Research Interests
Theory and Methods: Causal inference; Health data science; Instrumental variables; Large-scale optimization-based approaches; Measurement error; Observational studies; Randomized trials; Sensitivity analysis; Time and location heterogeneity in survey data; Unmeasured confounding.
Applications: Biomedical research; Global health; Health equity research; Health policy; Infectious disease research; Public health; Social science.
Theory and Methods: Causal inference; Health data science; Instrumental variables; Large-scale optimization-based approaches; Measurement error; Observational studies; Randomized trials; Sensitivity analysis; Time and location heterogeneity in survey data; Unmeasured confounding.
Applications: Biomedical research; Global health; Health equity research; Health policy; Infectious disease research; Public health; Social science.
Publications and Preprints
Heng, S. and Shaw, P. A. (2022). A model-free and finite-population-exact framework for randomized experiments subject to outcome misclassification via integer programming. Submitted. [R Package] (NESS Student Research Award)
Heng, S.*, Zhang, B.*, Han, X., Lorch, S. A., and Small, D. S. (2022). Re-evaluating strengthened-IV designs: asymptotic efficiency, bias formula, and the validity and power of sensitivity analyses. Submitted.
Lin, Y., Heng, S., Anand, S., Deshpande, S., and Small, D. S. (2022). Hemoglobin levels among male agricultural workers: analyses from the Demographic and Health Surveys to investigate a marker for chronic kidney disease of uncertain etiology. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, in press.
Chen, K., Heng, S., Long, Q., and Zhang, B. (2022). Testing Biased Randomization Assumptions and Quantifying Imperfect Matching and Residual Confounding in Matched Observational Studies. Journal of Computational and Graphical Statistics, in press.
Zhang, B., Heng, S., Ye, T., and Small, D. S. (2022). Social distancing and COVID-19: randomization inference for a structured dose-response relationship. Annals of Applied Statistics, in press.
Heng, S., O'Meara, W. P., Simmons, R. A., and Small, D. S. (2021). Relationship between changing malaria burden and low birth weight in sub-Saharan Africa: a difference-in-differences study via a pair-of-pairs approach. eLife, 10:e65133. (IPUMS Global Health Research Award for the Best Student Paper)
Zhang, B., Heng, S., Mackay, E. J., and Ye, T. (2021). Bridging preference-based instrumental variable studies and cluster-randomized encouragement experiments: study design, noncompliance, and average cluster effect ratio. Biometrics, in press.
Heng, S.*, Kang, H.*, Small, D. S., and Fogarty, C. B. (2021). Increasing power for observational studies of aberrant response: an adaptive approach. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series B (Statistical Methodology), 83(3), 482-504. [R Package] (Lawrence D. Brown Best Paper Award; IMS Hannan Graduate Student Travel Award)
Heng, S. and Small, D. S. (2021). Sharpening the Rosenbaum sensitivity bounds to address concerns about interactions between observed and unobserved covariates. Statistica Sinica, 31(2021), 2331-2353. (ASA Mental Health Statistics Section Student Paper Award; ENAR Distinguished Student Paper Award)
MacKay, E. J., Zhang, B., Heng, S., Ye, T., Neuman, M. D., Augoustides, J. G., Desai, N. D., and Groeneveld, P. W. (2021). Association between transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and clinical outcomes after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Journal of the American Society of Echocardiology, 34(6), 571-581.
Heng, S., Small, D. S., and Rosenbaum, P. R. (2020). Finding the strength in a weak instrument in a study of cognitive outcomes produced by Catholic high schools. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A (Statistics in Society), 183(3), 935-958.
Sondak, D., Hawley, C., Heng, S., Vinsonhaler, R., Lauga, E., and Thiffeault, J. L. (2016). Can phoretic particles swim in two dimensions? Physical Review E, 94, 062606.
(* indicates equal contribution)
Publications and Preprints
Heng, S. and Shaw, P. A. (2022). A model-free and finite-population-exact framework for randomized experiments subject to outcome misclassification via integer programming. Submitted. [R Package] (NESS Student Research Award)
Heng, S.*, Zhang, B.*, Han, X., Lorch, S. A., and Small, D. S. (2022). Re-evaluating strengthened-IV designs: asymptotic efficiency, bias formula, and the validity and power of sensitivity analyses. Submitted.
Lin, Y., Heng, S., Anand, S., Deshpande, S., and Small, D. S. (2022). Hemoglobin levels among male agricultural workers: analyses from the Demographic and Health Surveys to investigate a marker for chronic kidney disease of uncertain etiology. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, in press.
Chen, K., Heng, S., Long, Q., and Zhang, B. (2022). Testing Biased Randomization Assumptions and Quantifying Imperfect Matching and Residual Confounding in Matched Observational Studies. Journal of Computational and Graphical Statistics, in press.
Zhang, B., Heng, S., Ye, T., and Small, D. S. (2022). Social distancing and COVID-19: randomization inference for a structured dose-response relationship. Annals of Applied Statistics, in press.
Heng, S., O'Meara, W. P., Simmons, R. A., and Small, D. S. (2021). Relationship between changing malaria burden and low birth weight in sub-Saharan Africa: a difference-in-differences study via a pair-of-pairs approach. eLife, 10:e65133. (IPUMS Global Health Research Award for the Best Student Paper)
Zhang, B., Heng, S., Mackay, E. J., and Ye, T. (2021). Bridging preference-based instrumental variable studies and cluster-randomized encouragement experiments: study design, noncompliance, and average cluster effect ratio. Biometrics, in press.
Heng, S.*, Kang, H.*, Small, D. S., and Fogarty, C. B. (2021). Increasing power for observational studies of aberrant response: an adaptive approach. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series B (Statistical Methodology), 83(3), 482-504. [R Package] (Lawrence D. Brown Best Paper Award; IMS Hannan Graduate Student Travel Award)
Heng, S. and Small, D. S. (2021). Sharpening the Rosenbaum sensitivity bounds to address concerns about interactions between observed and unobserved covariates. Statistica Sinica, 31(2021), 2331-2353. (ASA Mental Health Statistics Section Student Paper Award; ENAR Distinguished Student Paper Award)
MacKay, E. J., Zhang, B., Heng, S., Ye, T., Neuman, M. D., Augoustides, J. G., Desai, N. D., and Groeneveld, P. W. (2021). Association between transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and clinical outcomes after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Journal of the American Society of Echocardiology, 34(6), 571-581.
Heng, S., Small, D. S., and Rosenbaum, P. R. (2020). Finding the strength in a weak instrument in a study of cognitive outcomes produced by Catholic high schools. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A (Statistics in Society), 183(3), 935-958.
Sondak, D., Hawley, C., Heng, S., Vinsonhaler, R., Lauga, E., and Thiffeault, J. L. (2016). Can phoretic particles swim in two dimensions? Physical Review E, 94, 062606.
(* indicates equal contribution)