Amita Manatunga, Ph.D.Amita Manatunga, Ph.D., Professor of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health has been named the 22^nd recipient of UAB’s Janet L. Norwood Award. Given annually, the UAB Department of Biostatistics in the UAB School of Public Health presents the Norwood Award to recognize outstanding career achievement by a woman in statistical sciences. The award honors Dr. Janet L. Norwood, the first woman commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and past president of the American Statistical Association (ASA).

Manatunga holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and physics from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, a master’s degrees in statistics from Purdue University, and a doctorate in statistics from the University of Rochester. Her career began as Assistant Professor in the Division of Biostatistics at Indiana University before she joined the Emory University faculty as Assistant Professor in 1994. She currently leads as Chair of the Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies and co-founded the Eastern North American Region’s Biometrics Meeting Diversity Workshop. Manatunga has served as an active member of multiple committees, including the American Statistical Association, the Biometrics Society, the Gertrude M. Cox Scholarship for Women in Statistics Award Committee and ASA’s Committee on Women in Statistics. She is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association, has authored or co-authored over 130 peer-reviewed publications and has received several distinguished scientific awards during her career, including Emory University’s Women of Excellence Award, the Rollins School of Public Health's Thomas Sellers, Jr. Award, the Committee for Presidents of Statistical Societies’ Elizabeth L. Scott Award and in 2020, was named the inaugural Donna J. Brogan Professor of Biostatistics at Emory.

Manatunga will be presented with the Janet L. Norwood award and a $5,000 honorarium in Birmingham on September 21^st, then will give the Norwood Award distinguished lecture on UAB’s campus on September 22^nd. Learn more about the Janet L. Norwood Award.