- statistical genetics
- missing data
- coarsened data
My current research focuses on mapping genes for complex diseases using linkage disequilibrium methods. These methods take advantage of
associations between DNA sequences at chromosomal locations that are in close proximity to one another due to their common evolutionary
history. A common design in genetic studies of complex disease collects genetic information from diseased individuals and their nuclear
(or extended) family members. The strategy in such studies is to look at how genetic information is passed from parent to offspring and
if certain genetic variants are transmitted more often to diseased offspring that would be expected under Mendelian law. Missing data is
common in these studies (missing genotype data, missing family members, haplotype phase ambiguity, etc.). A major component of my research
aims at developing statistical methods for family-based designs that are appropriate when confronted with different types of missing data.
Dr. Hauser received her PhD in Biostatistics from th University of Michigan in 1998 and is Associate Professor of Medicine and Director and Chief of
the Division of Medical Genetics at the Duke University Center for Human Genetics (CHG). She is a statistical geneticist with experience in the
development and application of methods for the analysis of affected sibling pair data in studies of complex genetic disorders. Her current research
interests include cardiovascular genetics, informatics, and methodologic developments for complex diseases. For six of the past ten years, she has
supervised the informatics efforts of the CHG. She maintains an active research program in gene mapping, genome-wide association studies, and
statistical methods development, and is the lead genetic epidemiologist and statistical geneticist for the GENECARD study. Dr. Hauser lectures
regularly at Duke and is the director for a course on statistical genetics.
