Contributed by Robert Oster, Section Publications Officer

Officers of the Teaching of Statistics in the Health Sciences (TSHS) Section recognize the following JSM TSHS award winners for 2014:

• Outstanding Teaching Award: Bart Holland, Rutgers University
• Best Contributed Paper Award: Aimee Schwab, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, for “Using a Virtual Island Population to Teach Statistics, Epidemiology, Clinical Trials, and More”

During 2015, the section will offer the Distinguished Achievement Award, Young Investigator Award, Outstanding Teaching Award, and Best Contributed Paper Award (at JSM 2015).

The Distinguished Achievement Award, presented every two years (odd-numbered years), recognizes a section member who has provided outstanding long-term service to the section and the ASA (typically through serving in multiple official positions in the Section and the ASA). Consideration for this award requires a formal nomination by a section member (self-nominations are not allowed). Prior recipients are ineligible. The nomination letter should summarize the nominee’s contributions to the section and the ASA in general, including officer positions, committee membership, development and promotion of initiatives, activity and participation at JSM, and other related activities.

The Young Investigator Award, presented annually, recognizes an outstanding young investigator (i.e., a current graduate student or recent graduate who received his/her terminal degree no more than seven years ago and is in a position with rank below associate professor and does not hold tenure or its equivalent) who is the first author of an abstract submitted to the TSHS section for JSM. The abstract must be related to the use of effective methods in statistics education or innovative statistics education research in the health sciences. Consideration for this award requires a nomination letter, copy of the abstract, an accompanying full paper for the submitted abstract, copy of the nominee’s curriculum vitae (with emphasis on activities related to teaching or statistics education research in the health sciences), and a statement of the nominee’s philosophy of teaching or summary of the nominee’s program in statistics education research. Prior recipients of either this award or the section’s Distinguished Achievement Award are ineligible. All nominations must be made with the consent of the nominee, and self-nominations are allowed.

The Outstanding Teaching Award, presented annually, recognizes an outstanding statistics educator and mentor in the health sciences. Consideration for this award requires a nomination letter summarizing the nominee’s teaching/training and mentoring record in the health sciences, copy of the nominee’s curriculum vitae (with emphasis on activities related to teaching/training and mentoring in the health sciences), statement of the nominee’s philosophy of teaching, and three letters of reference submitted by colleagues of the nominee summarizing his/her teaching/training and mentoring accomplishments. Prior recipients of either this award or the section’s Distinguished Achievement Award are ineligible. All nominations must be made with the consent of the nominee, and self-nominations are allowed.

Details about these awards will be announced via email and posted at the TSHS website. The deadline for receipt of nominations is March 6. Winners of these awards will be notified in April and formally recognized at the TSHS business meeting and mixer at JSM 2015 in Seattle.