KUMC Biostatistics & Data Science

Lauren Yoksh and Derrick Asante are the 2025-2026 Outstanding Biostatistics Graduate Student Award winners! This award is presented annually by the Department faculty to honor an exceptional student(s) for his or her significant contributions and accomplishments in academic endeavors, research, community service, and leadership.

Congratulations to Lauren and Derrick! 🎉

The Outstanding Biostatistics & Data Science Mentoring Award has been presented to Dr. Prabhakar Chalise for the 2025-2026 academic year!

This award is given each year to a faculty member who has demonstrated extraordinary leadership in developing the career of KUMC Department of Biostatistics & Data Science faculty members early in their career.

Big congratulations to Dr. Chalise! 🎉

Mr. Alvin Beltramo has been awarded the Outstanding Graduate Faculty Online Teaching Award for the 2025-2026 academic year!

The award was established to confer honor upon educators who students feel best exemplify excellence in online teaching, who encourage critical thinking, and who demonstrate a willingness to go above and beyond to ensure student academic success.

Congratulations to you, Mr. Beltramo! 🎉

The 2025-2026 Outstanding Graduate Faculty Teaching Award has been awarded to Dr. Devin Koestler!

The award is presented annually by the Department of Biostatistics & Data Science to honor a faculty member for his or her significant contributions and accomplishments in teaching and educational leadership.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Koestler! 🎉

Congratulations 2026 Graduates! The University of Kansas School of Medicine Hooding Ceremony was held on Saturday, May 16th in Kansas City, KS. Graduates were recognized for their hard work and dedication.

Pictured is the department Platform Party and a few of our program graduates.

Big news! Dr. Jo Wick, Professor, has been elected a Fellow of The American Statistical Association!

This distinguished honor is given to a select group of statisticians who have made outstanding contributions to the field. We are incredibly proud of Dr. Wick’s accomplishments and the impact she has made on statistical science. Join us in celebrating this incredible achievement!

Official announcement: https://www.amstat.org/news-listing/2026/04/22/asa-recognizes-2026-founders-and-fellows

📣 One Day One KU is here! 📣 The department's KUMC Graduate Students Biostatistics Association is participating this year! GSBA hopes to create a stronger community within our department and throughout the University of Kansas Medical Center. Every gift matters, no matter the size. We appreciate your support!

To contribute, please visit the website and donate to the "Graduate Students Biostatistics Association" (page 2): https://onedayoneku.org/pages/odoku-student-orgs

One Day One KU College is more than grades and exams — it’s about exploration, experiences and connection. Clubs and sports offer students the space to connect with like-minded peers, explore new perspectives, stay active and take on positions of leadership. Every day at KU brings new discoveries and fresh way...

KUMC Department of Biostatistics & Data Science would like you to join us in congratulating Kaustubh Nimkar on successfully defending his dissertation. Dr. Nimkar's committee members included Dr. Byron Gajewski (Chair), Dr. Dinesh Pal Mudaranthakam, Dr. Lexie Brown, Dr. Neal Montgomery and Dr. Matthew Taylor. We are very proud of your great accomplishment, Dr. Nimkar!

Title: "Using Posterior and Posterior Predictive Distributions in Clinical Trial Design and Monitoring for Formal and Informal Decision Making"

Md Atikur Rahman, PhD Biostatistics student, won a Top 20 - First Place Poster Presentation Award at the 2026 Student Research Forum at KUMC. Congratulations to Mr. Rahman on this great accomplishment!

Poster Title: "Uncovering Barriers: Evaluating Redlining and Healthcare Access in Breast Cancer Screening Disparities."