Rate My Professor Liliana Orellana

Liliana Orellana is Professor of Biostatistics in the Faculty of Health at Deakin University, serving as Director of the Deakin Biostatistics Unit. She earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Biostatistics and a Master of Arts in Biostatistics from Harvard University, along with earlier qualifications including a BSc (Honours) in Physics and an MS in Biometrics. In her role, she leads a team of biostatisticians providing expert advice, consultancy, and collaboration to enhance the quality, efficiency, and impact of health research across all stages, from design to analysis. The unit supports researchers within Deakin University and external partners in incorporating advanced biostatistical methods into programs and projects.

Professor Orellana's research specializations encompass biostatistics, statistics, and epidemiology, with applications in clinical trials, longitudinal observational data, causal inference, and health outcomes studies. She contributes to major initiatives such as the INFANT effectiveness trial, NHMRC partnership projects on heart and cancer patients, and international collaborations like the PediQUEST Response multisite randomized trial. Her scholarly impact is evidenced by over 7,000 citations on Google Scholar and more than 230 publications. Key works include 'Dynamic regime marginal structural mean models for estimating a causal effect over time from longitudinal observational data' (Biometrics, 2010, cited by 290); 'Effect of self-collection of HPV DNA offered by community health workers at home visits on uptake of screening for cervical cancer: the EMA study' (The Lancet Global Health, 2015, cited by 277); 'The Limitations of "How Are You Feeling?"' (Pediatrics, 2018); 'Beyond food swamps and food deserts: exploring urban Australian food retail environment typologies' (Public Health Nutrition, 2022, cited by 31); 'The need for biopsychosocial menopause care: a narrative review' (Climacteric, 2024, cited by 13); and 'Efficacy of an online mindfulness program (MindOnLine) to reduce fear of recurrence' (2024). She supervises Masters by Research and PhD students in the Faculty of Health, fostering the next generation of biostatisticians.