Karen Jones is a Senior Research Scientist in the GWU SPHHS Biostatistics Center Medical Center Unit. She is detailed to the Department of Health Policy. Ms. Jones has had extensive experience in the application of quantitative research methods to a variety of studies.

Prior to her work at GWU she has applied statistical methods to data in educational, market research, and basic science settings. In addition to her statistical capabilities, she is experienced with database design and management and computer programming to integrate and analyze large and complex datasets. During her four years at GWU, Ms. Jones has been responsible for the statistical analysis and associated computer programming for studies in the Department of Health Policy, Center for Health Services Research and Policy, the Department of Microbiology and Tropical Medicine, the Prevention Research Center, and others. These studies have covered a broad range of topics, from evaluation studies to survey research to pre-clinical trials.

She recently developed the statistical analysis plan for an upcoming clinical trial involving a new drug application to be conducted at the GWU Medical Center Department of Surgery. Ms. Jones is currently the GWU PI for a subcontract with Georgetown University to provide computing and statistical support for a NIH-funded study to examine cultural factors in the patterns of substance use and HIV-related risks in three Southeast Asian communities in the Washington DC area. Her input on this project thus far has included preparing and submitting the materials for GWU IRB approval, providing recommendations on survey content and wording, programming the survey into computer assisted software for self-interviewing and troubleshooting problems arising from the pilot test.

Data cleaning and analysis would proceed as the survey responses become available. Ms. Jones has participated in several evaluation projects, including the assessment of the administrative costs of Title IV. She recently completed a project to examine the relationship between the presence of CHCs and the extent of racial and ethnic disparities in certain key health indicators.

Ms. Jones is currently responsible for the data management and analysis in a three year outcome evaluation for the Talbot County, Maryland, school safety plan. Ms. Jones has also recently been responsible for applying an emergency department profiling algorithm to the emergency department transaction records from multiple sites for the RWJ- funded Urgent Matters project.

Ms. Jones holds a Master of Applied Statistics degree from Louisiana State University and a BA in both Psychology and Latin American Studies from Tulane University. She completed additional graduate courses in multivariate statistics, sampling theory, and applied sampling at the University of Maryland College Park and GWU.