For a complete list of my publications, please visit my Google Scholar page.

Estimating and evaluating (optimal) dynamic treatment regimes

My methodological research combines causal inference, machine learning, and statistical inference techniques to create and evaluate treatment decisions tailored to each individual, or dynamic treatment regimes. This body of work is motivated by and grounded in real-world, applied examples within public health and policy.

  • Montoya LM, Kosorok MR, Geng EH, Schwab J, Odeny TA, Petersen ML. Efficient and robust approaches for analysis of SMARTs: Illustration using the ADAPT‐R trial. Biometrics. 2022. [link] [code]
  • Montoya L, van der Laan M, Skeem J, Petersen M. Estimators for the value of the optimal dynamic treatment rule with application to criminal justice interventions. The International Journal of Biostatistics. 2022. [link] [code]
  • Montoya L, van der Laan M, Luedtke A, Skeem J, Coyle J, Petersen M. The optimal dynamic treatment rule superlearner: considerations, performance, and application to criminal justice interventions. The International Journal of Biostatistics. 2022. [link] [code]
Causal inference methods for US carceral system reform

I closely collaborate with Dr. Jennifer Skeem, professor at the Goldman School of Public Policy, and the federal Administrative Office of the US courts applying point-treatment and longitudinal causal inference methods for reducing recidivism and racial disparities in the US criminal legal system. In particular, I am the lead statistician for a randomized controlled trial examining the efficacy of a cognitive behavioral treatment program for justice-involved individuals with mental illness (“Interventions”; PIs: Skeem & Turner; Arnold ventures).

  • Skeem JL, Montoya LM, Lowenkamp C. Place Matters: Racial Disparities in Pretrial Detention Recommendations Across the U.S. [provisionally accepted to Federal Probation; pre-print link]
  • Skeem JL, Montoya LM, Lowenkamp C. Understanding Racial Disparities in Federal Pretrial Detention Recommendations to Inform Policy Solutions. [provisionally accepted to Criminology and Public Policy; pre-print link]
  • Dickerson KL, Skeem JL, Montoya L, Quas JA. Using positive emotion training with maltreated youths to reduce anger bias and physical aggression. Clinical Psychological Science. 2020. [link]
  • Skeem JL, Montoya L, Manchak SM. Comparing costs of traditional and specialty probation for people with serious mental illness. Psychiatric Services. 2018. [link]
  • Skeem JL, Manchak S, Montoya L. Comparing public safety outcomes for traditional probation vs specialty mental health probation. JAMA psychiatry. 2017. [link]
Collaborative projects in implementation science

I am currently a co-Investigator on the sequential multiple assignment randomized trial (SMART) called Adaptive Strategies to Prevent and Treat Lapses of Retention in HIV Care for Adolescents (“A4A”; PIs: Geng & Abuogi; R01NR018801). Prior to this, I was lead statistician for A4A’s predecessor, a SMART called Adaptive Strategies to Prevent and Treat Lapses of Retention in HIV Care (“ADAPT-R; PIs: Geng & Petersen; R01MH104123).

  • Geng EH, Odeny TA, Montoya L, Iguna S, Kulzer J, Adhiambo F, Eshun-Wilson I, Akama E, Nyandieka E, Guze M, Shade S, Packel L, Camlin C, Thirumurthy H, Bukusi E, Petersen M.Adaptive Strategies for Engagement in HIV Treatment: A Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial among Persons Living with HIV in Kenya. 2023. [provisionally accepted to NEJM Evidence; link forthcoming]
  • Abuogi LL, Kulzer JL, Akama E, Odeny TA, Eshun-Wilson I, Petersen M, Shade SB, Montoya LM, Beres LK, Iguna S, Adhiambo HF. Adapt for adolescents: Protocol for a sequential multiple assignment randomized trial to improve retention and viral suppression among adolescents and young adults living with HIV in Kenya. Contemporary Clinical Trials. 2023. [link]
  • Pokaprakarn T, Prieto J, Price J, Kasaro M, Sindano N, Shah H, Peterson M, Akapelwa M, Pailya F, Sebastião Y, Goodnight W, Stringer E, Freeman B, Montoya L, Chi B, Rouse D, Cole S, Vwalika B, Kosorok M, Stringer J. AI estimation of gestational age from blind ultrasound sweeps in low-resource settings. NEJM Evidence. 2022. [link]
  • Iguna S, Getahun M, Lewis-Kulzer J, Odhiambo G, Adhiambo F, Montoya L, Petersen ML, Bukusi E, Odeny T, Geng E, Camlin CS. Attitudes towards and experiences with economic incentives for engagement in HIV care and treatment: Qualitative insights from a randomized trial in Kenya. PLOS Global Public Health. 2022. [link]
Early childhood development

Prior to my training in biostatistics, I was a part of various research groups looking at the origins of human cognition and neurobehavioral processes.

  • Velez ML, McConnell K, Spencer N, Montoya L, Tuten M, Jansson LM. Prenatal buprenorphine exposure and neonatal neurobehavioral functioning. Early human development. 2018. [link]
  • Montoya L, Westerlund A, Troller-Renfree S, Righi G, Nelson CA. The effect of heterogeneous race exposure during infancy. Cognitive Development. 2017. [link]
  • Vanderwert RE, Westerlund A, Montoya L, McCormick SA, Miguel HO, Nelson CA. Looking to the eyes influences the processing of emotion on face‐sensitive event‐related potentials in 7‐month‐old infants. Developmental Neurobiology. 2015. [link]