UW Biostatistics community member contributions and accomplishments in 2023.
Research

Peter Gilbert shares how decades of HIV research and community activism shaped COVID vaccine development
In the early 1990s, Peter Gilbert was a University of Washington (UW) undergraduate, wondering what to do with his math degree. At this time, the HIV/AIDS epidemic was reaching its peak in mortality rates, and treatment for HIV (antiretroviral therapies) had not yet been developed. Not only were communities devastated by the epidemic, but people with AIDS were stigmatized for being infected. Gilbert wanted to do something to change this.
“I felt some kind of calling to try to be compassionate through what I knew, which was math, and work toward making a difference in HIV,” Gilbert said.
Gilbert has been making that difference, both in the field of HIV, and most recently, COVID-19. Gilbert is now a biostatistician and professor at UW, in the School of Public Health and Fred Hutch Cancer Center, where he works on the design and analysis of clinical trials of candidate vaccines for HIV and other infectious diseases. Read the story
- Specialized training could contribute to overdiagnosis of skin cancer, November 8, 2023 (Kathleen Kerr)
- Simpler models to identify suicide risk perform similarly to more complex ones, March 23, 2023 (Susah Shortreed, affiliate faculty)
- UW-led team receives $4.2M grant to develop AI-guided brain stimulation methods aimed at treating mental health disorders, January 17, 2023 (Ali Shojaie)
- Data Gaps: Together, we can help interpret cold-case forensic samples using more advanced statistical analysis, March 31, 2023 (Bruce Weir)
- SPH researchers, including two from UW Biostatistics, to work on six early-stage UW Population Health Initiative projects, November 9, 2023 (Lianne Sheppard, Matt Conomos)
- Biostatistics faculty are members of the center leadership for Asian, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander initiative, September 14, 2023 (Gary Chan, Garnet Anderson)
Faculty Leadership, Awards and Recognition

Bruce Weir, pioneer in statistical genetics and forensic science, retires
Weir retired from the University of Washington in August, but leaves a lasting legacy through the many biostatisticians, forensic specialists, and data scientists he has mentored and trained along the way. Read the story
- Honoring Dick Kronmal - A lifetime commitment to innovation, rigor, and collaboration, June 18, 2023 (Dick Kronmal)
- Kathleen Kerr named MS Capstone Program director, September 5, 2023 (Kathleen Kerr)
- Michael Wu receives Bob Riffenburgh award, August 15, 2023 (Michael Wu)
- Ali Shojaie elected fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, April 24, 2023 (Ali Shojaie)
- Internationally recognized researcher joins biostatistics faculty, February 29, 2023 (Andrea Rotnitzky)
- Faculty promotions, retirements, and new hires in UW Biostatistics, September 5, 2023
- UW faculty member Yates Coley receives Emerging Leader Award, April 7, 2023 (Yates Coley)
Student Achievement

Biostatistics student receives NSF research fellowship
Ellen Graham, a doctoral student in biostatistics at the University of Washington has been awarded the prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Read the announcement
- Biostatistics summer internship highlights for 2023, October 10, 2023
- Biostatistics students apply statistical skills to 2023 capstone projects, April 4, 2023
- Biostatistics student honored for academic achievement, October 5, 2023 (Awan Afiaz)
- UW Biostatistics students receive Office of the Dean Master’s Fellowship Awards for 2023, April 25, 2023 (Alejandro Hernandez, Obehi Ikpea)
Other items of interest
- Alumni ‘pay it forward’ as mentors for UW Biostatistics students (November 17, 2023)
- Summer Institutes 2024 brings shifts in leadership, locations, and dates
- Rebecca A. Hubbard recipient of 2023 Gertrude M. Cox Award, June 6, 2023 (Rebecca Hubbard)
- UW Biostatistics alumnus Peter Sasieni named Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, November 20, 2023 (Peter Sasieni)