Research Interests:  
My current and future research interests include statistical models and inferences for complex human diseases and quantitative traits, statistical issues in genome-wide association studies, statistical challenges in micro-array data, modeling of social networks and behaviors, applications of statistical tools, such as multi-level models in the area of social science, epidemiology and public health.

Statistical Softwares

Ongoing and pending projects:

• Genome-wide association study of blood pressure in Nigerians. The goal is to combine high-throughput genotyping with a sophisticated epidemiologic design to examine potential gene-environment interactions for known candidate genes.
• Modeling obesity through simulation. The goal is to develop innovative statistical and computational methods for models complicated dependence structure between individuals.
• Characterization of biobank samples from 5 populations. The goal is to study the population structure and stratification using bio-bank samples.
• Analysis based on the data of Puerto Rican elderly: health conditions. There are a lot of possibilities for analysis based on this information rich data set.

Teaching:

• Spring 2013
  • Stat/Biol 337 - Quantitative Bioinformatics, TuTh 10:00-11:15am, Cuneo Hall 116
  
  
• Fall 2012
  • Stat 411 - Appl. Survival Analysis, TuTh 10:00-11:15am, Cuneo Hall - Room 218
  • Stat 403 - SAS Program & Appl Stat, TuTh 1:00-2:15pm, Life Science Building-Room 315
  
  
• Previous years

Publications:

1. Liping Tong, David Shoham, Richard S Cooper (2012). A Co-evolution Model for Dynamic Social Network and Behavior. Annals of Applied Statistics, in review.
2. Shweta Singh, Ru Zhou, Xiong Li, Liping Tong (2012). The Complex Relationship with Health: Rural and Urban poor Women. Global Public Health, in review.
3. DA Shoham, L Tong, PJ Lamberson, AH Auchincloss, J Zhang, LR Dugas, JS Kaufman, RS Cooper, and A Luke (2012). An Actor-Based Model of Social Network Influence on Adolescent Body Size, Screen Time, and Playing Sports. PLoS ONE 7(6): e39795.
4. Liping Tong, Bamidele Tayo, Jie Yang, Richard Cooper (2011). Compare the SNP-based and Gene-based Association Studies in Detecting Rare Variants Using Unrelated Individuals. BMC Proceedings 2011, 5(Suppl 9): S41.
5. Bamidele Tayo, Marie Teil, Liping Tong, Huaizhen Qin, Gregory Khitrov, Weijia Zhang, Quinbin Song, Xiaofeng Zhu, Alexandre Pereira, Richard Cooper, Erwin P. Bottinger (2011). Genetic Background of Patients from a University Medical Center in Manhattan: Implications for Personalized Medicine. PLoS ONE 6(5): e19166.
6. Liping Tong (2010). Bayesian Methods in Multi-Color Optical Mapping. International Journal of Mathematics and Computer Science 5: 101-122.
7. Liping Tong, Jie Yang, Richard Cooper (2010). Efficient Calculation of P-value and Power for Quadratic Form Statistics in Multilocus Association Testing. Annals of Human Genetics 74: 275-285.
   
   • Software for Chi-square Approximation to Quadratic Form Statistics
8. Liping Tong, and Elizabeth Thompson (2008). Multilocus Lod Scores in Large Pedigrees: Combination of Exact and Approximate Calculations. Human Heredity 65: 142-153.
9. Yun Ju Sung, Yanming Di, Audrey Q Fu, Joseph H Rothstein, Weiva Sieh, Liping Tong, Elizabeth A Thompson, and Ellen M Wijsman (2007). Comparison of Multipoint Linkage Analyses for Quantitative Traits: Parametric Lod Scores, Variance Components Lod Scores and Bayes Factors in the CEPH Data. BMC Proceedings 2007, 1(Suppl 1): S93.
10. Liping Tong, Laurie Mets and Mary Sara McPeek (2007). Likelihood-based Inference for Multi-Color Optical Mapping Data. Statistical Applications in Genetics and Molecular Biology: Vol. 6: Iss. 1, Article 5.
11. Sunati Sahoo, Wendy M. Recant, Liping Tong and Ruth Heimann (2005). Defining Negative Margins in DCIS Patients Treated with Breast Conservation Therapy - University of Chicago Experience. The Breast Journal 11 (4), 242-247.
12. Liping Tong (2004). Statistical Inference for Multi-color Optical Mapping Data. PhD dissertation, the University of Chicago.
13. Xizhi Wu, Bo Cheng, Linxu Liu, Liping Tong, Wenxuan Zhong and Huaiyu Xiong (2000). Statistics (Translation), Gudmund R. Iversen & Mary Gergen. Springer-Verlag New York, Inc.

Working Papers:

1. Liping Tong, Bamidele Tayo, and Richard Cooper (2013). A New Method to Compare the Haplotype Distributions between Populations. To be Submitted.
2. Liping Tong, David Shoham, and Richard Cooper (2013). A Joint Statistical Model of Social Behavior and Social Network. To be submitted.
3. Liping Tong, Hans W Volkmer, Jie Yang (2013). Homogeneous Polynomials and Explicit Solution for Optimal Designs for Two-Level Factorial Experiments. To be Submitted.
4. Liping Tong, Jie Yang, Xue Han, Loren Velasquez (2013). The Card Game 24 and Its Application to Math Education. To be submitted.
5. Shweta Singh, Xiong Li, Ru Zhou, Liping Tong (2013). Women's Health and House- hold Structure (2013). To be submitted.
6. Liping Tong, David Shoham (2013). Bayesian Method to Estimate Parameters in Dynamic Social Network and Behavior Model. In progress.