Asya Spears Email & Phone Number

My workshops and keynotes prepare STEM and Public Health students & professionals to advance equity with data and own their career journeys by bridging the gap between academic coursework and the data workforce.After participating in my programs, participants gain clarity on the next steps in their data journeys, from securing new positions to improving collaboration through better data communication.

Santa Monica, Ca, Us

To advance equity in the age of big data, my doctoral research focuses on the design of data science career pathways that result in more data leaders and decision-makers from marginalized groups. My interests include data literacy, industry partnerships, and evidence-based training programs.Selected Project:-- #HackingEquity Mentor and Judge: To support 6 hackathon teams comprised of RAND associates, Pardee RAND Students, and Atlanta University Students, I curated data visualization resources, delivered a kickoff presentation about data analysis in policy research, provided technical assistance, and served as a judge.

Santa Monica, Ca, Us

I lead and contribute to projects focused on advancing equity that relate to STEM education, the social determinants of health, and workforce development, applying statistical methods, data visualization techniques, and survey analysis to generate knowledge. Stakeholders use these insights to enhance program outcomes, design policy solutions and advocate for resources.

Los Angeles, California, Us

Instructor of Record for Statistics for Health Management Decision Making, an Excel-based graduate-level biostatistics course offered for students in UCLA's Master of Health Management during the summer. To help students become more critical consumers and creators of statistical information, I leverage active learning techniques during weekly sessions, grade + provide feedback on course assignments, and relate the concepts to real-world applications of statistical methods drawn from my professional experiences in population health analytics and health economics and outcomes research.

Alexandria, Virginia, Us

As a member of the research team, I provide support for the growth and execution of PQA’s research portfolio. My expertise in biostatistics and population health research supports the development of study proposals, protocols, and statistical analysis plans. Additionally, I lead PQA’s research roundtable initiatives, serve as liaison to PQA’s Research Coordinating Committee, and mentor students participating in PQA’s research student programs. I am very excited about developing and launching our MPH Practicum Program in early 2021.

Davidson, North Carolina, Us

I supported learners enrolled in the live online session of Essentials of Data Literacy work with data in R and build their professional portfolios by: - Providing technical assistance for common error messages- Sparking engaging discussions through live office hours- Empathizing and sharing important turning points in my own data journey, and - Offering feedback on course progress and projects completed using RThe live course was hosted via edX starting Monday June 8th, 2020: https://www.edx.org/course/essentials-of-data-literacy

Harrisburg, Pa, Us

As a Senior Population Health Analyst, I infuse a Public Health research perspective into our population health strategy, developing member targeting criteria and statistical methodology to guide HEDIS improvements. My primary responsibilities include running monthly dashboards and eight quarterly scorecards to compare HEDIS quality of care and utilization measures against NCQA benchmarks to support value-based provider partners. > Contractor with TEKSystems April - September 2019, Full time since September 2019. > Improved comparison of quarterly performance for anonymous peers by migrating peer comparison tool from Excel to Tableau. > Enabled evaluation of member-facing initiative by developing Interrupted Time Series analysis plan.

Santa Monica, Ca, Us

Calculated summary statistics, conducted hypothesis testing, and created data visualizations as an internal consultant to a range of projects in Health Policy. Completed coursework in program evaluation, survey design + analysis, and propensity scores. Served as TA for Empirical Analysis I & II (Introductory Statistics & Regression) at the Pardee RAND Graduate School.- Data visualization and dashboard development for the Data for Quality Project, a collaborative of 7 healthcare providers tracking HEDIS measures. Integrated data into interactive Tableau dashboards with maps to track and compare quality measures at the zip-code level.- Survey data input & cleaning, t-tests, and social network analysis for the Los Angeles County Community Disaster Resilience Project. Completed analysis showed community resilience coalitions had larger, more diverse networks than traditional preparedness coalitions.- Data summary, t-tests, and qualitative analysis for 8 waves of FluPaths panel data. Identified most common types of barriers to vaccinations and locations where people believed they contracted the flu.

Santa Monica, Ca, Us

Continued social network analysis of community resilience and disaster preparedness in Los Angeles County.

Santa Monica, Ca, Us

To help first year doctoral students develop an understanding of the basic concepts of probability and statistics, I prepare examples and R Tutorials for weekly sessions with my co-TA, grade assignments and provide one on one support as needed.

Santa Monica, Ca, Us

The Faculty Leaders Program in Policy Research and Analysis brought 12 faculty from universities across the US to learn how to incorporate elements of Policy Analysis into their research and teaching. As a Teaching Assistant, I located relevant literature and engaged in discussions with the faculty as they shaped their research and teaching goals.

To develop statistical problem solving skills for MPH students in Healthcare Management and Policy, I led a biweekly lab in STATA.

Los Angeles, Ca, Us

- Initiated and documented migration from Excel to R of the Win-Win model, which projects costs and outcomes of population-level interventions to build a bridge from best evidence to policy impact.

Los Angeles, Ca, Us

I facilitated labs in STATA for the Introductory Biostatistics courses at UCLA. To help introduce new topics each week, I prepared pre-lab assignments that were administered via Google Forms, providing the class with immediate feedback on their responses.

Los Angeles, Ca, Us

Recruited volunteers, secured funding, and oversaw planning for an orientation event that facilitated networking and fostered support for over 400 incoming graduate students from underrepresented groups.

Santa Monica, Ca, Us

Evaluating the Impact of Organizational Partnerships on Community Resilience in LA County using the PARTNER Social Network Analysis Tool

Bethesda, Md, Us

Engaging in seminars and coursework to develop research skills, investigate the effects of mental health disorders and considering a career in mental health research.

Atlanta, Ga, Us

Assist and encourage students in coursework ranging from College Algebra to Calculus to Linear Algebra.

Cleveland, Oh, Us

I completed Cellular Biology and Physics courses and participated in a Personal Statement writing workshop throughout the summer. To gain clinical exposure, I shadowed an oncologist and a heart surgeon at University Hospital. For the health policy component of the program, my group conducted a literature review and provided recommendations for curbing the non-prescription use of Adderall among college students.

Atlanta, Ga, Us

As a pre-freshman, I took six classes at Spelman and Morehouse and attended seminars exploring pathways into the healthcare field. During this program, I was formally introduced to Public Health.

Ph.D., Public Policy Analysis

Master Of Science (M.S.), Biostatistics

B.S., Mathematics