Md Karimuzzaman

PhD Candidate in Biostatistics

Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University  ·  Advisor: Prof. Brisa N. Sánchez

I develop statistical methods for correlated, spatially structured, and zero-inflated count data, with applications in built environment epidemiology and health equity. My dissertation advances penalized GEE with fusion learning for repeated-measures count outcomes and extends quadratic inference functions (QIF) to high-dimensional settings — motivated by characterizing food environments near schools across multiple spatial scales in California.

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Md Karimuzzaman

Recent Highlights

What's New

Biostatistics Intern New
Edwards Lifesciences  ·  Irvine, CA
2026
  • Systematic literature review on clinical synthetic data generation — Gaussian copula, GANs, VAEs — to inform regulatory methodology selection
  • Applied empirical simulation framework across full biostatistics workflow: protocol design, sample size, RWD usability, and synthetic external control arm construction
  • Developing methodological extension to time-to-event (survival) outcomes, filling a critical gap for oncology, pharmaceutical, and device trials
Instructor, Drexel University New
BST 571: Introduction to Biostatistics
2026
  • Designed and delivered graduate-level biostatistics instruction: statistical theory, regression, ANOVA, survival analysis, power analysis
  • Created original weekly review video lectures supporting asynchronous learning for MPH and MS cohort
  • Three weekly office hours; managed all assessment including exam design, grading, and formative feedback

Academic Training

Education

2022–
Present
PhD in Biostatistics
Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Thesis: Fusion Learning and Quadratic Inference Function for Zero-inflated Data
Advisor: Brisa N. Sánchez, PhD
2018
MS & BSc in Statistics
Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
MS Thesis: Forecasting performance of non-linear regime-switching threshold autoregressive models
BSc Thesis: Comparison of 32 technical stock indicators with ML and quantile regression
Advisor: Md. Moyazzem Hossain, PhD

Scholarly Focus

Research

Doctoral Research Fellow & Lead Biostatistician
Biostatistics for Social Impact Lab, Drexel University  ·  Philadelphia, PA
2022 – Present
  • Lead biostatistician on 5 NIH-funded RWE and longitudinal health studies; design SAPs, manage 3M+ record datasets, and deliver analytical insights to multidisciplinary teams
  • Developing fusion learning–based penalized GEE framework for spatially correlated, zero-inflated count outcomes; lead simulation studies evaluating bias under complex data scenarios
  • Apply causal inference (PSM, IPW, IV, RDD), latent class/transition models, Bayesian hierarchical models, and survival analysis; develop R packages and R Shiny dashboards

My methodological work centers on marginal modeling approaches — particularly penalized GEE and QIF — for spatially correlated repeated-measures data with excess zeros. Substantively, I apply these methods to characterize the built food environment near schools and examine socioeconomic patterning of health-relevant exposures across geographic scales.

Research Interests

Penalized GEE & Fusion Learning Quadratic Inference Functions (QIF) Zero-Inflated Count Models Longitudinal & Repeated-Measures Data Spatial Epidemiology Built Food Environment Health Equity & Disparities Latent Class & Transition Models Clinical Trials Methodology Causal Inference Real-World Evidence (RWE) Survival Analysis

Technical Skills

Statistical Software

R, SAS, Python, SQL, Stata, SPSS, MPlus, WinBUGS; statistical simulation

Data & Reproducibility

REDCap (administrator), relational databases, EHR workflows, Git/GitHub, reproducible analytical pipelines (RAP)

Visualization & Reporting

ggplot2, plotly, Tableau, R Shiny dashboards, LaTeX, Quarto; Statistical Analysis Plans (SAPs)

Methods & Modeling

PSM, IPW, IV, RDD; latent class/transition models; Bayesian hierarchical modeling; clinical trial design; RWE

NIH-Funded Projects

NIH R01MD017687
Effectiveness of population-level interventions in schools and academic performance
PI: B.N. Sánchez  ·  Drexel University
NIH R01HL131610
Characterizing health impacts of built environment features using complex data
PI: B.N. Sánchez  ·  Drexel University
NIH R01HL136718
Characterizing food environments near schools in California
PI: B.N. Sánchez  ·  Drexel University
NIH R01HD111169
Population-level nutrition interventions and food environment effects on obesity
PI: B.N. Sánchez  ·  Drexel University

Additional collaborations: MESA Study (latent transition analysis, retail environment & HbA1c)  ·  All of Us Research Program (school racial diversity; Hispanic adult obesity)

Scholarly Output

Publications & Manuscripts

Peer-Reviewed Publications

2026 Published
Fast-food and convenience outlets near schools in California: a comparison of private and public schools
Karimuzzaman M, Miller S, Sanchez-Vaznaugh EV, Sánchez BN
American Journal of Epidemiology, 195(1), 126–134. DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwaf025
2026 Published
Developing a Trauma System Improvement Program (TSIP) in Bangladesh: findings from a pilot study
Tasnim Z, Karimuzzaman M, Naher N, et al.
BMC Emergency Medicine. DOI: 10.1186/s12873-026-01490-2
2024 Published
Obesity in Bangladesh: food near schools
Karimuzzaman M
Science, 385, 266–266. DOI: 10.1126/science.adp6537
2024 Published
Modelling COVID-19 cases and deaths with climate variables using statistical and data science methods
Karimuzzaman M, Afroz S, Hossain M, et al.
Soft Computing, 28, 12561–12574. DOI: 10.1007/s00500-024-10352-7
2024 Published
Age and sex-specific disability-free life expectancy in urban and rural settings of Bangladesh
Ahmed KT, Afrin A, Hasan M, Karimuzzaman M, et al.
Population Health Metrics, 22, 7. DOI
2024 Published
Mobile use in the classroom is a mixed bag, and lecturers need to provide students with guidelines
Hasan M, Karimuzzaman M, Abdulla F, Hossain MM
SAGE Open, 14(4). DOI
2023 Published
Trends and long-term variation explaining nutritional determinants of child linear growth
Ahmed KT, Karimuzzaman M, Afroz S, et al.
Public Health Nutrition, 26(12), 2758–2770. DOI
2023 Published
Association of dietary diversity of 6–23 months aged children with prenatal and postnatal obstetric care
Ahmed KT, Karimuzzaman M, Pinky GN, et al.
Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition, 42, 120. DOI
2023 Published
Influencing factors associated with maternal delivery at home in urban areas
Ahmed KT, Karimuzzaman M, Mahmud S, et al.
Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition, 42, 83. DOI
2022 Published
Likelihood of infectious diseases due to lack of exclusive breastfeeding among infants in Bangladesh
Abdulla F, Hossain MM, Karimuzzaman M, Ali M, Rahman A
PLOS ONE, 17(2), e0263890. DOI
2022 Published
Burden of COVID-19 on health and wellbeing, education, and economy of Bangladesh
Rahman A, Abdulla F, Karimuzzaman M, Hossain MM
Clinical Case Reports, 10, e06639. DOI
2021 Published
A non-linear biostatistical graphical modeling of preventive actions and healthcare factors in controlling COVID-19 pandemic
Abdulla F, Nain Z, Karimuzzaman M, Hossain MM, Rahman A
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(9), 4491. DOI
2021 Published
Text mining and sentiment analysis of newspaper headlines
Hossain A, Karimuzzaman M, Hossain MM, Rahman A
Information, 12, 414. DOI
2021 Published
Predicting stock market price of Bangladesh: a comparative study of linear classification models
Karimuzzaman M, Islam N, Afroz S, Hossain MM
Annals of Data Science, 8(1), 21–38. DOI
2021 Published
Modeling of mean sea level of Bay of Bengal: a comparison between ARIMA and artificial neural network
Shezan A, Karimuzzaman M, Hossain MM
International Journal of Tomography & Simulation, 33(1)
2020 Published
Routine vaccination disruption in low-income countries: an impact of COVID-19 pandemic
Hossain MM, Abdulla F, Karimuzzaman M, Rahman A
Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health, 32(8), 509–510. DOI
2020 Book Chapter
Finite mixture modelling approach to identify factors affecting children ever born for 15–49 year old women in Asian country
Karimuzzaman M, Hossain MM, Rahman A
In A. Rahman (Ed.), Statistics for Data Science and Policy Analysis. Springer, Singapore. DOI

Under Review & In Preparation

Under Revision
Evaluating differential exposure to food environment by data source
McAlexander TP, Karimuzzaman M, Nejad Yazdi R, Moore K, Hirsch JA, Melly S, Li J, Auchincloss AH, Sánchez BN
Social Sciences & Humanities Open · SSRN Preprint
Under Revision
Assessing school racial diversity in California: a longitudinal study
Miller S, Karimuzzaman M, Sanchez-Vaznaugh EV, Sánchez BN
American Journal of Epidemiology
Under Revision
Social determinants of obesity among a national sample of Hispanic adults
Miller S, Karimuzzaman M, Sanchez-Vaznaugh EV, Sánchez BN
Obesity
Under Revision
Primary school dropout rate among children in selected hard-to-reach areas of Bangladesh
Chowdhury R, Jahangir KB, Mohosin AB, Karimuzzaman M, et al.
Heliyon
In Preparation
Fusion learning approach for count data: examining income differences in the spatial distribution of food outlets near schools
Karimuzzaman M, Sánchez BN, Sanchez-Vaznaugh EV
Dissertation Aim 1
In Preparation
Using latent transition analysis to characterize longitudinal mixtures of retail environment features and HbA1c associations: the MESA Study
McAlexander TP, Karimuzzaman M, Nejad Yazdi R, Moore K, Hirsch JA, Melly S, Li J, Sánchez BN
Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

Pedagogy

Teaching Experience

YearCourseRoleInstitutionResponsibilities
2026 Introduction to Biostatistics (BST 571) — Graduate Instructor of Record Drexel University ↑ See What's New highlights
2025 Intermediate Biostatistics — Graduate Guest Lecturer Drexel University Delivered invited guest lecture on advanced biostatistics topics to graduate students in epidemiology and public health
2024 Survival Data Analysis (BST 557 / PBHL 459) Teaching Assistant Drexel University ↓ See Teaching Assistant Responsibilities
2023 Intermediate Biostatistics I (BST 560) Teaching Assistant Drexel University ↓ See Teaching Assistant Responsibilities
2022 Introduction to Biostatistics (BST 571) Teaching Assistant Drexel University ↓ See Teaching Assistant Responsibilities
2022 Biostatistics & Epidemiology (two courses) Instructor Govt. Titumir College, Dhaka University Guest instructor for two undergraduate courses — Biostatistics and Epidemiology; covered descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing, study design, and measures of disease frequency and association
2022 Intro to Biostatistics, Statistics Lab, Recitation Teaching Fellow BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health Delivered lectures, lab sessions, and recitation classes in Intro to Biostatistics to a multi-national MPH cohort; applied data analysis, course coordination, exam design, grading, and student mentorship for final projects
2017–2018 Applied Statistics & Data Science Mentor Durbin Labs Limited, Dhaka Delivered Applied Statistics & Data Science workshops for industry professionals; covered statistical programming and applied modeling
2015–2017 Statistics — College Level Freelance Tutor Dhaka, Bangladesh College-level statistics tutoring; exam preparation, problem-solving support, and concept reinforcement for individual students

Teaching Assistant Responsibilities — Drexel University (2022–2024)

  • Led weekly recitation sessions and statistics lab hours for three graduate biostatistics courses — Introduction to Biostatistics (BST 571), Intermediate Biostatistics I (BST 560), and Survival Data Analysis (BST 557 / PBHL 459) — reinforcing lecture content through worked examples and applied problem sets
  • Held regular office hours providing one-on-one and small-group support to graduate students across epidemiology, public health, and clinical research programs
  • Assisted faculty in exam preparation, question design, grading, and course material development across three consecutive years

Certified: International Teaching Assistant (ITA) Training Program, Drexel University — Recommended as Instructor

Dissemination

Invited Talks & Conference Presentations

Lectures by Invitation

2026
"Fast-food and convenience outlets near schools in California: a comparison of private and public schools"
Seminar on Urban Health Collaborative (UHC), Drexel University
2025
"Fusion Learning Approach for High-Dimensional Spatial Setting"
Research in Progress Seminar, Drexel University
2023
"Spatial distribution of food outlets near schools"
Department Seminar Series, Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Drexel University
2022
"Text Mining in Public Health Research"
Seminar on Urban Health Collaborative (UHC), Drexel Dornsife School of Public Health
2019
Data Visualization with R  ·  Basics of R: Data Handling and Manipulation
Statistics LEAD Club, Department of Statistics, Jahangirnagar University

Conference Presentations

2024
Eastern North American Region (ENAR) — International Biometric Society Spring Meeting, Baltimore
Session Chair: Non-parametric Statistical Methods  ·  Poster Competition Judge
Paper Presentation: "Using LASSO to examine income differences in the spatial distribution of FENS"
2023
Joint Statistical Meeting (JSM), Toronto, Canada
Paper: "Spatial distribution of food outlets near private and public schools in California"
2022
International Conference on COVID-19 Impact, BRAC University, Bangladesh
2019
Applied Statistics and Policy Analysis Conference, Charles Sturt University, Australia
Paper Presentation: "Finite Mixture Modelling Approach to Identify Factors Affecting Children Ever Born for 15–49-Year-Old Women in Asian Country"
2018
International Conference on Recent Advances in Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Bangladesh
Proceedings: "A Comparative Study among Poisson, Negative Binomial and Hermite Regression"

Community & Profession

Service, Memberships & Training

Professional Memberships

  • American Statistical Association (ASA) — Active Member
  • International Biometric Society (IBS) — ENAR Region, Active Member

Peer Review

  • PLOS ONE
  • BMC Public Health
  • Social Network Analysis and Mining

Leadership & Service

  • Session Chair, ENAR Spring Meeting 2024
  • Coordinator, Biostatistics for Social Impact Lab, Drexel
  • Founder & President, Statistics LEAD Club, JU (2017–2018)
  • IT Secretary, JU Debate Organization (2016–2018)
  • Organized 25+ academic events and national competitions

Awards & Honors

  • International Travel Award — Dept. of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Drexel (2023)
  • Global Travel Award — Drexel University (2023)
  • Scholarship for Academic Excellence — Ministry of Education, Bangladesh (2018)
  • Academic Merit Scholarship — Jahangirnagar University (2015–2016)
  • Excellent Member Award — Debate Organization of JU (2015)

Additional Training & Certifications

2025
Clinical Research Training (Regulatory Administration, Root Cause Analysis, Protocol Compliance)
2024
DC Annual Environmental Epidemiology Methods Workshop — "Innovative Methods for Analysis of Environmental Mixtures"
2024
ENAR Workshop — Structural Equation Modeling in R with Lavaan
2024
All of Us Research Program — Research Data Handling and Privacy Workbench
2022
SAS Certified Specialist — Clinical Trials Programming Professional (in progress)
2022
International Teaching Assistant (ITA) Training — Drexel University (Recommended as Instructor)
2022
CITI Program — Health Information Privacy & Security; Public Health Research; Social Behavioral COI; RCR

Teaching & Learning

Tutorials

Practical tutorials on biostatistics, R programming, spatial methods, and data analysis — aimed at graduate students and applied researchers.

Survival Analysis April 2026
Informative Censoring: A Visual Cheat Sheet
An interactive visual guide to censoring mechanisms (MCAR, MAR, MNAR), detection methods, adjustment strategies, multiple imputation, and Rubin's Rules — with worked examples and interactive charts.
Read Tutorial →
Spatial Statistics Coming Soon
Spatial Buffers and Food Environment Analysis in R
How to create network-based ring buffers around school locations, count food outlets within each buffer, and set up a repeated-measures data structure for multi-scale spatial analysis.
Coming Soon →
Data Visualization Coming Soon
Publication-Quality Figures with ggplot2
A practical guide to creating journal-ready figures using ggplot2 — covering themes, color palettes, multi-panel layouts, and export settings for high-resolution publication.
Coming Soon →

More tutorials on survival analysis, zero-inflated models, Bayesian methods, and reproducible research workflows coming soon.

Get in Touch

Contact

Institutional Email
mk3925@drexel.edu
Personal Email
karimuzzaman.statju@gmail.com
Phone
267-918-3737
Google Scholar
View Profile →
ORCID
0000-0002-2278-2379
Mailing Address
Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics
Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University
5th Floor, Nesbitt Hall
3215 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Dissertation Advisor
Prof. Brisa N. Sánchez, PhD