Rhonda D. Szczesniak, PhD
- Member, Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology
- Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
- UC Department of Environmental Health; UC Department of Mathematical Sciences
About
Biography
My research focuses on predictive modeling, longitudinal data analysis, environmental health, biomarker discovery and medical monitoring, with an emphasis on lung diseases and disorders. My lab designs and analyzes medical monitoring studies and integrates geo‑ and bio‑markers to improve early detection and prediction of rapid disease progression. Notable contributions include identifying pediatric phenotypes of rapid lung disease progression using the U.S. Cystic Fibrosis Registry and developing geo‑ and bio‑marker–informed prediction models.
I have taught introductory statistics and longitudinal data analysis and have developed advanced statistical and epidemiologic courses at the University of Cincinnati. I have nearly 20 years of experience in biostatistics, beginning my career at Cincinnati Children’s in 2007, and I have received recognition for biostatistical contributions to rare lung disease research. My work has been supported by the NIH, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and The LAM Foundation.
PhD: Statistics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 2007
MS: Statistics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 2005
BS: Mathematics, Radford University, Radford, VA, 2003
Interests
Cystic fibrosis; blood pressure; glycemic control
Services and Specialties
Interests
Data management and coordination; functional data analysis; longitudinal data analysis; medical monitoring; prediction
Publications
Lung Function Decline in Cystic Fibrosis: Impact of Data Availability and Modeling Strategies on Clinical Interpretations. Annals of the American Thoracic Society. 2023; 20(7):958-968.
Integrating US Registry data to reveal social and environmental determinants impacting lung function decline in cystic fibrosis patients. Journal of Applied Statistics. 2026; ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print):1-13.
An Observational Cohort Study of Targeted Antibiotic Treatments of Cystic Fibrosis Exacerbations. Open Forum Infectious Diseases. 2026; 13(1):ofaf745.
Acute Exposure to Fine Ambient Particulate Matter and Pulmonary Exacerbations in Cystic Fibrosis: A Case-Crossover Study. Atmospheric Environment. 2026; 29:100414.
Structural and Functional Pulmonary MRI to Predict Pulmonary Exacerbations in Cystic Fibrosis. Chest. 2025.
732 A genetic algorithm-derived single index model for integrating environmental risk into longitudinal lung function prediction in cystic fibrosis. Journal of Cystic Fibrosis. 2025; 24:s437b-ss438.
710 Near-road air pollution inhibits long-term modulator effectiveness. Journal of Cystic Fibrosis. 2025; 24:s425-s426.
659 Lung function decline persists among healthy children with CF taking elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor. Journal of Cystic Fibrosis. 2025; 24:s394.
615 Body composition factors that predict weight changes in children who initiate elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor. Journal of Cystic Fibrosis. 2025; 24:s363-s364.
Evaluating Long-Term Effectiveness of Cystic Fibrosis Modulator Therapies After Rapid Adoption: A Dual-Approach Study. Annals of the American Thoracic Society. 2025.
From the Blog
Inclined to Predict Declines: A Tool for Informing Early Intervention for Cystic Fibrosis Patients
Rhonda D. Szczesniak, PhD, Assem G. Ziady, PhD ...5/17/2021
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