Although neither Sharina D. Person’s parents went to college, they strongly encouraged her to attend. She majored in math, but realized she wanted a career that allowed her to help society. Fortunately, she was introduced to biostatistics and found her passion. For the last 20 years, Sharina has enjoyed a research career that directly affects the lives and well-being of society, in particular population health and health equity. Another of her passions is seeing the light bulb come on in a student, mentee, or colleague’s eyes when she has explained a difficult statistical concept in a way they can comprehend.
biostatistics
Alisa Stephens-Shields
Through various games and activities, Alisa Stephens-Shields learned she enjoys problem-solving and finding patterns. And a summer job in the lab of a theoretical ecologist gave her the thrill of contributing to knowledge through research. Therefore, after a gap year that included a 6-month community service immersion in Costa Rica, she enrolled in the doctoral program in biostatistics at Harvard University and is now an assistant professor in the department of biostatistics, epidemiology, and informatics at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.
Reneé H. Moore
Reneé Moore attended Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina—a small, historically Black, women’s college. She loved teaching and declared three majors: mathematics; secondary mathematics education; and psychology. One summer, she participated in the Harvard Summer Program in Biostatistics and the United Negro College Fund Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program, which set her on the path to becoming a biostatistician. Moore is currently a research professor at Drexel University; director of the Biostatistics Scientific Collaboration Center; and director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the department of epidemiology and biostatistics.
Sacks Award Winners to Speak During JSM Invited Session
The National Institute of Statistical Sciences Jerome Sacks Award for Outstanding Cross-Disciplinary Research recognizes sustained, high-quality, cross-disciplinary research involving the statistical and data sciences. This year’s recipients will speak as a panel at JSM 2022 in August.
Rhonda D. Fitzgerald
Rhonda followed in her father’s footsteps and earned her undergraduate degree in mathematics. After a family friend told her about this ‘new’ field called biostatistics, she propelled her journey forward and became the second African American to complete her PhD in biostatistics from Virginia Commonwealth University. Rhonda has received many awards and accolades as a tenured professor, but she is most proud of the relationships she has formed with her students and the impact she has made on their lives.
Chair Discusses Plans for Student and Young Professionals Committee
This month, The Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Corner is spotlighting the incoming cochairs of the Student and Young Professionals Committee—Robert Tumasian III and Lydia Gibson.
Biometrics Section Grant Helps Introduce Field to High-School Students
Biometrics Section member Michelle Shardell developed a virtual introduction to biostatistics for sophomores. Upon evaluation, more than 90 percent of responders would recommend the session, and interest in pursuing additional coursework or degree programs in biostatistics increased.
Jeffrey T. Leek Wins COPSS Presidents’ Award
The COPSS Presidents’ Award citation recognized Leek for influential work addressing high-dimensional data; for development of empirical tools for data science as a science with applications to meta-research, reproducibility, and replicability; for scaling (bio)statistics-centered data science education to millions of people worldwide; and for leveraging data science tools, educational technologies, and community partnerships to create economic opportunities in under-served communities.
Undergraduate Statistics Degrees Up 474% Since 2010
The increase in the number of universities granting statistics and biostatistics degrees also continues steadily.
2020 Bachelor’s Degree Recipients in Statistics Show Resilience
This spring’s respondents to the ASA survey of 2020 bachelor’s graduates reported a challenging, stressful, and prolonged job search, although the results also show an unemployment rate roughly the same as the rate for the 2016 and 2017 respondents, higher median salaries, and hiring by a variety of companies.