Abstract: The NYC public schools system is the largest school system in the US and the NYC Office of School Health is responsible for providing health services to NYC public school students, making it uniquely situated at the intersection of health and education public policy. In this talk, Kevin and Sophia will present case studies based on their experience working in research and analytics in the Office of School Health. They will describe challenges and opportunities for data scientists in government, and conclude with advice for students interested in such careers.

Open to Cornell community. Talk from 3 to 4pm. Refreshments served after talk, where speakers will be available for further discussion. To set up an individual meeting with the speakers, contact ht395@cornell.edu

Bios: Kevin Konty directs the NYC Office of School Health’s Research and Analytics Division. Kevin has a Master’s in Statistics from the University of Pennsylvania and in Mathematics from Caltech, and is completing a PhD in Geography at the University of California, Santa Barbara. From 2004–2014, he led the NYCDOH’s Epidemiology Methodology Unit that housed the GIS Center, was responsible for all small area population estimates, developed methods for neighborhood surveys and to characterize communities, and developed spatial methods for outbreak detection. Prior to this, Kevin worked at the United States Census Bureau.

Sophia Day is a statistician and Surveillance Director in the NYC Office of School Health. Sophia has a Master’s in Statistics and Applied Mathematics from Hunter College CUNY and is completing a DPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the CUNY School of Public Health. Sophia's research has focused on the evaluation of trends in obesity, physical fitness, attendance and academic performance among school children in NYC, utilizing methods such as quantile regression and growth trajectories. Currently, she is working on identifying students with poorly controlled asthma, towards incorporating alerts for asthma hospitalizations into school nursing systems.

This event is funded in part by the Cornell Office of Engagement Initiatives via an Engaged Graduate Student Grant and Cornell Department of Statistical Science. Questions or need special arrangements? Contact ht395@cornell.edu