant Participant, NIH Grant 5T32GM07491005
2005 Honorable Mention, AAAS Conference, Poster Presentation
ARTICLES
Writing Research Reports: The Elements of Health and Medical Research Report Writing
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