Mary Kwasny, ScD, professor of Preventive Medicine in the Division of Biostatistics, has received the American Statistical Association’s (ASA) Founders Award, the highest award the organization bestows for distinguished service.
“I was really touched to receive this award,” said Kwasny, who is also the measurement and analysis lead for the Center for Applied Health Research on Aging. “I have been volunteering with the ASA for almost 20 years and see that service as an integral part of my professional responsibility. I am committed to mentoring younger statisticians to ensure a vibrant and diverse future for the profession.”
She was recognized for her contributions to the ASA, include leadership of ASA chapters —in particular, her long and outstanding service to the Chicago Chapter — as well as serving as chair of the Council of Chapters Governing Board and on the ASA Board of Directors as Council of Chapters Representative. She also played a role in creating the Harry V. Robert Statistical Advocate Award and chairing the award committee. She served as the publications officer for the Section on Statistical Consulting, served on the Committee on Nominations, Conference on Statistical Practice Steering Committee, and supports fundraising work as the chair of the ASA Development Committee.
“I’m grateful that Northwestern has afforded me the opportunity to do this work,” Kwasny said. “It’s very gratifying to know that my contributions to the ASA will have a lasting impact and help shape and strengthen the field of statistics going forward.”
Since Kwasny joined Northwestern in 2009, she has worked with many investigators across several departments and divisions including the Department of Medicine’s divisions of General Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and Rheumatology, the Department of Preventive Medicine’s Division of Behavioral Medicine, the Department of Neurology, and more. As a biostatistician, she supports study design, analysis of data, and is concerned with the safety of data for patients and monitoring reporting to ensure that data is stored, maintained, and analyzed correctly.
“I often say that statistics provides the scaffolding for the building of research,” Kwasny said. “I enjoy the symbiotic relationship between principal investigators and statisticians – how I can learn about various research topics and, in turn, use my analytic knowledge to help them understand how the data they have collected can inform and advance their research.”
This is not her first recognition by the ASA: In 2015, she was named an ASA fellow for innovative analyses of health-related longitudinal studies, her unique ability to extract clinically useful messages; for her outstanding collaborations, curriculum development, and teaching in biostatistics and epidemiology; and for her exceptional service. The American Statistical Association is the world’s largest community of statisticians, known as the “Big Tent for Statistics.” It is the second-oldest, continuously operating professional association in the country. Since it was founded in Boston in 1839, the ASA has supported excellence in the development, application, and dissemination of statistical science. Its members serve in industry, government, and academia in more than 90 countries, advancing research and promoting sound statistical practice to inform public policy and improve human welfare.