David Blackwell, a pioneering African American mathematician and statistician, made significant contributions to statistical decision theory and game theory, notably co-authoring Theory of Games and Statistical Decisions. He had an impactful career as a professor, researcher, and advocate for statistical methods, becoming the first African American elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
RAND Corporation
Susan Paddock
When Susan Paddock started her undergraduate degree, two pivotal courses—health care reform and women’s health—introduced her to epidemiological literature and cost–benefit analysis, steering her toward a major in math and biostatistics. After earning her PhD from Duke, Paddock joined the RAND Corporation, where she applied statistical methods to health policy research. Notably, she contributed to designing a Medicare payment system for inpatient rehabilitation facilities, affecting federal programs and congressional deliberations. Since 2019, Paddock has held a leadership role at NORC at the University of Chicago, overseeing a diverse team of statisticians, survey methodologists, and data scientists working on national issues. She was also involved in testing the safety of self-driving cars. Collaborating with Nidhi Kalra of RAND in 2016, she highlighted the inadequacy of existing road tests to ensure public safety, drawing attention from a US Senate committee. Their paper on this topic stands as her most frequently cited work, showcasing the power of statistical thinking in addressing crucial societal concerns.
Maria DeYoreo
Maria DeYoreo developed a passion for swimming, running, and math when she was a child living in the Bay Area in California. While majoring in mathematics at UC Santa Barbara, she discovered her love for statistics when she attended an applied course using R. As a professional statistician at RAND, DeYoreo focuses on using statistical methods to inform public policy related to health and health care. In addition to her professional success, DeYoreo takes pride in her role as a parent to two young children and recently achieving a personal running record of a 1:35 half marathon.
Aligning Goals for Success
Warmest wishes to everyone in our ASA community and hopes for a peaceful, healthy, and productive 2024! I am both honored and humbled to be your ASA president in 2024. One of my first tasks—and a great pleasure—was to select a theme for the 2024 Joint Statistical Meetings, known to many as simply JSM. The […]
Obituary: S. James (Jim) Press
ASA member S. James (Jim) Press passed away in November 2020.
Madhumita (Bonnie) Ghosh-Dastidar
Her family called Bonnie Ghosh-Dastidar a human calculator when she was growing up, and it was her father who encouraged her to study computer science because it was the “future!” Eventually, Ghosh-Dastidar realized she wanted to do applied work and collaborate more so she turned to statistics. Currently, she works in health policy statistics and her first-authored article in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine is listed on the journal’s website as one of the most downloaded papers.