Alyssa Columbus

In the Classroom

Teaching & Mentoring

I teach statistics and data science with a focus on analytic judgment: how to choose among defensible analyses, document those choices, and assess this judgment fairly when students work alongside AI tools. Across nineteen course appointments and roughly seven hundred hours in the classroom, I’ve mentored one hundred fifty-one people since 2018, from doctoral and master’s students to early-career practitioners in industry.

Recognition

Teaching Awards

  • Helen Abbey Award for Excellence in Teaching, Johns Hopkins Department of Biostatistics (2026)
  • Best Contributed Paper Award, ASA Section on Statistics and Data Science Education (2025)
  • Jane and Steve Dykacz Award for Best Student Paper in Medical Statistics, Johns Hopkins (2025)
  • Teaching Assistant Recognition Award, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (2025)
  • Teaching Academy Fellowship, Johns Hopkins Center for Teaching Excellence and Innovation (2024)
In the Classroom

Selected Teaching at Johns Hopkins

  • Guest Faculty, Practical Skills in Using Generative AI in Public Health (2026)
  • Teaching Assistant, Data Science for Public Health in Python; AI for Public Health in Python (2025–26)
  • Teaching Assistant, Advanced Data Science I and II (2025)
  • Lead Teaching Assistant, Statistical Methods in Public Health (2023–24)
  • Guest lectures on the social, legal, and ethical aspects of AI in medicine and public health, and on relational databases and SQL in R
Mentoring

Beyond the Course List

I have advised more than 150 students and professionals across countries including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, India, and The Gambia, on paths into statistics, data science, and research careers.

  • Mentor, United Kingdom Research and Innovation Policy Fellowship (2026–)
  • Pre-graduate mentor, Project SHORT
  • Mentor and judge, ASA Undergraduate Statistics Project Competition (2022–26)
  • Instructor and lesson maintainer, The Carpentries, including Spanish-language lesson translation
  • Advanced Placement Research Reader, College Board (2025–)