MS Capstone program 2025 graduation highlights

March 18, 2025

Group photo of the UW Biostatistics MS Capstone program class of 2025 — Students participating in the MS Capstone graduation ceremony held March 14, 2025 at the University of Washington Hans Rosling Center

University of Washington Master of Science in Biostatistics Capstone program graduates were recognized in a ceremony held Friday, March 14 at the Hans Rosling Center for Population Health.

MS Capstone Director and Professor of Biostatistics Kathleen Kerr applauded students on “discovering our quirky and collaborative field of biostatistics” and congratulated them on their accomplishments.

"I hope that you were drawn to biostatistics because you're an innately curious person, and you have high standards for the rigor of advancing human knowledge, and I hope that that will only grow over your careers. We are extremely proud of you for all your hard work, and how much you've grown over the time you were here. We're really excited to see where your careers lead you and I'd like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all of the graduates,” said Kerr.

Dr. Jon Wakefield speaks at 2025 UW Biostatistics graduation ceremony for MS Capstone program. — Dr. Jon Wakefield addressing students at the 2025 MS Capstone Graduation ceremony on March 14, 2025.

Jon Wakefield, UW professor of biostatistics and statistics, gave the commencement address. He relayed how impressed he was with the work of the graduating cohort and reflected on his experience releasing worldwide COVID excess deaths estimates for the World Health Organization, which was met with controversy.

“Getting a biostatistics master's degree is really an ideal springboard for doing all sorts of things. There's a lot of uncertainty in the world right now, and we urgently need people like you to go out there and assess people's claims, coolly evaluate them and call out those saying things that are not true. You've got to have the courage of your convictions and know you have to do what's right,” said Wakefield.

Lurdes Inoue, the Gilbert S. Omenn Endowed Chair in Biostatistics, and Ken Rice, professor and graduate program director, joined Kerr in presenting the graduating class.