Serena Theobald (CDS’25)
About
Applying data science to public health is near and dear to Serena Theobald’s heart.“I have a personal connection to applying data science to public health,” Theobald (CDS’25) says. “My grandmother, she suffered from acute myeloid leukemia, so I’ve always been interested in researching about cancers and finding the best decision-making model and coming up with the best decision-making processes for hospitals and pharmaceutical companies, so they can invent and come up with better and more improved treatments and drugs for patients like her.”
Theobald was born after her grandmother passed away. But stories her parents told her fostered a connection that’s being translated into the pursuit of her studies all these years later.
“I think even if you don’t know the person, but you relate to them in some way, it kind of fosters a deeper connection to what you’re interested in pursuing,” she says.
A Kilachand Honors College sophomore for the 2022-2023 school year, Theobald has already delved into the realm where data science helps public health organizations find better solutions to problems. As an undergraduate research assistant at the School of Public Health epidemiology department Causal Decision Lab of Eleanor Murray, an SPH assistant professor. Theobald modified a graduate student’s statistical model to assist the research into strategies related to HPV vaccines.
The model “weighs the costs and benefits of conventional HPV tests, and self-screening HPV tests,” she explains. “So we’re currently assessing the efficacy of doing one or the other in terms of providing long-term benefits and what is the most beneficial preventative treatment for women in terms of preventing cervical cancer.” Theobald, who was once a competitive pianist, but now plays just for pleasure, plans to keep pursuing research opportunities that can complement her coursework.