Kat Hoffman, a biostatistics PhD student at the University of Washington School of Public Health, has been awarded the Gertrude M. Cox Scholarship by the American Statistical Association (ASA).
The award recognizes Hoffman’s methodological research developing machine-learning based methods drawing on causal inference on longitudinal interventions.
Hoffman’s research interests center on flexibly defining, identifying, and estimating causal parameters of interest. She is especially interested in the complexities that arise when studying continuous and time-varying exposures.
“I’m grateful to the ASA for the support to work on statistical methods that have a clear and immediate need for in clinical research. It’s a privilege to be in the UW's Biostatistics PhD program, where I have the opportunity to learn semiparametric theory and estimation methods from so many of the top researchers in my field alongside incredibly thoughtful and intelligent peers,” said Hoffman.
Hoffman currently works with Dr. Marco Carone on methods for establishing correlates of protection for respiratory pathogens as part of a collaboration with Dr. Helen Chu in the UW Department of Medicine.
“In no time, Kat has become an absolutely critical member of our scientific team,” said Carone. “While taking on a full course load, Kat has been simultaneously leading her own cutting-edge research on identifying biomarkers of COVID risk and supporting other doctoral students across the School in their research on infectious disease epidemiology. She brings to the table years of experience as a practicing biostatistician and an incredible skill set, including a deep understanding of statistical concepts, a keen scientific curiosity, outstanding programming proficiency, and an exceptional talent for data visualization. I feel very fortunate that Kat is a member of our research team and of our department, and cannot be happier that she has been recognized with this scholarship.”
Dr. Daniela Witten is a professor of biostatistics and statistics at UW and also speaks highly of Hoffman.
“Kat is a talented researcher whose strengths span the entire gamut of biostatistical skills: from application to methods development to the theory underlying those methods,” said Witten. “Her intellectual curiosity and passion for research in causal inference, as well as her scientific accomplishments to date, are exemplary. She is very deserving of this honor.”
Prior to attending UW, Kat worked as a research biostatistician at Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. Outside of her research collaborations, she participated in statistics methodology development and wrote tutorials for scientific journals, actively participated in the R-Ladies programming community, and wrote about career, programming, and statistics topics on her blog KHstats.
The Gertrude M. Cox Scholarship is sponsored by ASA’s Committee on Women in Statistics and Caucus for Women in Statistics and is awarded each year to two women: one in or entering the early stages of graduate training (MS or PhD) and one in a more advanced stage of training. Scholarship recipients receive a certificate and $1,000.
More: An interview with Kat Hoffman
Putting statistical theory into practice, biostatistics PhD student Kat Hoffman talks about her research and the gap between the development of new methodology and practical application in the field.
