Leslie McClure and Scarlett Bellamy

The Annie T. Randall Innovator Award was established to recognize early-career statistical innovators across all job sectors and honor path-breaking Black female statistician Annie T. Randall for her pioneering career in government amid pervasive racial discrimination. Established in 2020 by the Biometrics Section, the award provides a $2,000 prize each year and is co-sponsored by the Mental Health Statistics Section. The inaugural awardee is Loni Tabb, an associate professor at Drexel University.

Loni Tabb, associate professor at Drexel University and recipient of the first Annie T. Randall Innovator Award

A native of the Philadelphia area, Tabb earned her BS in mathematics from Drexel University and promptly went for an MS in mathematics, also at Drexel. During her master’s degree program, a professor introduced her to the biostatistics field and she was sold. After completing her MS, she earned her PhD in biostatistics from Harvard University in 2010. Tabb’s dissertation work was in zero-inflated Poisson models, and she collaborated throughout her graduate work on applications in environmental health research, applying Bayesian spatial statistical methods to help understand health and social disparities.

From the beginning, Tabb was concerned with improving the health of the public and used her methodological work as an avenue to do so. After completing her PhD, Tabb returned to Drexel University as an assistant professor of biostatistics; in September 2017, she was promoted to associate professor and awarded tenure, reflecting her dedication to excellence in teaching, service, and cultivating a diverse and inclusive environment, in addition to her research.

Tabb has made significant contributions to the statistical literature in several areas, most notably Bayesian spatial methods. While the public health applications have differed, Tabb’s work has consistently provided interesting methodological approaches to difficult applied research questions. We talked with Tabb about this recognition, her career thus far in biostatistics, and her advice for early-career statisticians.

How does it feel to be the first recipient of the Annie T. Randall Innovator Award, and what does it mean to you that the ASA initiated this award?

I’m honored and humbled to be the first recipient of the Annie T. Randall award. Annie was a trailblazer. She was the first in many spaces, and I’m blessed to follow in such a powerful, path-breaking, Black female statistician’s footsteps. It is important for me, for many of us, to see leaders in the field that look like us. Annie was a fearless leader amid racial and sexual discrimination. The ASA recognizing her contributions and establishing this award in her name is a pivotal step to creating a more inclusive and diverse environment for the association. Not only does this speak volumes to (bio)statisticians new to the field but leaders in the field, as well.

Why did you become a biostatistician?

I became a biostatistician to blend my love of math and statistics and health. Biostatistics is a field that provides a collaborative environment, and I thrive in these types of settings, especially when trying to solve complex problems that range from missing data to complex data structures that warrant multilevel statistical frameworks to even transparency and reproducibility. As a biostatistician, I’m convinced my purpose is to help produce the evidence necessary to address the many public health challenges that plague our society, with an added focus on marginalized populations.

What drew you to spatial statistics?

Spatial statistics was an easy area for me to consider in terms of my training and research. I am a firm believer in where you live, learn, work, play, and worship having implications on health and social outcomes. Neighborhoods have such an effect on how we live our lives. Whether you live in a neighborhood filled with tons of green space and healthy and affordable food options or you live in a neighborhood that has been disinvested in and over-policed, one can predict (with some error, of course) the potential health outcomes that follow.

Being able to blend my love for math and statistics and health has allowed me to work in this space called spatial statistics, and I hope to continue to contribute to this space and move toward more solutions.

What do you like best about being a biostatistician?

I love that biostatisticians get to critically assess (via statistical methods that range from descriptive to inferential in nature) many public health challenges, ranging from racial/ethnic inequities in health outcomes like cardiovascular health to, even more recently, inequities in COVID mortality, morbidity, and even vaccination distribution. Biostatisticians are key to making sense of complex data that could stem from cohort studies, clinical trials, and even claims/administrative-based data. As a biostatistician, I love that we help make sense of the data. We present the facts and draw inference. In turn, this leads to more evidence-based solutions in addressing these various public health challenges.

Who inspires you?

Women in STE(A)M inspire me. As a little girl, I never considered science, technology, engineering, or even math as options to contemplate for a career. It wasn’t until I met strong, powerful women in STEM fields during my undergraduate training that I realized math and statistics were spaces built for someone like me. These women have been in spaces in which they were the only one … and that’s not easy. It’s uncomfortable at times, it’s isolating, it’s downright unfair to even walk into a space where you are the only one. In spite of all of that, all the women I know in STEM fields are bosses in their own right, have reached back to pull others (especially young women) forward, and are unapologetic about their gifts—which can be a challenge at times. But they do it, and they do it well. When I think of Annie T. Randall … she’s a boss … she’s a trailblazer … she paved the way for someone like me. And, for that, I’m grateful and blessed.

What advice might you have for folks who are starting off their careers?

My one piece of advice for those who are just starting their careers is to believe you belong. While there might be queues, signals, and/or societal norms that point toward the contrary, know you belong at the table. If you run into barriers getting a seat at said table, build one yourself.

Nominations and submissions for the Annie T. Randall Innovator Award are due by March 15 each year.