Dr. Justine Shults is a faculty member in the Department of Pediatrics at CHOP, a professor of Biostatistics and director of the Pediatric Section in the Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics; and a senior scholar in the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Penn.

Dr. Shults has published in leading statistical journals such as Statistics in Medicine, Biometrics, and Biometrika. She was the PI of the completed NIH funded R01 study “Longitudinal Analysis for Diverse Populations” that had as its goal the development of improved methods for analysis of diverse populations. She is the lead author of the book “Quasi-Least Squares Regression” (with Joseph Hilbe). She previously received funding from the National Science Foundation for development of new analytic approaches for multi-level correlated data. She also served as PI of the Renal and Urologic Training Grant.

Dr. Shults is actively involved in the PhD program in Biostatistics and the Master's of Science in Clinical Epidemiology (MSCE) programs at Penn. She teaches Linear Models and Longitudinal Data Analysis on a regular basis for the PhD and MSCE programs, respectively. She was the primary advisor for the Master’s Thesis in Biostatistics for multiple students; the statistical advisor and Thesis Committee member to over 30 students in the MSCE program; and was the PhD dissertation advisor for four students. She also serves as faculty mentor to multiple K-award recipients and junior investigators.

As co-investigator and lead statistician for several investigative teams, Dr. Shults collaborates on research developing improved pediatric airway management; improving the quality of life and lifespan of individuals living with leukodystrophies; better treating children with ADHD and autism spectrum disorder; improving the transition to adult care for children with sickle-cell disease; reducing traumatic stress symptoms in children after autism; and improving the management of asthma in children in underserved communities.

BS, University of Notre Dame (Mathematics), 1985

MS, Old Dominion University (Applied and Computational Mathematics, Statistics Option), 1993

PhD, Old Dominion University (Applied and Computational Mathematics, Statistics Option), 1996

Director of Pediatric Section and Professor in the Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Faculty member in the Department of Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Senior Scholar in the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the Perelman School of Medicine at Penn

American Statistical Association, 1996-

International Biometric Society, 1996-

International Chinese Statistical Association, 1998-

Biostatistics Graduate Program Teaching Award, 2003, 2006

Building Research Capacity in Child Abuse Pediatrics
NIH / NICHD
2020 - 2025
The goal of this proposal is to launch CAPNET, a multicenter research network dedicated to the care of maltreated children.
PIs: Daniel Lindberg, Kristine Campbell, Nicole Joanne Wood

U-REAACT: Urological and Renal disease Engaging Adolescents in Adherence Collaborative Trial
NIH/ National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
2016 - 2021
The goal of this project is to test a mobile health based intervention that uses bi-directional texting, tailored feedback, and financial incentives to promote treatment adherence.
PI: Sandra Amaral

Improved Clinical and Biological Outcome Measures in Aicardi Goutieres Syndrome
NIH / NICHD
2019 - 2024
The goal of this research is to explore the contribution of endogenous retroelements to disease by exploring broader retroelement type and accumulation in AGS cells of different genotype.
PI: Adeline Vanderver

Addressing Community Violence-related Traumatic Stress Symptoms in Children
NIH / NICHD
2017 - 2022
The goal of this study is to test the effectiveness of the Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention in reducing traumatic stress symptoms in youth after an assault injury.
PI: Joel Fein

Autism Intervention Research Networks: Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics
HRSA
2010 - 2021
This grant provides infrastructure funding for a 12-site national developmental-behavioral pediatrics research network.
PI: Nate Blum

Community Health Workers and mHealth for Sickle Cell Disease Care
PCORI
2018 - 2024
To implement community health worker and mobile health interventions to improve the transition to adult care for children with sickle cell disease
PI: David Rubin

West Philadelphia Asthma Care Implementation Plan
NIH / NHLBI
2017 - 2023
This is an asthma care implementation program that seeks to integrate interventions in a comprehensive manner to reduce asthma disparities in poor, minority school-aged asthmatic children in West Philadelphia.
PI: Tyra Bryant-Stephens

An Integrated Approach to Establish the Scientific Foundation for Driving Among Adolescents with Autism
NIH
2018 - 2023
The goal of this online longitudinal study with 500 autism-parent dyads is to determine how families make mobility decisions, including whether or not to pursue driving.
PI: Allison Curry