S3 Ingram Olkin Forum: Challenges in Modeling and Analyzing Maternal Health Data

Thursday, October 15, 2026 to Friday, October 16, 2026

 

Overview

The National Institute of Statistical Sciences (NISS), and Translational Data Analytics Institute (TDAI at The Ohio State University) are hosting a two-day, in-person Statistics Serving Society (S3) Forum on “Challenges in Modeling and Analyzing Maternal Health Data.” This forum will bring together statisticians, data scientists, public health researchers, and clinicians to explore pressing issues in maternal health through the lens of statistical modeling and data analysis.

Register on Eventbrite

(see registration details below)

Important Dates

  • May 1, 2026: Registration and hotel reservations open
  • August 1, 2026: Application submission deadline for registration waiver for junior researchers.
  • August 1, 2026: Application submission deadline for junior researcher wishing to be considered for travel awards
  • August 15, 2026: Invited speaker registration and abstract submission deadline
  • August 15, 2026: Notifications of travel award winners
  • Septmember 1, 2026: Contributed poster abstract submission deadline
  • September 10, 2026: Early registration ends; regular registration begins
  • September 15, 2026: Draft conference program posted on this site
  • October 10, 2026: Regular registration ends. Please contact Megan Glenn at mglenn@niss.org regarding onsite registration availability.

Motivation

Maternal health outcomes remain a critical public health priority, shaped by complex interactions among biological, behavioral, social, and environmental factors. With the growing availability of diverse data sources—from clinical records and surveys to multimodal, population-level databases—new opportunities and challenges are emerging for rigorous statistical inquiry.

The forum will feature keynote presentations, invited sessions, poster presentations, and working groups addressing a range of topics, including integrating heterogeneous data sources to study maternal health outcomes, developing statistical methods for longitudinal and high-dimensional data, and applying causal inference approaches in maternal and perinatal health.

By fostering cross-disciplinary dialogue, the forum aims to identify methodological gaps, highlight best practices, and spark new collaborations that advance both statistical research and its application to improving maternal health. Approximately 100 participants are expected, providing an intimate setting for exchanging ideas and shaping future research directions.

 


How to Register

Pricing & Details:

 

Early Registration Price (by September 10)

Regular Registration Price (by October 10)

Registration Includes
Regular $250 $350 Lunch and refreshments during breaks for both days, and a banquet dinner on Thursday. Note that breakfast is included in the hotel expenses if staying at the conference hotel Hyatt House Columbus OSU
Junior Researchers $150* $250 Lunch and refreshments during breaks for both days, and a banquet dinner on Thursday. Note that breakfast is included in the hotel expenses if staying at the conference hotel Hyatt House Columbus OSU

* The registration fee will be waived for the first 20 junior researchers (defined as students or those who received their terminal degrees within the last 5 years). A limited number of travel awards will also be made available to those among these 20 researchers (see below for details).

 

Junior Researchers

The registration fee will be waived for the first 20 junior researchers (defined as students or those who received their terminal degrees within the last 5 years). For these cases, we will need to require an uploaded document—either a letter from an advisor/department chair attesting to a student's good standing, or a copy of a diploma for those with degrees. The deadline is August 1, 2026.

Please use the Pre-Registration Form to upload your application: Pre-Registration Form: Junior Researchers - Challenges in Modeling and Analyzing Maternal Health Data

Junior researchers who also wish to be considered for travel awards should select the appropriate button and submit an extended abstract (500–800 words) in the application page. Winners will be announced on August 15 and are required to present a poster. Covered expenses include the registration fee, hotel (double occupancy), and up to $600 for travel, including airfare and eligible local transportation.

 

Poster Awards 

We’re excited to introduce the Poster Presentation Award at this forum. All researchers—including faculty, professionals, students, and trainees—are encouraged to submit and present a poster at the symposium. Two awards will be given to junior researchers, and one will be awarded to a presenter who obtained their terminal degree more than five years ago. Each award includes a cash prize and a certificate.

 

Conference Venue 

The conference will take place in Jane E. Heminger Hall, a state-of-the-art building at The Ohio State University College of Nursing, located at 1577 Neil Ave, Columbus, OH 43210. The venue is within walking distance of the conference hotel; a free shuttle is also available.

 

Travel 

Columbus is conveniently located and easily accessible, with John Glenn International Airport (CMH) serving major cities in the U.S. Columbus, the 15th largest city in the U.S. and the fastest-growing city in the Midwest, is a smart, open community with a dynamic convention package that can fit the needs of any group. Located within a one-day drive or one-hour flight from more than half of the U.S. population, Columbus is easily accessible for all.

 

Conference Hotel 

A block of rooms has been reserved at the Hyatt House Columbus OSU/Short North for check-in on Wednesday, October 14, and check-out on Friday, October 16, at a conference rate of $144/night.

Please book your room early, as the discounted rate is only available until the block is full. You can access the conference rate directly through this link.

 

Reigstration is handled through Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/s3-ingram-olkin-forum-challenges-in-modeling-and-analyzing-maternal-health-tickets-1964548717097?aff=oddtdtcreator

Please Note: You will be required to answer registration questions after clicking "get tickets" and registering for this forum, a questionnaire form will pop up - please do not ignore this, as it is required to answer all questions before your registration is submitted and creates a completed registration status.

For any technical assistance please reach out to Megan Glenn at mglenn@niss.org.

 

Submit an Abstract:

All participants are encouraged to submit and present a poster at the symposium. Submit an abstract of up to 250 words by September 1, 2026.

 

 


Keynote Speakers

 

Keynote Speaker 1:

Janet Catov

(Domain expert)*

Date: Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 8:45 – 9:45 am 

Dr. Catov and her research group utilizes large perinatal registries and cohort studies to evaluate the relationship between cardiovascular risk factors and preterm birth, as well as the postpartum characteristics of women who delivered preterm infants. Dr Catov’s epidemiological studies examine relationship between preterm birth and later life maternal cardiovascular disease risk, emphasizing lipid metabolism, inflammation, and thrombosis. Dr Catov’s research has employed several strategies to study the relationship between preterm birth and later-life maternal cardiovascular disease risk, collecting evidence suggesting that this relationship has roots in lipid metabolism, inflammation, and thrombosis. Dr. Catov also studies how other factors, such as nutrition and psychosocial behavior, may influence pregnancy and later-life maternal health. Dr. Catov oversees The Magee Obstetric Maternal and Infant Database (MOMI). MOMI is an electronic database comprised of all deliveries at MageeWomens Hospital. See Profile

 

 

Keynote Speaker 2:

Rajeshwari Sundaram

(Statistics)

Date: Friday, October 16, 2026 at 8:00 – 9:00 am 

Dr. Rajeshwari Sundaram, M.Stat., Ph.D., is a senior investigator in the Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Branch. Her research is at the intersection of statistical methods and public health. She has long-standing research interests in survival analysis, longitudinal and hierarchical data with applications to reproductive epidemiology and perinatal epidemiology. Over past few years, she has worked to develop statistical methods aimed at building biologically meaningful models to better assess fecundity and fertility, with a focus on building individualized risk prediction for conception delay and infertility, issues of considerable interest in light of the changing profile of couples attempting pregnancy for the first time. She is also currently interested in contributing to better guidelines for labor management in pregnant women by developing methods to address labor progression and by assessing labor arrests and other factors leading to medical intervention. Her interests also encompass developing methods to assess the effects of chemical toxicant mixtures on various reproductive and child development outcomes.

 


Sponsors

 

     

 

 


Agenda

Schedule of Forum Activities

Day 1: Thursday, October 15, 2026

Time Forum Activity
7:30 - 8:30 am  Breakfast & Registration
8:30 - 8:45 am  Opening Remarks (NISS/TDAI Director)
8:45 – 9:45 am  Keynote Speech 1
9:45 – 10:00 am  Break and Refreshments
10:00 - 11:15 am  Invited Sessions 1
11:15 - 11:30 am  Break and Refreshments
11:30 am -12:45 pm Invited Session 2
12:45 – 1:45 pm  Lunch
1:45 – 2:45 pm  Parallel Roundtable Discussion Session 1
2:45 – 3:00 pm  Break
3:00 – 4:15 pm  Invited Session 3
4:15-4:30 pm  Break and Refreshments
4:30- 5:30 pm  Parallel Roundtable Discussion Session 2
6:00 pm  Dinner

 

Day 2: Friday, October 16, 2026

7:30 – 8:00 am  Breakfast
8:00 – 9:00 am  Keynote Speech 2
9:00 – 9:15 am  Break and Refreshments
9:15 – 10:30 am  Invited Sessions 4
10:30 – 10:45 am  Break and Refreshments
10:45 am -12 noon  Invited Session 5
12:00 – 12:45 pm  Lunch
12:45 – 2:00 pm  Poster Session
2:00 – 3:00 pm  Parallel Roundtable Discussion Session 3
3:00 – 3:15 pm  Break and Refreshments
3:15 – 4:30 pm  Invited Session 6
4:30-4:45 pm  Closing Remark (NISS/TDAI Director)

Full Agenda Details coming soon!

 

About NISS Statistics Serving Society (S3) Ingram Olkin Forums 

The National Institute of Statistical Sciences (NISS) presents Statistics Serving Society (S3), a series of forums to honor the memory of Professor Ingram Olkin.  Each forum focuses on a current societal issue that might benefit from new or renewed attention from the statistical community. The S3 Forums aim to bring the latest innovations in statistical methodology and data science into new research and public policy collaborations, working to accelerate the development of innovative approaches that impact societal problems. As the Forum will be the first time a particular group of experts will be gathered together to consider an issue, new energy and synergy is expected to produce a flurry of new ideas and approaches.

Goals for the S3 Ingram Olkin Forums:

    • Providing statisticians with an understanding of the societal problems and stimulating their interest in working on related statistical issues.
    • Developing an agenda of statistical action items that are needed to better inform public policy and to generate reliable evidence that can be used to mitigate the problem. For example, action items might focus on data availability, data collection methods, causal inference, data science, designed and natural experiments, quality control, trend assessments, and the evaluation of preventative and restorative initiatives.
    • Leading to new collaborations among statisticians and those working to understand and mitigate the problem.
    • Leading to funded grant proposals that works to bring the detailed action items to life.

Visit the NISS Statistics Serving Society (S3) page for more information: https://www.niss.org/S3Forums

Event Type

  • NISS Hosted

Host

National Institute of Statistical Sciences
TDAI, The Ohio State University

Sponsor

Ohio State University, Department of Statistics
Martha S. Pitzer Center for Women, Children and Youth, College of Nursing, The Ohio State University
American Statistical Association (ASA)
Caucus for Women in Statistics and Data Science (CWS)

Cost

General Admission: $250

Website

Register on Eventbrite here!

Location

TDAI, Ohio State University
Columbus
,
Ohio
,
United States

Policy