Knashawn H. Morales

Affiliation: Associate Professor of Biostatistics in Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

Knashawn H. Morales is one of two daughters born and raised in North Carolina to loving and supportive parents. From an early age, she developed an appreciation for science and public health. Having a mother and father who were trained as a chemist and architectural engineer, respectively, likely influenced her love for science. Another influential person was her aunt, educated as a nurse, who had a successful career in public health.

Morales’s decision to attend Hampton University, a historically Black university in Virginia, was inspired by the precedent set by her grandmother, mother, aunt, and godmother. After her first semester as a math major, a professor noticed Morales’s potential and advocated for her acceptance into a science-, engineering-, and math-focused scholarship program. The program consisted of a small cohort of students who were exposed to academic enrichment programs and conducted research during the academic year with faculty. This experience drew her attention to research as a career path.

At the end of Morales’s sophomore year, she was accepted as a summer research scholar under the direction of Lloyd Edwards at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the biostatistics department. It was through that summer internship that she discovered biostatistics, which combined her passions for math and public health. Morales was fortunate to share this experience with her then roommate, Scarlett Bellamy. The two of them went on to pursue graduate degrees in biostatistics at the Harvard School of Public Health with Louise Ryan as their adviser.

Morales became a research scientist at the New England Research Institutes after earning her doctorate. Within two years, she joined the University of Pennsylvania, where she collaborated with investigators on research focusing on mental health services and behavioral modification interventions for asthma, insomnia, weight management, and HIV/STD risk reduction. Morales also enjoyed working with early-career investigators as director of the biostatistics and data management core of the Penn Mental Health and AIDS Research Center.

Another way Morales likes to contribute is actively participating in outreach and diversity initiatives in biostatistics. She enjoys formal and informal mentoring of both students and early-career professionals. She noted, “I am blessed to have had wonderful mentors along my journey and can only hope to pay it forward by being a positive influence for others.”

Morales has had many memorable moments throughout her career. Her proudest moment was the successful defense of her doctoral dissertation. However, she stated, “I am equally proud of the achievements of the students I have been privileged to mentor.” She recently attended a doctoral defense for a student she mentored in an undergraduate research project. She also noted she was proud to have her parents and husband witness her induction as a fellow of the American Statistical Association.