Dr. Dillon is an Assistant Professor in the Center on Aging with a faculty appointment in the Department of Public Health Services. She is a sociologist and health services researcher who works closely with the Center on Aging team focused on evaluation of innovations in Connecticut Department of Social Services policy and programs for older adults and people with disabilities. She uses mixed methods and qualitative research to evaluate how to improve serious illness care and experience for patients and families, especially in the areas of hospice and palliative care, psychosocial care, and shared decision making. Her research also commonly focuses on access to and delivery of mental health care and the psychosocial well-being of patients, families, clinicians and other healthcare workers.

 

Dr. Lu is a new professor with tenure who was recruited from the Department of Medicine of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School where he served as the director of biostatistics for the Section of Clinical Sciences, and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard. He also previously worked at Brown University. His research expertise is design and analysis of clinical trials and observational studies, epidemiology and outcomes research in chronic diseases including rheumatic diseases, osteoarthritis, and cardiovascular diseases. He brings with him two active NIH RO1 grants.

Dr. Lu is a Professor in Biostatistics and Epidemiology. He has a multidisciplinary background in biostatistics, epidemiology, and medicine, with specific teaching and research interests in longitudinal analysis, design and analysis of clinical trials, statistical methods in epidemiology, and outcomes research of chronic diseases. As the PI, Co-I and lead biostatistician, Dr. Lu has been involved in numerous established and innovative projects in a variety of areas including rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, cardiovascular disease, lupus, obesity, and women’s health. He has extensive experience in studies using large epidemiological data including the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS), Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI), Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), and National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).​

Dr. Lu is an elected fellow of the American College of Epidemiology. He has served as an Associate Editor for Contemporary Clinical Trials, an international journal of clinical trial methodology, and Associate Editor for Arthritis & Rheumatology, a prestigious journal of the American College of Rheumatology. Dr. Lu’s statistical interests include design and analysis of clinical trials & observational studies, statistical methods in epidemiology, longitudinal data analysis, and causal inference.