Biography

I am an Associate Professor of Biostatistics in the Department of Statistics and Operations Research at the University of Granada (UGR), Spain, and an Honorary Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). Previously, I was a Research Scientist Collaborator at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (Department of Epidemiology, 2012-2015).

I received my PhD in Preventive Medicine (Epidemiology) and Public Health, awarded Summa Cum Laude, from the University of Granada and the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Belgium. I hold a BSc in Mathematics and Statistics from the Open University (UK), an MSc in Biostatistics from the University of Newcastle (Australia), an MSc in Epidemiology from the ULB, and an MPH and Health Management from UGR. After completing my PhD in 2010, I moved to the Center for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Research (University of Cape Town) as a postdoctoral fellow for two years. Afterwards, I joined the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (Department of Epidemiology), where I specialized in epidemiological methods from 2012 to 2015. I have also been trained as an Epidemic Intelligence Officer (EIS), and worked as a field epidemiologist in several African countries with Médecins Sans Frontières and GOARN-WHO during the cholera epidemic in Haiti (2010).

Research Interests

My research focuses on causal inference methods, comparative effectiveness research, and epidemiological methods. I develop and apply advanced statistical techniques including:

• Targeted Maximum Likelihood Estimation (TMLE) and doubly-robust methods
• Conformal prediction for uncertainty quantification
• Machine learning for model selection and evaluation (cross-validated AUC)
• Survival analysis and net survival estimation
• Propensity score methods and inverse probability weighting
• Computational epidemiology and reproducible research

At UCT, I used marginal structural models applied to large longitudinal HIV cohort data from Khayelitsha to assess the effectiveness of an observational, nonrandomized intervention ( Club of Patients). At Harvard, I used fixed effects methods and within-sibling designs to evaluate the effect of fetoplacental ratio at birth on the risk of delivering a small-for-gestational-age infant.

Currently, I lead the development of data-adaptive methods for model selection and evaluation based on cross-validation techniques ( cvAUROC), and apply advanced causal inference methods such as TMLE to study social inequalities in cancer outcomes and survival. I also develop web applications to disseminate advanced causal inference methods, including interactive visualizations of collider bias.

Software & Tutorials

I maintain a comprehensive collection of open-access statistical tutorials and software at migariane.github.io, covering causal inference, conformal prediction, survival analysis, and machine learning with implementations in R, Stata, and Python.

Education

• PhD in Epidemiology and Public Health — University of Granada, Spain (2010)
• BSc in Mathematics and Statistics — Open University, UK (2023)
• University Certificate in Biostatistics — Harvard University, Boston, USA (2019)
• MSc in Biostatistics — University of Newcastle, Australia (2015)
• Field Epidemiology Training Program (Epidemic Intelligence Officer) — ISCIII, Madrid, Spain (2009)
• MSc in Epidemiology and Biostatistics — Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium (2007)
• MPH and Health Management — University of Granada / Andalusian School of Public Health (2005)
• MA in Social and Cultural Anthropology — University of Granada, Spain (2004)
• University Diploma in Biostatistics — UNED University, Madrid, Spain (2003)
• University Diploma in International Health — ISCIII, Madrid, Spain (2003)
• Obstetrics and Gynecology (Midwife) — University of Granada (1999)
• BSc in Health Sciences — University of Granada, Spain (1993)

Links: UGR Profile · Google Scholar · ORCID · GitHub · Tutorials