Heather Allore, PhD
Biography
Research & Publications
News
Locations
Appointments
Biography
The focus of my research collaborations and methodological development work as previous Director of Biostatistics at the Yale Program on Aging for 12 years and current Leader of the Yale Alzheimer's Disease Research Center's Data Management and Statistics Core. I founded the field of Gerontological Biostatistic. I lead the Design and Statistics Core of Imbedded Pragmatic Alzheimer’s Disease and AD-Related Dementias Clinical Trials Collaboratory. I am Co-director of the Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Core of the Yale Transdisciplinary Collaborative Center for Precision Medicine focused on Health Disparities, especially adults with multiple chronic conditions. I co-authored a paper on health disparities in the Decadal Survey of Behavioral and Social Science Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease-Related Dementias. My innovated analytic methods include joint trajectories of cognition, function and mortality. Innovative designs and biostatistical methods are required to rigorously address the myriad of unanswered scientific questions related to older adults and persons with dementia, including risk prediction.
With over 240 peer-reviewed articles and continuous NIH funding since 2000, my research has focused on issues related to the design of clinical trials for and studies of older adults. These and other methodologic advances resulted in me being an invited speaker at an NIH/NIA conference on Longitudinal Methods and another on Clinical Trial Design. In 2017 and 2020, I co-chaired the Study Design and Metrics component of the NIH meeting on the 21st Century Cures Act: Inclusion Across the Lifespan I and II. I previously chaired the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center's Data Cores Steering Committee, member of the Executive Committee, and Co-Lead of the Data and Measures Committee of the NIA-funded AGING Initiative, which is a collaboration of Older Americans Independence Centers and the Healthcare Systems Research Network. I have a wealth of experience conducting epidemiologic studies and am a recognized authority on longitudinal statistical methods, including extended Cox models for state transitions, generalized estimating equations, mixed effects models, latent class trajectory models, and joint models. A defining hallmark of my biostatistical approach is that instead of developing analytic methods in the absence of a clinical question or adapting the study question to available analytical techniques, I adapt new statistical methods that suitably model the specific study question.
Education & Training
- Postdoctoral FellowCornell University (1999)
- PhDCornell University (1996)
- MScCornell University (1993)
- BS (Hon)State University of New York, College of Technology, Computer Science (1989)
Activities
- Keynote for “Healthy Aging and Geriatrics Forum: China Health Policy and Management Society Session”, a Virtual Workshop Xi’an, China.Global Health International Congress, Keynote for “Healthy Aging and Geriatrics Forum: China Health Policy and Management Society Session”, a Virtual Workshop Xi’an, China. 2022Global Health International Congress
- Calculating Additive Contributions of Dementia and Chronic Conditions to Hospitalization, SNF Admission and Mortality: Why Race MattersDurham, NC, United States 2022Workshop: Leveraging Existing Data and Analytic Methods for Health Disparities Research Related to Aging
- “Inclusion/ exclusion Criteria in Trial Design”Hosted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine 2020National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, Drug Research and Development for Adults Across the Older Age Span
- Data analysis and study interpretationDue to pandemic this was held virtually 2020National Institutes of Health, Inclusion Across the Lifespan-II Workshop: Implementation and Future Directions
- Brain Health and AgingChristchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand 2020Knowledge Exchange 2020: Good for the Brain Good for Life Symposium
- Research Gaps for Long-Term Drug Therapies for Osteoporotic Fracture PreventionSydney, NSW, Australia 2020University of Sydney Australia, Department of Pharmacy
Honors & Recognition
Award | Awarding Organization | Date |
---|---|---|
Fellow | Gerontological Society of America | 2016 |
Women’s Midcareer Leadership Competitive Application | American Association of Medical Colleges | 2014 |
Paul Harris Fellow | Rotary International | 2012 |
NRI Competitive Grants Postdoctoral Fellowship 96-35204-3441 | NRI Competitive Grants Postdoctoral Fellowship | 1996 |
Gamma Sigma Delta Research Award | Gamma Sigma Delta, Honor Society | 1991 |
HR Anslie Leadership Award | Cornell University | 1990 |
Professional Service
Organization | Role | Date |
---|---|---|
Alzheimer’s Disease Centers Data Core Steering Committee | Lead the ADRC's Data Cores Steering Committee. Created Mission Statement, started and organized webinars and annual fall meeting and pre-meeting Analytics Workshop. | 2019 - 2021 |
American Geriatrics Association | Statistical AE | 2018 - Present |
Gerontologic Society of America | Statistical Editor | 2015 - Present |
NIH | Special Emphasis Panel Reviewer, Support of Competitive Research (SCORE) | 2015 - Present |
American College of Rheumatology | Statistical Editor | 2015 - Present |
International Journal of Statistics in Medical Research | Special Issue “Methods for Estimating Treatment Effects for Persons with Multiple Chronic Conditions” | 2015 - Present |
Gerontological Society of America | Health Sciences Membership Committee | 2014 - 2017 |
NIH/NIA | PPG P01Alzheimer’s Disease | 2014 - Present |
NIH/NIA | Clinical Trial Advisory Panel | 2014 - Present |
NIH/NIA | SEP Review U19 DOMINANTLY INHERITED ALZHEIMER NETWORK | 2013 |
NIH/NIAID | SEP Reviewer, P01 Immunology, NIH/NIAID | 2011 - 2012 |
NIH/NIAID | SEP Immunology, | 2011 - 2012 |
NIMH | Member, Special Emphasis Panel, Treatment of Mental Illness | 2009 - 2010 |
Foundation for NIH review panel on Sarcopenia | Review panel on Sarcopenia | 2009 |
Gerontological Society of America | Convener Gerontological Society of America Measures Statistics Research Design Section | 2008 - 2010 |
CDC | Chair: CDC Special Emphasis Panel: Preparing People with Arthritis to Safely Select and Self Direct their Physical Activity | 2008 - Present |
CDC | CDC Mentored Public Health Research Scientist Development Award | 2007 |
NIH/NIA | NIH/NIA ASG Study Section | 2006 - 2012 |
Human Nutrition and Obesity Section USDA-NRICGP | Human Nutrition and Obesity Section USDA-NRICGP | 2006 - Present |
USDA Small Business Initiative Grant Program | USDA Small Business Initiative Grant Program | 2003 - 2005 |
VA Cooperative Studies Program Coordinating Center | VA Cooperative Studies Program Coordinating Center Human Rights Committee | 2002 - Present |