Drs. Andrews and Tuma Present at the 2023 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Actuaries

Envision Tomorrow, the American Academy of Actuaries Annual Meeting brings actuaries, policymakers, and thought leaders together to discuss today’s top issues while enjoying the sights of the nation’s capital. This event provides a platform for actuaries interested in learning more about public policy and professionalism to explore these issues and to engage directly with policymakers, regulators, and experts.

Fielding Alumna Dr. Dorothy Andrews and Fielding faculty Dr. Regina Tuma will be part of a panel on Shedding Light on Hidden Bias in Big Data and Algorithms at the 2023 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Actuaries. The panel will occur on November 14 at 3:30 pm and include opening remarks by Rayid Ghani, Distinguished Career Professor, Joint Appointment in the Machine Learning Department, and the Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University.

The Sheddling Light on Hidden Bias distinguished panel of scholars and regulators will examine how bias is embedded in data and algorithms that oppress disadvantaged communities socially, psychologically, and financially. They will shed much-needed light on how statistical, cognitive, and systemic biases hidden in big data and algorithms creates adverse outcomes for insurance consumers in disadvantaged communities. The panel will also suggest methods for addressing and mitigating algorithmic bias.

Panel Moderator: Dorothy L. Andrews, Ph.D., MAAA, ASA, CSPA, Chairperson, Data Science and Analytics Committee

Panelists: Jessica Jackson, Ph.D., American Psychological Association Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest; James Gusczca, Ph.D., FCAS, Consulting Actuary and Data Scientist; Philip Barlow, MAAA, FSA, District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities, and Banking; Regina Tuma, Ph.D., Faculty in Media Psychology, Fielding Graduate University; Esther Kahng, Chief Counsel, House Committee on Financial Services

About the American Academy of Actuaries

The American Academy of Actuaries is a D.C.-based 19,500+ member professional association whose mission is to serve the public and the U.S. actuarial profession. Academy members include consultants, corporate executives and staff, regulators, government officials, academics, and retired actuaries. Their areas of practice cover pensions, life insurance, casualty insurance, health insurance, financial reporting, risk management, and more.

The Academy assists public policymakers on all levels by providing leadership, objective expertise, and actuarial advice on risk and financial security issues. The Academy also sets qualification, practice, and professionalism standards for actuaries credentialed by one or more of the five U.S.-based actuarial organizations in the United States.

Dorothy Andrews is the Senior Behavioral Data Scientist and Actuary for the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. She has more than 25 years of actuarial and statistical modeling experience with life insurance companies, property and casualty insurance companies, reinsurance companies, international consulting firms, and government agencies. She serves as adjunct faculty at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in the Mathematics and Statistics Department, teaching predictive analytics.

Dorothy is an Associate of the Society of Actuaries, a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries, and a Certified Specialist in Predictive Analytics (CSPA). She holds a Ph.D. in Media Psychology. Her research focus is on how big data and algorithms are altering our perceptions of risk, differentially and adversely impacting communities of color, and undermining human autonomy with automated decision-making systems. Dorothy believes that because insurance is becoming mediated more and more by mobile, wearable, and AI technologies, human oversight is critical to ensuring these technologies are operating ethically and with transparency to prevent disparate impacts on those segments of society who lack the privilege and resources to avert their ill effects.

Regina M. Tuma is a professor in the doctoral program in Media Psychology at Fielding Graduate University.  Her interests generally explore the relationship between mind and technology with a focus on the role of technology as proxy definitions of thinking in psychology.

Dr. Tuma teaches courses in the psychology of bias and big data analytics; the psychology of influence and social media; social media research methods; mind and technology; and understanding artificial intelligence through the psychology of learning and insight.