Following a national search, Jeff Szychowski, Ph.D., has been named chair of the Department of Biostatistics in the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health. Szychowski joined the department in 2007 and has held various leadership roles over the years, including Graduate Program Director, Vice Chair for Research, and Interim Chair, all of which have prepared him to lead the department.
“We are extremely fortunate to have Dr. Szychowski in this leadership role,” said Paul Erwin, M.D., DrPH, Dean of the School of Public Health. “It is a clear validation of his reputation and accomplishments that a national search for the chair position resulted in his appointment.”
Jeff Szychowski, Ph.D.In addition to his administrative positions in the Department of Biostatistics, Szychowski has served as the Director for the Biostatistics and Data Management Core in the UAB Center for Women’s Reproductive HealthOpens an external link. and President of the Alabama Chapter of the American Statistical AssociationOpens an external link.. His more than two decades of interdisciplinary teaching, mentoring, and research experience have equipped him with the unique skillset required to lead a department of accomplished researchers and collaborators who work closely with public health professionals and medical researchers across all areas of specialization and expertise, and who prepare the next generation of biostatisticians for careers in academia, government, industry, and more.
As chair, Szychowski says he is eager to position the department as a “destination of choice” for outstanding faculty, staff, and students. “I look forward to working with my colleagues to expand the department’s footprint and reputation as a leading resource for Biostatistics collaboration at UAB,” said Szychowski. “Together, we will grow the national visibility of UAB Biostatistics as a hub for data coordinating centers, methods development, and graduate education.”
The UAB Department of Biostatistics’ team of more than 70 faculty and staff share a vast and impressive research portfolio that includes the design and management of clinical trials and cohort studies, statistical genetics, and advancement of statistical methodology. Collectively, the department contributes to over $400 million in research projects at UAB with collaborators across UAB’s campus. In addition to research, the department is home to two doctoral degree programs, the Doctor of Philosophy in Biostatistics and the Doctor of Public Health with a concentration in Biostatistics, and two master’s degree programs, the Master of Science in Biostatistics and the Master of Science in Public Health. These educational offerings prepare students to apply and advance analytic methods to understand relationships and patterns in health-related data, communicate findings and results, and inform public health decisions to improve patient care.
In his role as chair, Szychowski says he is both “excited and honored to lead a department that is so well-poised for success and growth. I am enthusiastic about the future of the department and the significant impact we, our faculty, staff, and current and future alumni, will make on patient care and the health of the populations we serve.”