Brisa Sanchez

Brisa Sanchez is an Adjunct Professor of Biostatistics at the University of Michigan. She earned her PhD in Biostatistics from Harvard University in 2006 and joined the University of Michigan in 2006 as an Assistant Research Professor, advancing to Assistant Professor in 2008. Her research focuses on statistical methodology for environmental and social epidemiology, particularly health disparities.

• PhD, Biostatistics, Harvard University (2006)
• M.Sc., Biostatistics, Harvard University (2003)
• M.S., Statistics, University of Texas at El Paso (2001)
• B.S., Mathematics, University of Texas at El Paso (2000)

Sanchez develops robust statistical methods, including Structural Equation Models and functional data analysis, for environmental health studies (e.g., lead exposure effects on child development) and longitudinal research (e.g., salivary cortisol as a stress biomarker in health disparities). Her collaborative work spans cardiovascular disease, stroke, BMI distribution, and school-based interventions to reduce childhood obesity.

Recent publications emphasize statistical innovations for handling sparse environmental data, modeling salivary cortisol profiles, and integrating survey datasets to study neighborhood impacts on health. Methodological contributions include diagnostics for latent variable models and applications to gene-environment interactions.

Contact: brisa@umich.edu