External Nominations and Awards Committee Members

In 2017, the ASA leadership convened the External Nominations and Awards Committee with the specific charge to do the following:

• Identify boards, committees, and other bodies external to statistics to which statisticians should be appointed to assist in advancing science and raising the profile of the profession
• Identify high-profile awards (external to the American Statistical Association) for which some ASA members might be eligible
• Identify people who should be nominated for these positions or awards, assess eligibility, and contact those individuals who would be able to effectively nominate the ASA member

The focus is on opportunities of high impact and visibility outside the statistical profession.

The rationale for forming the committee was clear: Statisticians have an important role in helping make evidence-based decisions in a world awash in data an should serve on expert panels, advisory committees, and commissions where their expertise can enrich collaborative deliberations.

Statisticians have been indispensable in playing these roles over a long period and they and the profession should be recognized.

Outcomes of Committee Activity

Members of the External Nominations and Awards Committee take pride in nominating ASA members for external awards and share in the nominee’s joy when a nomination is successful. For example, the committee nominated James O’Malley from Dartmouth for the 2019 Award for Excellence in Methodology in Health Economics and Outcomes Research from the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research based on his original research published in Statistics in Medicine in 2019. O’Malley’s award-winning work investigated the relationship between individuals’ proximity to fast-food establishments and their body mass index.

The award not only brought personal honor to O’Malley but also public visibility to his home institution, which featured his winning in its news feeds and on multiple websites.

When interviewed, O’Malley said, “The award is testimony to the increasingly important role that statistics plays in society and … it depicts the profession of statistics in a very positive light.”

Benefit of Professional Services

Since its inception, the External Nominations and Awards Committee has collaborated with ASA sections and committees to nominate ASA members to serve on external boards and committees.

As John Tukey famously said, “The best thing about being a statistician is that you get to play in everyone’s backyard.” Statisticians bring unique insights to collaborative efforts, because their knowledge is critical to nearly all applied sciences. However, these insights can only bear fruit if statisticians have a seat at the table when decisions are being made.

Besides representing the statistical profession, serving on external committees or boards offers networking opportunities that can open new doors. The JSM 2020 session “E Pluribus Unum: Achieving Your Potential in Statistics Through Different Organizations” focused on the benefits of serving in professional societies and on external boards and offered tips for building networks. With the right timing, this can be a great way to grow professionally for many statisticians.

Finding Nominees

Members of the External Nominations and Awards Committee need the help of all statistician colleagues, as they are limited by their knowledge of individual statisticians who might be eligible for award or committee opportunities. To expand the committee’s reach, especially to increase the nomination of diverse candidates, committee members frequently depend on sections, other ASA committees/groups, and the ASA community to identify potential candidates. When asked to help identify candidates in the future, consider who may be eligible, especially candidates who go beyond “the usual suspects.” The committee is committed to broadening the candidate pool and nominating diverse candidates in terms of race, ethnicity, sex, gender, and other characteristics.

Submitting Nominations

On multiple occasions, committee members have reached out to candidates who could represent the profession well, but the inquiries went unanswered. If the profession does not have trailblazers who are willing to put their hats in the ring, statisticians may never break the holds on prestigious awards by researchers from other scientific fields.

When a member of the External Nominations and Awards Committee reaches out about going after an external opportunity or award, give the invitation serious consideration. Respond even if your answer is negative, ideally with suggestions for other eligible candidates. There is no better way to expand the profession’s reach than by putting ASA members on influential boards and committees and helping them win prestigious awards.

External Nominations and Awards Committee Members
Christy Chuang-Stein
Mary Batcher
Amit Bhattacharyya
Joseph Cappelleri
Felicity Boyd Enders
Lee-Ann Hayek
Regina Liu
Sastry Pantula
Kimberly Sellers
David Marker