Liu’s Lab

Data Analysis, Statistical Modeling, and Population Health Research

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Honghu Liu

Principal Investigator

Honghu Liu, M.S., Ph.D.

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About

With a methodological background, my breadth of research interests includes research design (particularly in clinical, epidemiologic, and health services research level), sample size and power analysis, study and statistical design, sampling and patient recruitment, data and statistical analysis, complex statistical modeling (e.g., repeated measures mixed effect models), and population health research.

Our lab has done extensive HIV research and is interested in antiretroviral medication adherence, measurement of adherence, the relationships between antiretroviral medication (ARV) adherence and virologic and clinical outcomes, substance abuse, HIV, and real-time monitoring of adherence using information technology. For oral health, we are interested in measurement of oral health, selection of oral health items in population surveys, creation of oral health item banks, self-care centered oral health models, small area estimates (SAE) of oral health indicators at the county, city and local health jurisdiction (LHJ) level and the relationships between oral health and systemic diseases (e.g., HIV, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases).

Areas of Expertise:

Study and statistical design, sample size calculation and power analysis, sampling, analytical plans, data analysis and statistical modeling, population-based studies, HIV medication adherence, and virologic and clinical outcomes, oral health calibration models, oral health survey, measurements, item banks, and oral health toolkits development. Information Technology (IT)-based data collection platforms, and smartphone applications for interventions. 

Current Projects and Grants

  • Jeffrey P. Staab, Scott D. Z. Eggers, Joanna Jen, Allison M. LeMahieu, Jennifer R. Geske, Honghu Liu, Deanna R. Hofschulte, Roxana Gonzalez, Brian A. Neff, Neil T. Shepard, Devin L. McCaslin, Robert W. Baloh. Rizatriptan versus Placebo for Attacks of Vestibular Migraine: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Neurol. 2025 Jul 1;82(7):676–86.
  • Wyatt GE, Chin D, Loeb TB, Norwood-Scott E, McEwan JA, Zhang M, Smith-Clapham AM, Cooley-Strickland M, Trinidad C, Flint JR, Wells Y, Divinity R, Liu H. Women-Centered Program for Women of Color (WC4WC): A Community-Based Participatory, Culturally Congruent Sexual Health Intervention in Los Angeles County, California. Am J Public Health (AJPH), 2023, 113 (S2): S110-S114.
  • Xiong D, Marcus M, Maida CA, Lyu Y, Hays RD, Wang Y, Shen J, Spolsky VW, Lee SY, JJ Crall, Liu H. Development of short forms for screening children's dental caries and urgent treatment needs using item response theory and machine learning methods. PLoS One. 2024 Mar 22;19(3):e0299947. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0299947. PMCID: PMC10959356
  • Liu H, Wang Y, Huang Y, Xiong D, Shen J, Siqueiros L, Bala V, Savage GM, Guerrero M, Corado K, Rosen MI, Fletcher CV, Daar ES. Ingestible sensor system for measuring, monitoring and enhancing adherence to antiretroviral therapy: An open-label, usual care-controlled, randomised trial. EBioMedicine. 2022 Dec;86:104330.
  • Liu H, Daar E, Wang Y, Siqueiros L, Campbell K, Shen J, Guerrero M, Ko MW, Xiong D, Dao J, Young T, Rosen M, Fletcher CV. Pharmacokinetics of Coencapsulated Antiretrovirals with Ingestible Sensors. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses. 2020 Jan;36(1):65-74.
  • Shen J, Hays RD, Wang Y, Marcus M, Maida CA, Xiong D, Lee SY, Spolsky VW, Coulter ID, Crall JJ, Liu H. Computerized adaptive testing and short form development for child and adolescent oral health patient-reported outcomes measurement. Clin Exp Dent Res.
  • Wang Y, Hays R, Marcus M, Maida C, Shen J, Xiong D, Lee S, Spolsky V, Coulter I, Crall J, Liu H. Development of a parents' short form survey of their children's oral health. Int J Paediatr Dent. 2019 May;29(3):332-344.
  • Liu H, Hays R, Wang Y, Marcus M, Maida C, Shen J, Xiong D, Lee S, Spolsky V, Coulter I, Crall J. Short form development for oral health patient-reported outcome evaluation in children and adolescents. Qual Life Res. 2018 Jun;27(6):1599-1611.
  • Liu H, Hays RD, Marcus M, Coulter I, Maida C, Ramos-Gomez F, Shen J, Wang Y, Spolsky V, Lee S, Cai L, Crall J. Patient-reported oral health outcome measurement for children and adolescents. BMC Oral Health. 2016 Sep 15;16(1):95.
  • Liu H, Marcus M, Maida CA, Wang Y, Shen J, Spolsky VW. Predictive power of the severity measure of attachment loss for periodontal care need. J Periodontol. 2013 Oct;84(10):1409-15.

Lab Members:

  • Jie Shen, PhD (in statistics)
  • Yan Wang, PhD (in biostatistics)
  • Di Xiong, PhD Candidate (in biostatistics)
  • Yuetong (Claire) Lyu, MS (in biostatistics)
  • Yilan Huang, PhD Candidate (in biostatistics)
  • Linyu Zhou, PhD Candidate (in biostatistics)
  • Katie Velasquez, B.S. (Project Analyst/Coordinator)
  • Seung-ha (Joseph) Seo, MPH (Project Analyst/Coordinator)
  • Anne Wang, Statistics and Data Science undergraduate student
  • Bahar Menesh, B.S. 

Collaborators within and outside of UCLA:

  • Steve Y. Lee, D.D.S. (UCLA School of Dentistry)
  • Carl Maida, PhD (UCLA School of Dentistry)
  • Marv Marcus, D.D.S. (UCLA School of Dentistry)
  • Michael Jerrett, PhD (UCLA Center for Occupational and Environmental Health)
  • Ron Hays, PhD (School of Medicine)
  • Nady Pourat, PhD (UCLA Center for Health Policy Research)
  • Eric Daar, MD (Lundquist Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center)
  • Marc Rosen, PhD (Yale University)
  • Loren Miller, MD, MS (Lundquist Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center)
  • Ira Wilson, M.D., M.S. (Brown University)
  • David Bangsberg, M.D, M.S.  (Harvard University)
  • Dave Cella, PhD (Northwestern University)

Opportunities

I teach study design, biostatistics as well as secondary data analysis. I also advise Ph.D. students with their research and dissertations.

 

Contact Us

(310) 794-0700
hhliu@dentistry.ucla.edu