As I traveled to this year’s Joint Statistical Meetings in Portland, Oregon, I could not help reflecting on my journey—a journey marked by countless hours of anticipation, preparation, and collaboration. The meetings, known to most as simply JSM, is the world’s largest gathering of statisticians and data scientists. It is more than just an event to many of us—it is an opportunity to celebrate shared passions; shape the future of our field; and network, learn, and grow!
This year, my JSM experience began when I gaveled the start of the ASA Board Meeting on Friday morning. We had a full agenda including a financial report, reports from the Council of Sections and Council of Chapters representatives, and updates on ongoing activities. Sarah Cumbers, chief executive of the Royal Statistical Society and a guest at our meeting, shared many insights and—most importantly—reminded me that our opportunities and issues are global.
We were joined by ASA Past President Kathy Ensor and Dave Hunter, who provided updates about the ASA’s role in the accreditation body CSAB. Our participation as a member society has ensured the ASA has a strong voice in the development and implementation of data science program accreditation.
We also had a sneak peek at the episodes planned for JSM TV, a new way to promote the very latest in everything statistics. All the episodes are available on YouTube.
One of the most rewarding aspects of serving as ASA president is the opportunity to collaborate with so many smart and passionate individuals. After the packed agenda and productive deliberations of the ASA Board meeting, I felt immediately reenergized by Sunday’s First-Time Attendee Orientation and Reception. I was inspired by the energy and enthusiasm of the students and early-career attendees. Their passion and fresh perspectives are a reminder of why we do this work. Reflecting on my first JSM, the colleagues I met have remained important to my personal and professional development. I know the same will be true for the JSM 2024 first-timers.
On Monday, I had the pleasure of representing the ASA by recording a segment for JSM TV and moderating the President’s Invited Speaker presentation by Jason Matheny, with whom I am fortunate to work. As president and chief executive officer of RAND, Jason provides visionary leadership that blends an intense hope for the future with recognizing its threats and challenges. His talk served as a powerful reminder to statistical practitioners of the resilience and determination that drive our work. I think you will agree with his message: “(Our) profession has saved the world several times over.” This year, I saw many ways we are building on these past efforts and successes.
On Tuesday morning, I valued meeting participants of the Diversity Mentoring Program, organized by a dedicated organizing committee led by Prince Allotey and Stephanie Tillman. They discussed topics such as strategies and skills to succeed in the job market and career paths in statistics and related fields.
It was also incredible to attend the Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies annual meeting that day with presidents of other statistical societies. There are so many exciting initiatives being organized nationally and internationally across these societies. Both gatherings reinforced my belief in the power of mentoring, collaboration, and community.
Tuesday evening, I delivered my presidential address to our association and hosted the awards ceremony. I felt a mixture of trepidation and excitement. The first row was filled with family, colleagues, and friends, but there were also many new faces. I spoke about my commitment to evidence-based policy and the challenges faced, progress made, and opportunities that lay ahead. Following the talk, it was an honor to recognize the award recipients and 2024 ASA fellows. If you have not read the citations, I encourage you to look at the awards book. The citations provide evidence of the impact we are making.
On Wednesday, I attended the Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies award ceremony and was filled with pride for what the recipients had accomplished. The talk by Rob Tibshirani was inspiring and forward-thinking.
I ended my day by attending a reception honoring the JSM Program Committee, ably led by program chair Debashis Ghosh. The work of this group and countless others ensures JSM is a chance to come together, learn from each other, and build on our collective knowledge and experience. In my keynote, I highlighted three of my superheroes. The JSM Program Committee is made up of similar superheroes!
It was a rewarding experience to have the opportunity to talk with many new colleagues throughout JSM, and I am continuing to enjoy reading the many reflections being shared on LinkedIn. Searching for #JSM2024 and reading the posts illustrates the breadth and depth of the presentations at JSM. I cannot resist highlighting the following few:
- “Ever been to a buffet so massive you have no idea where to start? That’s what it feels like attending a conference with hundreds of parallel sessions!”
- “#JSM2024 gave me the amazing opportunity to meet one of the greatest Statisticians of the era, Prof. Robert Tibshirani, who proposed the LASSO Regression method which made a huge impact to the field of Statistics. He is a renowned Statistician who has more than 500,000 citations.”
- “Finally, I got to organize my first JSM contributed session on EEG data!”
- “#JSM2024 highlight: panel discussion focused on the evolving intersection of statistics & artificial intelligence”
- “With > 5k attendees, it was filled with exciting new research in single-cell and spatial ‘omics, survival analyses, tensors, LLMs, and a ton of other exciting areas. It was great meeting a ton of incredible statisticians behind this research, and plus, I got to participate in a JSM basketball game!”
- “As an undergraduate student, I had such a great, fun (and hard) time studying Christian Robert’s ‘Monte Carlo Statistical Methods.’ On Tuesday, I was incredibly lucky to be presenting a #MCMC method of mine in front of him, at American Statistical Association – ASA. Sometimes dreams do come true :-).”
- “Now I see why they call JSM the grand annual catch-up. Portland was such a sweet city! Excited for JSM 2025!”
As JSM 2024 ended, I felt a sense of fulfillment and pride. Also, I felt inspired—by the people I met, the ideas I encountered, and the possibilities I see ahead. The ideas and insights we shared are just the beginning—now it is up to us to take them forward, implement them in our work, and continue pushing the boundaries of our field. This has further reinforced my belief in the power of community and collaboration and reminded me we can drive positive change and have impact through the power of statistics!
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