Damla Senturk

Dr. Damla Senturk is a Professor and Chair of Biostatistics at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. She holds a PhD in Statistics from UC Davis (2004) and joined UCLA in 2011 after serving on the faculty at Pennsylvania State University. Her research focuses on longitudinal and functional data analysis, applied to psychiatric disorders (e.g., autism, schizophrenia) and nephrology (dialysis outcomes). She leads SIStat, a biostatistics core supporting neuroscience research, and develops multilevel models to improve patient care for dialysis populations. Recognitions include ASA Fellow (2020) and ISI Membership (2006).

Education:

• PhD, Statistics, UC Davis, 2004
• MS, Statistics, UC Davis, 2001
• BS, Mathematics, Boğaziçi University, 1999

Research Interests: Dr. Senturk’s work bridges statistical methodology and clinical applications. Key areas include:

• Longitudinal data analysis for psychiatric and renal outcomes
• Functional data analysis in neuroimaging and EEG studies
• Multilevel modeling of healthcare systems and disparities
• Biomarker development for autism spectrum disorder

Her NIH-funded projects address hospitalization risks in dialysis patients and neurophysiological markers of ASD.

Awards:

• Elected Member, International Statistical Institute (2006)
• Fellow, American Statistical Association (2020)

Grants & Advising: Active grants include NIH R01s on dialysis outcomes and autism biomarkers. She advises interdisciplinary teams in clinical trials and public health research. Over 150 peer-reviewed publications demonstrate her methodological and applied contributions.

Labs/Teams: Leads SIStat (UCLA Biostatistics Core) and collaborates with the Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials (ABC-CT), leveraging EEG and functional data analysis to advance clinical research.