Alumni Spotlight

Our alumni continue to do great things in the discipline and for the community! Below are just some of their accomplishments. Have news to share? Let us know the latest with you. Click here to share.

Chris Decker (MR, 1995) was recently appointed as President and CEO of CDISC, a non-profit within clinical research that defines and governs global data standards for the clinical trial industry including the analytics that are done to prove the safety and efficacy of drugs and products. Read more here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240102798319/en/CDISC-Names-Chris-Decker-President-and-CEO/

Rick Mitchell (BS, 1989) is a Director of Informatics for ICAP Global Health at Columbia University. After working 25 years for Westat, a private for-profit research company, 4 years ago in the height of the pandemic, Rick tossed everything aside to take a job with a purpose. He joined ICAP, a non-profit working to strengthen health equality for all and strengthen health information systems throughout Africa. Rick has traveled to Africa over 30 times and collaborated with many in-country team members in 13 different countries, namely Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Peter Norwood (BS, 2018; MR, 2020; PhD, 2023) is a Principal Statistician for Quantum Leap Healthcare Collaborative. He received the 2024 ENAR Distinguished Student Paper Award.

Emily Oppold (BS, 2023) is a PhD Candidate at Rice University in Houston, TX. She received the T32 Fellowship with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) within the first semester of PhD candidacy.

Barb Prillaman (BS, 1986) is a Senior Statistician at RTI International as well as a lecturer for the Data Science Academy at NC State University. The Data Communications course that she pitched and co-designed for NC State’s Data Science Academy was recently given a permanent course number, and is a required course for both the certificate and minor in Data Science. She meanwhile just finished her first year at RTI International after taking a three-year hiatus to return to graduate school for a degree in library science. Further, she is consulting with the Friday Institute’s InSTEP program to help high school teachers introduce their students to Data Science.

Chengchun Shi (PhD, 2019) is an Associate Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Dr. Shi was granted the IMS Tweedie New Researcher Award this year.

Robert Starbuck (PhD, 1975) retired from the pharmaceutical industry, and serves as a board member of the College of Sciences Foundation. He received the 2021 Distinguished Alumnus award from the College of Sciences for establishing a mentoring program in the College that has had more than 400 student participants.