Photo: KSU professor Kevin Gittner in the classroom with student researchers

[This article by Dave Shelles was first published on the Kennesaw State University website, republished in the Cobb Courier with permission — Photo by Darnell Wilburn Jr.]

A devoted public health and data science advocate, Kennesaw State University assistant professor Kevin B. Gittner says his true passion is mentoring students.

Since joining Kennesaw State in 2021, Gittner has forged strong collaborations with student researchers across two colleges. When asked about his success in getting students involved in research, however, he credits them for demonstrating enthusiasm and curiosity.

“It’s hard to be selfish because I’m in a field where we’re trying to improve outcomes for other people,” Gittner said. “I like to mentor and watch my students succeed. When they come back to me and they say, ‘This is how I’m applying what I learned,’ or ‘I got into my master’s program,’ those are the successes to me. That’s why I’m teaching.”

With a dual appointment in the Wellstar College of Health and Human Services and the College of Computing and Software Engineering, Gittner engages his students with three labs at the intersection of public health and data science. The first is the Human Studies Lab, which conducts medical and public health research using data analysis, and in which Gittner mentors eight students at all levels. The second is the Innovative Global Health Research and Learning (INTEGHRAL) Lab, which covers several projects involved in uplifting underprivileged girls in Kampala, Uganda. Within this project, Gittner has supported doctoral student Kate Mobley, whose dissertation focuses on missing data in longitudinal analyses and who has co-published with Wellstar College Dean and professor of health promotion and physical education Monica Swahn.

In the third lab – the Data Quality and Survey Methods lab – Gittner and his collaborator, assistant professor Lauren Matheny, focus on survey methodology. That research group recently obtained internal seed funding.

The three labs draw on Gittner’s expertise in biostatistics and epidemiology, which he acquired while earning his doctorate in applied statistics and research methods. The labs have also served as a launching pad for student success in research. Case in point, 20 student presenters over 12 projects at the Fall 2024 Symposium of Student Scholars were mentored by Gittner. Later that semester, his students swept the honors in the graduate research category at Analytics Day.

Gittner encourages his students to present at events like the Symposium of Student Scholars and Analytics Day so they can better understand and explain their projects to the layperson, and to develop professional skills applicable to careers. Many have gone on to present at regional and national conferences, too.

Among his many success stories is Adele Barski, a data science and analytics graduate student. After graduating from KSU with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, Barski spent some time in the workforce before returning to KSU for a master’s degree.

Barski’s current research interest involves fraud in data collection, a topic that Gittner has brought to life through his enthusiasm. The work sheds light on ways to detect AI-generated survey responses. For their efforts, Barski, along with teammates Andy Lewis, Greg Balkcom, and Kristine Duncan, won first prize at CCSE’s annual Analytics Day competition.

“I could be doing anything in the lab and feel excited about it because Dr. Gittner is so passionate,” Barski said. “He’s very enthusiastic, which spreads across the entire lab.”

Lewis, a senior integrated health science major, said Gittner and Matheny’s teamwork helped him find his own sweet spot. Lewis originally declared a major in public health but desired a broader path with wider applications. After taking Gittner’s biostatistics class, Lewis gravitated toward a field that uses data in determining positive health outcomes. Now on a Double Owl Pathway, Lewis will complete a bachelor’s in integrated health science as well as a master’s in data science and analytics; he is taking his first masters class this spring.

In the end, Gittner wants his students to ask questions about data science and health, and he wants as many people as possible to understand the answers.

“Our students are very interested in applying data science and answering challenging questions,” he said. “It draws out my passion because the students have a lot of questions, and I can join them in the pursuit of answers.”

– By Dave Shelles

Photos by Darnell Wilburn Jr.