Adriana Pérez fell in love with biostatistics after visiting Cenicafe. She was affected by how the analyses of experimental designs helped determine the best fertilizers, worms, and plantain trees to help the coffee trees, which then benefit the lives of the coffee growers. As a professor in the department of biostatistics and data science at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, she has taught more than 1,950 students.
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month
Samuel Echevarría-Cruz
From his first undergraduate social statistics course, Samuel Echevarría-Cruz fell in love with both the analytical precision and creative power of statistical methods. He now spends his time teaching sociology courses to Austin Community College students and statistics in local MBA and MPH programs. He is also proud of his Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage.
Carlos I. Alatorre
Carlos I. Alatorre was inspired by his parents—particularly his dad, a math-loving engineer and strong advocate for academic excellence. As global senior director of real-world analytics and, most recently, senior director of medical and clinical development at Lilly Capabilities Center in India, he has helped Eli Lilly’s mission to develop medicines that make life better for people around the world.
Joan Georgette Staniswalis
Joan Georgette Staniswalis was professor emerita at The University of Texas at El Paso and a fellow of the American Statistical Association. Her fluency in the customs and languages of two lands—combined with her exceptional intelligence, spiritual sensitivity, and generosity—made her a beloved mentor to legions of students, colleagues, and co-parishioners. She passed away in 2018.
Bárbara J. Robles
Bárbara J. Robles has been applying statistics and economics since grade school as a 4-H member and then a tax examiner for the IRS. She moved onto revenue estimation and forecasting for the Joint Committee on Taxation and sharing research on the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). She is currently engaged in research exploring data collection methods and survey protocol addressing hard-to-reach populations and neglected communities, digital divide issues in community economic development, economic inclusion, tax and financial education, the gig economy, and entrepreneurship/self-employment.
Alicia Carriquiry
Working on applications has been Alicia Carriquiry’s passion and the reason she was elected to the National Academy of Medicine. Today, she leads CSAFE, a National Institute of Standards and Technology Center of Excellence with a focus on forensic statistics.
Miguel Marino
As an associate professor of biostatistics at Oregon Health & Science University, Miguel Marino’s work earned him recognition in 2020 when he was selected by the National Academy of Medicine as an Emerging Leader in Health and Medicine Scholar.
Beimar Iriarte
Beimar Iriarte applies statistics to biochemical assays, marker discovery, development, and diagnostic and analytical performance evaluation, integrating laboratory science, statistics, and metrology.
Mario Marazzi
Mario Marazzi was born in Puerto Rico, where he observed early on the difficulties that arise with unreliable official statistics. He is the first Puerto Rican elected member of the International Statistical Institute and serves on the Census Scientific Advisory Committee.
Brisa N. Sánchez
In a rural town along the US-Mexico border, Brisa N. Sánchez developed her love for math by making change for customers at her parents’ small grocery store. Eventually, she earned her PhD in biostatistics from Harvard and became a professor at the University of Michigan before taking on her current position as Dornsife Endowed Professor of Biostatistics at Drexel University.