Faculty Highlight: Reneé Moore

Reneé H. Moore, PhD, is a research professor, director of the Biostatistics Scientific Collaboration Center (BSC), and director of diversity, equity and inclusion for the department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Dornsife School of Public Health (DSPH).

The BSC personnel at DSPH collaborate with research teams on study design, choosing and implementing appropriate statistical analysis, and translation of statistical results for public health and biomedical research.

The BSC provides professional, high quality data analysis, biostatistical computing, and data management services to a wide range of research, including observational studies (epidemiologic or clinical), clinical trials, outcomes research (including studies involving large prescription and diagnostic databases), and animal studies. As the director, Moore oversees center operations and is in the process of updating policies and payment structures to ensure continued growth.

As director of diversity, equity and inclusion for the Epidemiology and Biostatistics department, Moore is focused on recruitment, retention, and curriculum updates in order to create a more inclusive and anti-racist environment for all students, staff, and faculty members to thrive and excel. She looks forward to helping to implement the diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), and anti-racism goals set by her department, DSPH, and the university.

“I’ve spent much of my career dedicated to recruiting, training, and retaining the next generation of diverse statistical scientists. In this effort, I have collaborated with several faculty here at DSPH. It is so exciting to continue these efforts, now under the same roof, for Drexel and beyond. I am ecstatic to be here, where teaching, mentoring, civic engagement, and DEI rank just as high as research endeavors,” said Moore.

Reneé H. Moore, PhD, is a research professor, director of the Biostatistics Scientific Collaboration Center (BSC), and director of diversity, equity and inclusion for the department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Dornsife School of Public Health

“We are delighted to have Dr. Moore as part of our community,” said Leslie Ain McClure, PhD, MS, professor, chair of the department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and associate dean for faculty affairs at DSPH. “In addition to a proven track record of implementing centers for collaboration, she’s a strong advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in public health.”

Before joining DSPH in the summer of 2021, Moore was associate professor of research in the department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics at the Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University and the Director of the Biostatistics Collaboration Core.

Moore received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and completed the secondary mathematics education program from Bennett College, and her PhD in Biostatistics from Emory University.

I’ve spent much of my career dedicated to recruiting, training, and retaining the next generation of diverse statistical scientists. In this effort, I have collaborated with several faculty here at DSPH. It is so exciting to continue these efforts, now under the same roof, for Drexel and beyond.

After completing her doctoral degree, Moore spent six years as an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, with a primary appointment in the department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology and a secondary appointment in the department of Psychiatry. She taught physicians, was the lead statistician in the data coordinating center for a multi-site randomized clinical trial of sleep apnea and was the faculty biostatistician in the Center for Weight and Eating Disorders, joining a group of researchers investigating interventions for the prevention and treatment of obesity in children, adolescents, and adults. She was also an associate professor teaching in North Carolina State University’s department of Statistics.

Moore’s research interests are in the design, conduct, and analysis of clinical trials and statistical applications to obesity, sleep apnea, and health disparities. She has a wealth of experience as a biostatistician collaborating with clinicians, public health practitioners, and scientists.

As much as possible, Moore also dedicates her time to training the next generation of collaborative biostatisticians and users of statistics.

“Before I arrived at Emory, traditionally one doctoral student was engaged in research in the collaboration center; when I left, we were including up to 15 undergraduate, masters, and doctoral students per year in these team scientist research experiences. My goal for DSPH’s BSC is that one day all masters and doctoral students in the department are able to engage in these collaboration experiences,” said Moore. “It is essential to connect what is learned in traditional course work with these real-life experiences. Skills such as communication and interpersonal intelligence are as important as the technical skills and can only be learned through interaction and partnerships with our collaborators as we all work to improve public health and eliminate health disparities.”

In 2017, Moore was inducted as a Fellow of the American Statistical Association (ASA) recognizing her contributions to the “recruitment and mentoring of students in the profession, especially to underrepresented minorities; for highly valued collaborative work, especially in obesity and clinical trials research; and for outstanding teaching and increasing statistical literacy.”