The American Statistical Association Statistical Computing and Statistical Graphics Sections has awarded Xinlei Chen the prestigious 2025 ASA Student Paper Award. Chen's paper, "Federated Learning of Robust Individualized Decision Rules with Application to Heterogeneous Multi-Hospital Sepsis Population," was selected from a competitive pool of graduate student submissions for its innovative approach and potential to advance the field of statistical computing in health care.
Chen, a doctoral student working on her dissertation, has made significant contributions to the development of robust, individualized decision rules using federated learning techniques. Her work, which applies these advanced methods to the study of sepsis across multiple hospitals, seeks to improve clinical decision making in diverse populations. The research is a key component of her dissertation and is inspired by her collaboration with the Department of Critical Care Medicine, under the mentorship of Victor Talisa, Joyce Chang and her advisor, Lu Tang.
As part of her award, Chen will present her findings at the 2025 Joint Statistical Meetings where she will share her innovative research with leading experts in the fields of statistical computing and health care analytics. Additionally, the award provides a grant to help cover her travel expenses to the conference.
The ASA’s Student Paper Award recognizes exceptional contributions in statistical research and highlights the importance of advancing methodological research, novel applications, and software development. Chen’s research is an exemplary model of the transformative potential of statistical methodologies in improving outcomes for critically ill patients.
-Calvin Dziewulski