Rrita Zejnullahi, Ph.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor
Statistician
Office of Research
Pronouns: She / Her
Contact
Building & Room:
750 AHSB
Address:
1919 W. Taylor St.
Email:
CV Link:
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About
Dr. Rrita Zejnullahi’s research focuses on the development and application of statistical methods and tools to support evidence-based policy and decision-making. Her research interests include 1) extensions of meta-analysis methods to small sample situations , 2) the formulation of effect sizes and effect-size estimators for randomized and quasi-experiments when adjusting for covariates, and 3) the development and application of statistical methods to support refugee populations. She is also interested in generating empirical evidence about how policymakers and practitioners make decisions and in designing tools that better support their decision-making processes. She has worked on a range of substantive areas, including human rights statistics, sports epidemiology, mobility improvement among older adults and people with neurological disorders, lifestyle interventions that promote mental health, and the physiological mechanisms governing skeletal muscle blood flow during physical activity.
Key works: meta-analysis, experimental design, causal inference, human rights statistics
Selected Publications
Rrita Zejnullahi, Larry V. Hedges (2024). Robust variance estimation in small meta-analysis with the standardized mean difference. Research Synthesis Methods.
Larry V. Hedges, Elizabeth Tipton, Rrita Zejnullahi, Karina G. Diaz (2023). Effect sizes in ANCOVA and difference-in-differences designs. British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology. [Corresponding Author]
David Banks, Jessica Kunke, Rrita Zejnullahi (2025). How can statisticians support refugees?. CHANCE.
Jacob M. Schauer, Kaitlyn G. Fitzgerald, Sarah Peko-Spicer, Mena C. R. Whalen, Rrita Zejnullahi, Larry V. Hedges (2021). An evaluation of statistical methods for aggregate patterns of replication failure. Annals of Applied Statistics.
Karrie L. Hamstra-Wright, Ellie Gasso, Rrita Zejnullahi, John E. Coumbe-Lilley (2026). Suicide Rates in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Student-Athletes: A 12-Year Longitudinal Analysis. Journal of American College Health.
Natalia S. Lima, Ronald E. Jackson, Brooks A. Hibner, Sara R. Sherman, Bo Fernhall, Tracy Baynard, Craig Crandall, Shane A. Phillips, Rrita Zejnullahi, Philip S. Clifford (2025). Mechanisms of exercise-induced reduction in peripheral arterial stiffness. European Journal of Applied Physiology.
Publication Aggregators
Education
Ph.D., Statistics, Northwestern University, 2021
Licensures and Certifications
Inclusive Education Scholar, Center for the Advancement of Teaching Excellence (CATE) and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Engagement (ODEE), University of Illinois Chicago
Professional Memberships
American Statistical Association (ASA)
Society for Research Synthesis Methodology (SRSM)
Society for Causal Inference (SCI)