JSM 2026 TSHS Section Awards

Section Awards, by Jaya M. Satagopan, PhD, Rutgers School of Public Health.

During 2026, TSHS presented three awards to our Section members – the Young Investigator Award, the Outstanding Teaching Award, and the Distinguished Achievement Award.

YOUNG INVESTIGATOR AWARD

Dr. Lee Kennedy-Shaffer, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biostatistics at Yale University, is the 2026 recipient of the Young Investigator Award. This award recognizes a young investigator for their promise as a statistics educator or in conducting statistics education research in the health sciences. Dr. Kennedy-Shaffer has made notable contributions to these areas. He developed an undergraduate curriculum in statistics and data science, with particular emphasis on Design of Experiments, described in his 2025 paper “An Undergraduate Course on the Statistical Principles of Research Study Design”, published in The American Statistician. The course responds to the continuing growth of Big Data and artificial intelligence, underscoring the importance of engaging students with core statistical principles and developing statistical literacy. A distinctive feature of the course curriculum is its integration of the concepts of survey sampling, observational studies, causal inference, and randomized experimental design, providing students with a foundation applicable across a wide range of fields and careers. The course builds on recommendations of the GAISE report and provides a bridge to more advanced statistical courses. It also emphasizes statistical communication: students critically evaluate published studies and prepare statistical critiques addressing study design, analysis choices, and results for both statistically advanced and lay audience. Dr. Kennedy-Shaffer demonstrates a strong commitment to preparing students to think critically about statistical evidence and to communicate statistical reasoning effectively.

OUTSTANDING TEACHING AWARD

The 2026 Outstanding Teaching Awardees were Dr. Janet Tooze, Wake Forest University, and Dr. Ada Youk, University of Pittsburgh. This award recognizes an outstanding statistics educator and mentor in health sciences.

Dr. Janet Tooze is Professor of Biostatistics and Data Science at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. In a career spanning more than two decades, Dr. Tooze has distinguished herself as a biostatistics educator, mentor, and researcher. She has served as course director for a diverse portfolio of courses, ranging from technically demanding courses such as Clinical Trial Methods to courses that develop professional skills essential for workforce readiness, including Research Grant Preparation and Scientific Writing. Dr. Tooze served as the MS Program Director from 2016 to 2024. During this time, she led a comprehensive curriculum redesign that resulted in the creation of the Learning Health Systems Science Track within the Translational and Health Science graduate program. This track is one of only two such programs nationally and is supported by an active T32 grant, with Dr. Tooze serving as MPI and Program Director. Dr. Tooze has also contributed to statistics education through tutorials, short courses, webinars, and publications addressing topics including measurement error, environmental exposures, misclassifications in observational studies, and nutritional data. Her longstanding contributions to the Section on Teaching Statistics in the Health Sciences include serving as a member of the Section’s Executive Committee from 2004 to 2006, Program Chair for JSM 2006, and a member of the Section’s career development committee from 2022 to 2025. Dr. Tooze has been recognized with numerous awards for her outstanding and sustained contributions to statistics education in the health sciences, including Wake Forest University’s Mentor of the Year Award, Research Educator Award, and Public Health Sciences Excellence in Faculty Teaching Award.

Dr. Ada Youk is Associate Professor in the Department of Biostatistics at University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health. Dr. Youk’s teaching portfolio spans more than three decades, with outstanding service contributions across undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral education. She has developed, designed, substantially redesigned and taught over 25 courses, ranging from introductory undergraduate level biostatistics courses to advanced doctoral level courses such as Applied Mixed Models, Applied Regression Analyses and Health Survey Methods. She also regularly lectures in other courses and has organized training workshops on microcomputing tools for public health students. Since 2021, Dr. Youk has served as Director of the Pitt Public Health’s Bachelor of Science in Public Health program, where she built the program curriculum from the ground up. She also led the creation of MS Biostatistics programs focused on Health Data Science and Statistical and Computational Genomics. Her commitment to mentorship is equally notable: she has mentored over 80 master’s students and over 25 doctoral students across programs including biostatistics, epidemiology, genetic counseling, and nursing. Dr. Youk has held several administrative leadership roles, including Vice Chair of Education and Director of MS Programs. She currently serves as Associate Dean for Undergraduate Academic Affairs, shaping curriculum, assessment, and educational policy across the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Public Health. Dr. Youk has been recognized with several honors for her outstanding and sustained contributions to education and teaching statistics in the health sciences. These include election as a Member of the International Statistics Institute, election to the Delta Omega National Honor Society in Public Health, and multiple teaching awards from University of Pittsburgh’s School of Public Health. 

DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Dr. Laila Poisson, Member of Henry Ford Cancer Institute, is the 2026 recipient of the Distinguished Achievement Award. This award recognizes a Section member who has provided outstanding long-term service to the Section. Dr. Poisson’s dedication to the Section is reflected in her extensive service and leadership. She served as Newsletter Editor in 2017 and 2018, during which, she led the Section’s transition from a traditional newsletter to a blog. This transition modernized the Section’s communication and created new opportunities to engage with members. She subsequently served as the Section’s Chair-Elect (2019), Chair (2020), and Past-Chair (2021), providing thoughtful guidance, strong leadership, and a deep commitment to the Section’s mission. Dr. Poisson has been a consistent presence in the Section’s JSM activities, contributing to programming, participation in the Section’s table in the Expo to promote TSHS, and attending the Section’s Mixer and sessions. Through these sustained contributions, Dr. Poisson has played an important role in supporting colleagues, fostering community, and strengthening the visibility and vitality of TSHS.