Daniel Zelterman, Ph.D., Chair, Search Committee 
Division of Biostatistics 
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health 
School of Medicine 
Yale University 
P.O. Box 208034 
New Haven, CT  06520-8034

Re: Application       Assistant Professor

Dear Dr. Yakovlev: / To the Search Committee:/

I am writing to apply for the tenure track Assistant Professor position / the tenure track 
faculty position in statistics at the rank of assistant professor / in the Department of 
Biostatistics and Computational Biology at the University of Rochester starting August 2004, 
as advertised in the IMS Bulletin / October issue of Amstat News /. I expect to receive my 
Ph.D. in the summer of 2004 from the Division of Biostatistics at the Medical College of 
Wisconsin. 

I am honored to have Dr. John P. Klein as my dissertation advisor. In my dissertation, 
entitled "Inference for the Shared Power Variance Function Frailty Model and the Correlated 
Inverse Gaussian Frailty Model", I study frailty models in survival analysis. In survival 
analysis, frailty models are commonly used to model dependent event times. In the first part 
of my dissertation, I assume that the frailty is shared inside each group and the frailty 
distribution belongs to a very general family, and find a stepwise procedure to specify a 
simpler model. The EM algorithm is employed to estimate the risk coefficients and frailty 
parameters. A simulation study is used to evaluate the performance of these estimators and 
of the model selection procedure. In the second part of my thesis a more general frailty 
model is studied, where we assume that inside each group, individual frailties are 
correlated. Estimation and testing procedures are also performed under this model. In both 
models we consider covariates so these are extensions of the Cox model.

Majoring in Probability and Statistics, I got my B.S. and M.S. from Peking University, one 
of the most respected universities in China. In 1999 I started my Ph.D. at the Division of 
Biostatistics at Medical College of Wisconsin where I successfully fulfilled coursework with 
a GPA of 3.95. 

In the Medical College of Wisconsin, as a research assistant I did research on several 
projects and grants with some faculty members. These research included developing and 
comparing multiple comparison adjustment procedures in survival analysis, using  factor 
analysis and cluster analysis for questionnaire design, manipulating pedigree data, and 
developing and implementing Markov Chain Monte Carlo technique for a Bayesian TDT test for 
binary traits. I also worked on some consulting projects with our consulting manager during 
the summer semester of the year 2000. In the enclosed curriculum vitae and research 
statement, I have included more details about these experiences.
I taught a variety of courses at both the undergraduate level and the graduate level. In 
1988-1991, I taught Advanced Algebra and Advanced Calculus to undergraduates at Wuhu 
Teacher's College. In 1994-1999, at Beijing Institute of Technology, I taught two 
undergraduate courses, Advanced Algebra and Introduction to Probability and Statistics. I 
also taught three graduate level courses; Advanced Statistics, Applied Linear Models, and 
Multivariate Statistical Analysis. In 1997, my efforts were recognized by my peers as well 
as by my students and I was awarded the SMC Teaching Fellowship.

Given my research experience in survival analysis, reliability, and other fields, along with 
my 8 years' teaching experience at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, I am 
confident that I would be a good addition to your department.

For your review, please find enclosed my curriculum vitae, teaching philosophy and research 
statement. Letters of recommendation by professors, whose names and contact information are 
listed at the end of my curriculum vitae, will be sent to you directly. The names with 
contact information for references are listed at the end of my curriculum vitae. My Ph.D. 
transcripts will be sent to you by our Graduate School. I would appreciate the opportunity 
for a personal interview to discuss my qualifications and possible employment with you. 
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. I thank you for your 
time and consideration and look forward to hearing from you.


Sincerely,




Hong Wang
9130 W. Bluemound Rd.
Milwaukee, WI 53226
Work:  (414)456-4964
Home: (414)443-5047 
E-mail: hongwang@mcw.edu

Enclosures