Robert Suchting
Assistant Professor
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
McGovern Medical School
Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
My research efforts primarily focus on identifying and applying the most robust data analytic tools to investigate relationships between predictors and outcomes across various research designs (e.g., observational studies; RCTs) and content areas. Current and past projects have applied diverse statistical techniques including generalized linear modeling (GLM; GLMM for multilevel data), structural equation modeling (SEM), multivariate statistics, meta-analysis, and quantile regression, among others. In using these statistical tools, I have emphasized flexibility in inference using both frequentist and Bayesian paradigms to evaluate probability that relationships between variables exist. I have also developed a programmatic line of research applying machine learning to optimize prediction and automate pattern discovery in small and large data sets.
I work with several research groups across multiple institutions to apply my statistical expertise to an extensive range of content areas, with a common theme of improving outcomes for vulnerable populations (e.g., individuals with substance use disorders; severe mental illness; homelessness; chronic pain conditions; infants in neonatal intensive care). Part of my mission is to make esoteric statistical tools readily accessible to colleagues, both conceptually and in practical application by translating the more obscure aspects of data analysis into broadly comprehensible terms.
Aside from applied data analysis, I am currently running a small clinical trial evaluating pharmacological treatment for treatment of relapse-related factors in smoking cessation. I also have strong interests in grantsmanship (particularly with respect to crafting sections addressing the data analytic strategy and statistical power) and advanced research designs (e.g., cluster randomized trials; adaptive trials).
McGovern Medical School Faculty
Education & Training
PhD, University of Houston, 2011