OU Public Health | Fall 2018 22 RESEARCH IN FOCUS More Than a Numbers Game The quote is by Richard Hamming, a renowned mathematician whose life’s work impacted computer engineering and telecommunications, but the message resonates in the life of OU Hudson College of Public Health re- searcher Julie Stoner, Ph.D. Stoner, chair of the Department of Biosta- tistics and Epidemiology and Presidential Professor, knows the answers to many of the public health problems we face today are often hidden in a labyrinth of scientific data. Her research aims to cut through the mathematical maze to shed new light on long-standing issues impacting health, es- pecially in the area of cardiovascular dis- ease and prevention. “My research focuses on the application of biostatistical methods to better under- stand protective factors and risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease and approaches to improve health outcomes among patients with cardiovascular dis- ease,” she explained. Growing up in a rural Kansas community, Stoner realized early on that she enjoyed and excelled in mathematics, computing and quantitative sciences. “I was drawn to biostatistics because it al- lows me to utilize my math skills to inves- tigate biomedical and public health ques- tions,” she said. “Biostatistics is an essential tool for identifying trends and patterns in data and observations that we make while also accounting for variability and uncer- tainty in the data.” Her talents are proving a valuable asset to the College in its work to advance public health, to the OU Health Sciences Cen- ter as a whole, and to the nation through her work for the National Institutes of Health. Stoner has served as primary biostatistical investigator and Principal Investigator on a number of NIH-funded research projects and clinical trials. She knows the value of research that crosses disciplines, drawing on the strengths and expertise of others, thereby enhancing results through collaboration. “Team-based and interdisciplinary re- search is essential to tackling challenging biomedical and public health problems. Different perspectives and skill sets are needed to understand the scope of health problems, to identify targets for improve- ment, and to develop treatments or preven- tion programs that result in better health outcomes,” she said. As a biostatistician, Stoner is involved in a number of research projects where her role is to make multidisciplinary con- nections, collaborating with fellow re- searchers to refine specific aims into measurable and testable questions of interest, and to develop valid inter- pretation of study results. Stoner currently directs biostatis- tics, epidemiology and research de- sign for the Oklahoma Shared Clinical and Translational Resources. Funded by a grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the NIH, it forges partnerships among multiple institutions, physi- cians and American In- dian tribes throughout Oklahoma, especially rural areas. While some may find their eyes glaz- ing over when they look at long lists of numbers, Ston- er’s eyes light up. She knows her work is important. “The OS- CTR’s mis- sion is to serve as a catalyst for clinical research which improves health for underserved and underrepresented popu- lations living in rural areas, to improve health outcomes for these individuals, and to provide resources to launch new inde- pendent research careers in IDeA states. Those are states that historically have re- ceived low levels of NIH funding,” she ex- plained. “We recently received funding for another five years for this program.” Continued on page 26 The purpose of computing is insight, not numbers.