Biostatistics Center

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Investigator / Contact Person Robert O’Brien, Ph.D.

Email robrien@med.miami.edu

Felipe A. Medeiros

Professor of Ophthalmology

Biography: Felipe A. Medeiros, M.D., Ph.D. is the Rodgers Endowed Professor of Ophthalmology and Vice Chair of Research at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute (BPEI). He is also the Director of the McKnight Vision Research Center at BPEI.

Dr. Medeiros’ research has span multiple domains, from the development of innovative methods and technologies for early diagnosis...
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Robert O’Brien, Ph.D.

Biostatistics Manager

Dr. O’Brien joined the Biostatics Center in 2023. He earned his M.S. in statistics from the University of California in San Diego in 2008 and his Ph.D. in biostatistics from the University of Miami in 2018. He has been working as a biostatistician since 2008 and his experience as a biostatistician encompasses the design and analysis of clinical trials, protocol and grant development, sample size calculations, statistical consultation, data analysis, manuscript writing, peer review, modeling, and methodological development. He has a broad knowledge of statistics/biostatistics, encompassing both classical and modern methods, and is proficient in statistical computing using both SAS and R.

Lomas Persad, Ph.D.

Associate Scientist

Dr. Persad joined the Biostatistics Center in 2024. He earned his Ph.D. in Bioengineering from Imperial College London in 2015, following an M.Sc. and B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering. Prior to joining Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, he was a Research Fellow at the Mayo Clinic, where he conducted advanced orthopedic biomechanics research and developed expertise in quantitative methods and translational science. Dr. Persad has authored multiple peer-reviewed publications and presentations at national and international meetings.

At the Biostatistics Center, Dr. Persad provides statistical and data science support for ophthalmic research, with a particular focus on large-scale electronic health record and registry data. He has experience working with the IRIS Registry and EPIC COSMOS databases to design and implement studies across a wide spectrum of eye diseases and surgical outcomes. His expertise spans data extraction, cleaning, cohort development, statistical modeling, and preparation of results for publication and presentation. He is proficient in SQL, Python, and R, with experience in biostatistics, machine learning, and computer vision methods.

Omar Garcia-Rodriguez, DrPH

Biostatistician 2

Dr. Omar Garcia-Rodriguez is a biostatistician at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami. He holds a DrPH in Environmental Health, an M.S. in Epidemiology, and a B.S. in Biology from the University of Puerto Rico.

He previously completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics (2017–2019), where he studied genetic risk factors and endophenotypes of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD). His past roles include Adjunct professor at University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, Assistant Scientist at the Hussman Institute, and analyst at Moffitt Cancer Center, where he focused on cancer epidemiology and health disparities.

Dr. Garcia-Rodriguez’s expertise includes statistical programming (STATA, SAS, R, PLINK, SPSS), Linux/UNIX environments, and high-performance computing on clusters such as Pegasus and AWS. His research integrates genetics, epidemiology, and GIS methods to address complex diseases and reduce health disparities, particularly in Hispanic populations.

Luz Ajuria

Research Assistant

Luz Ajuria began her research career in Epidemiology in 1983 and joined the Biostatistics Center at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in 2000. She trained under the mentorship of William (Bill) Feuer and Joyce Schiffman and currently works under the guidance of Dr. Felipe Medeiros, Vice Chair of Research.

In her role, Ms. Ajuria provides essential support to faculty and statisticians with data management and coordination for ophthalmology research, particularly longitudinal studies. She is proficient in Velos, REDCap, and Excel, and plays a vital role in ensuring the accuracy and integrity of complex datasets.

Staff

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Biostatistics Center