2026 International Day of Women in Statistics and Data Science Features Westat Expertise

Several Westat experts will join an international community of statisticians and data scientists on October 6 as presenters and session leads at the International Day of Women in Statistics and Data Science (IDWSDS), an annual global celebration recognizing the achievements, contributions, and leadership of women in statistics and data science.

• Lead Statistical Associates Rashi Saluja, MS, and Sarah Glidden, MS, will participate in the session “Additional Topics in AI and Data Science 2,” sharing insights alongside experts from around the world. Saluja will present a data-driven framework for measuring international collaboration in open-source software (OSS) development. Her work uses large-scale repository data to reveal how countries and institutional sectors collaborate on OSS, highlighting questions of representation and visibility in global innovation. Glidden’s talk will share best practices on processes, strategies, and challenges in data visualization requirements gathering that may benefit data visualization analysts working with a range of clients to better inform decision-making.
• Lead Statistical Associate Sabrina Zhang, MS, is presenting as part of the “Additional Topics in Health and Biostatistics” session. Zhang will discuss an innovative approach to better understand and reduce bias in survival outcomes. Using real-world data, she will highlight how smoke-free laws may play an important role in differences in smoking cessation across groups and offer valuable insights for advancing more effective public health policies.
• Senior Statistical Associate Elizabeth Eisenhauer, PhD, has organized and is chairing “Coordination Evidence for Better Research Design: Priors, Assumptions, and Scientific Judgment.” The session brings together innovative perspectives on research design, including integrating quantitative and qualitative evidence, developing causally aware AI systems, using expert elicitation for prior specification, and auditing Bayesian clinical trials using reverse-Bayes methods. Eisenhauer was also elected to lead the Caucus for Women in Statistics and Data Science, the organization that hosts IDWSDS, and will serve as President-Elect in 2027 and President in 2028.

This participation reflects Westat’s commitment to advancing innovative approaches to statistics and data science and connecting experts across disciplines to address complex challenges through data and technology.