The University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions’ PHHP Days is an annual celebration of research from the undergraduate to postdoctoral level, featuring oral and poster presentations from more than 200 students. Within the two-day event, the Pillar Talks series serves as a platform for faculty to share their research, insights, discoveries and innovations across the college’s mission areas of education, research, service and clinical work. These brief, TED Talk-style talks are an opportunity for every member of the college to come together, learn from each other and showcase the remarkable scholarship advancing public health and health science.
Ahead of PHHP Days 2026, taking place April 15 and 16, speakers will share sneak peeks of their talks and what they hope listeners will learn.
Ji-Hyun Lee, Dr.P.H., professor in the Department of Biostatistics, 2025 American Statistical Association president
What is your primary focus in PHHP, and why does it interest you?
I am a biostatistician, and my work sits at the intersection of data and decision-making. I collaborate in many areas of cancer research, using data to help us understand diseases, evaluate treatments and inform polices that affect real people. What keeps me interested is that biostatistics is often invisible, but it shapes many of the decisions that matter most in public health.
What is the theme of your pillar talk?
The talk asks a simple question: What should cancer patients eat? It’s really about how clinical evidence evolves and how patient experience should stay at the center of those decisions.
Why do you want to share this topic?
This topic comes from a large, carefully designed clinical trial that many of us thought might change clinical practice. Instead, the results surprised us and challenged our assumptions. The experience reminded me that progress in science isn’t always about moving forward quickly; it’s about stopping, looking carefully at the evidence and listening to what it’s really telling us. It also made me think more about how these decisions feel from the patient’s side.
What do you hope the audience takes away from your talk?
I hope the audiences walk away with a strong sense of what patients go through and why evidence matters, even when it doesn’t point to an easy or exciting change.
What about your talk or the focus of your work applies to other departments in PHHP?
This talk applies across PHHP because it’s about how we use evidence to make decisions that affect people’s lives. Whether you work in environmental health, clinical research, community health or epidemiology, we all face moments where data challenge our assumptions. This story isn’t just about cancer. It’s about how public health decisions are made when evidence, uncertainty and human impact intersect, which every department in PHHP faces.
Is there anything else you’d like to share about your work or your upcoming pillar talk?
This talk shows that even negative results can be powerful. When studies are done rigorously, they can protect patients and shape practice in meaningful ways.