Affiliation: Associate Professor of Statistics and Chair, Department of Mathematics, Winston-Salem State University

Felicia Simpson grew up in Albany, Georgia, having a love for mathematics. She always knew she wanted to attend college and major in something related to math, but she wasn’t always clear on the specific path she wanted to take. She ultimately decided to attend Albany State University, which is a historically Black university in Albany, and major in computer science with a minor in mathematics. During her first year, she took a mathematics course taught by Zephyrinus Okonkwo, which further sparked her passion for math. After that semester, she changed her major to mathematics.

Near the end of her undergraduate studies, Simpson still had not decided what she wanted to do next. She wasn’t really sold on getting a graduate degree in mathematics. She also had no clue about what job she could get with a mathematics degree. Okonkwo mentioned she should consider entering a biostatistics program. Simpson had no idea what biostatistics was, but started to research biostatistics programs after her meeting with Okonkwo. The idea of combining her love for mathematics and her love for helping people intrigued her. Also, losing her mother to a stroke made her want to study biostatistics so she could understand health disparities from a statistical point of view. Simpson decided to attend Florida State University’s graduate program in biostatistics.

Simpson began her career as a mathematical statistician at the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. While working there, she became an adjunct professor in the mathematics and statistics department at Montgomery College. She found she loved educating students and ultimately transitioned from government to academia and began her career at Winston-Salem State University. She chose to teach at a historically Black university because she is passionate about exposing under-represented students to statistics and biostatistics.

Simpson is an associate professor of statistics and newly elected chair in the department of mathematics. Her research interests include design and analysis of clinical trials and metrics of aging, with a current focus on interfaces among aging, diabetes, and lifestyle. She is an active member of the American Statistical Association and International Biometric Society and serves on the Eastern North American Region’s Regional Committee. She is also a member of the ASA’s Committee on Minorities in Statistics and served as co-chair for the ENAR Fostering Diversity in Biostatistics Workshop.

The proudest moment of Simpson’s career was graduating her first set of students majoring in mathematics with a concentration in statistics. “It was an amazing feeling watching these students grow in their abilities to analyze and interpret statistical data and really become confident in themselves,” Simpson said. “It was an indescribable experience to see them get accepted into graduate programs in statistics and biostatistics on scholarship and start their careers in statistics.”