Assistant Professor, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
“The beautifully complex island of Jamaica is my birthplace. It is where my journey to becoming a biostatistician and quantitative researcher began,” Sharifa Z. Williams said. After two years of struggling with mathematics in high school, her mother registered her for extra lessons. Her teacher, Mr. Russell Bell, did more than teach her mathematics. His passion for mathematics found fertile ground in her and ignited an interest that deepened with time. By fourth form, Williams was performing so well in mathematics, she was admitted to the Cambridge subject Advanced Mathematics.
The next defining moment in her academic journey occurred when Williams was an undergraduate at Rutgers University. Her participation in a summer research program, Project L/Earn, introduced her to research in the social sciences and supported preparation for graduate study. After graduating from Rutgers with a bachelor’s in economics and a minor in mathematics, Williams continued her academic journey at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. There, she completed an MPH in health policy and management, an MS in biostatistics, and a PhD in biostatistics.
After her terminal degree, Williams spent four years as a full-time research scientist at the Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research. She then joined the faculty of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy as an assistant professor. Her work centers on two substantive themes. The first concerns the relationships among racism, socioeconomic disadvantage, and health, encompassing both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies of exposure to these social determinants and their impact on mental health, stress, and biologic aging. Equally important in this context is identifying resilience and resistance resources and assets that may mitigate the deleterious impact of race-based and socioeconomic inequities.
The second theme involves the application of statistical methods to improve research on health inequities in minoritized groups. This includes work in statistical methodology, extending Bayesian hierarchical modeling approaches to improve survey inference and modeling longitudinal data.
“One of the ways I choose to express my gratitude for the impactful mentorship I have received throughout my academic and professional journey is by paying it forward,” Williams said. “Mentoring is a deeply meaningful activity to me; I would even call it a passion.”
Williams serves as a mentor for both the American Statistical Association and Eastern North American Region of the International Biometric Society’s diversity mentoring programs and participates in and helps plan mentorship programs hosted by these programs, as well as StatFest. She also mentors students at Rutgers, the Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, and Columbia. “The cycle of mentorship and growth is one of the most gratifying aspects of my career,” Williams said. “Many of my proudest moments as a professional are tied to my mentees and their accomplishments. It is deeply fulfilling to see them develop and thrive.”
Williams is also proud to achieve her own goals, particularly ones that initially challenged her. She then uses her own journey as a source of encouragement and motivation for her mentees.
Leave a Reply