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American Statistical Association activities

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Middle Tennessee chapter

A man holds an invisible prop while a woman points at it, performing an improv scene
Short course

Applied Improvisation for (Bio)statisticians and Data Scientists

Please join us on Friday, August 14, 8:30 am - 12:30 pm, for Quick-thinking, Confident, Communicative, and Collaborative: Fundamentals of Applied Improvisation for (Bio)statisticians and Data Scientists. Taught by Richard Zink, PhD, FASA, the course introduces applied improvisation as a novel way to pursue interpersonal skills as a quantitative scientist. No experience required! Parking, coffee, and lunch included. Sign up by July 22 for the early registration discount.

Details on Eventbrite

Statisticians seated around a conference table

Chapter meeting

Join us from 12:30 to 2:00 pm at Vanderbilt's Department of Biostatistics to connect with fellow quantitative scientists in Middle Tennessee. Boxed lunches will be provided to those who RSVP by August 12, with the business portion of the meeting starting at 1:00 pm. All are welcome, even if you are not (yet) a chapter member or participant in the Applied Improvisation short course. We will convene in the large 11th floor conference room at 2525 West End Avenue, in Nashville (enter to the right of PF Chang's). 

RSVP

Officers

President: Qingxia "Cindy" Chen

President-elect: Dandan Liu

Secretary: Andrew Spieker

Treasurer: Hakmook Kang

Council of Chapters Representative: Bryan Blette

Sections, Special Interest Groups, and more

Our graduate program and department members are actively involved with the ASA. In addition to the Biostatistics Graduate Student Association, there are numerous groups led and supported by Vanderbilt Biostatistics students, alumni, faculty, and staff. Here is a partial list:

ASA Biometrics Section

ASA Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology Geospatial Interest Group

ASA GivesBack: Caroline Birdrow, Jamie Joseph

ASA Government Statistics Section

ASA Health Policy Statistics Section

ASA K-12 Statistics Project Competition

ASA Records Linkage Interest Group

ASA Statistical Genetics and Genomics Section: Siyuan Ma, co-chair (2024-present)

ASA Statistical Mentoring Program

ASA Statistics and Data Science in Aging (SDSA) Interest Group: Panpan Zhang, program chair

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The ASA Statistics and Data Science in Aging (SDSA) Interest Group was featured in the June 2026 issue of AmStat News. They warmly welcome anyone interested in this field as members. There is no charge to join, and full membership in the ASA is not a prerequisite.

Read the AmStat feature

ASA Statistics in Epidemiology Section

  • Ran Tao: publication officer (2020-2021) and Council of Sections representative (2023-2025)

ASA Statistics in Imaging Section

  • Simon Vandekar, chair-elect (2027); previously program chair-elect (2020-2021) and program chair (2021-2022) 
  • We hosted the 2022 SMI Conference, and Dr. Vandekar served on the 2023 organizing committee.
  • Past officers include Panpan Zhang, publications officer (2023 - 2025)

ASA Teaching Statistics in Health Sciences Section

Honors and Recognition (selected)

See also honors listed under specific sections.

Fellows

2024 - Fei Ye

2021 - Jeffrey Blume

2019 - Jonathan Schildcrout

2018 - Bryan Shepherd

2010 - Yu Shyr

2009 - William Dupont

2005 - Frank Harrell

Outstanding Chapter Service Winners

2026 - TBA

2025 - Robert Johnson (Middle Tennessee) - "for serving as Secretary for the Mid-TN Chapter (2022-present), developing an online election ballot, and assisting in local arrangements for the traveling course." Dr. Johnson previously received this award in 1996 for service to the Virginia chapter. 

2000 - Yu Shyr (Middle Tennessee)

Statistical Partnerships Among Academe, Industry & Government (SPAIG) Award

2025 - Rameela Raman (faculty), David Schlueter (PhD 2018), Ryan Jarrett (PhD 2021), Sarah Lotspeich (PhD 2021), Jamie Joseph (PhD 2024), Julia Thome (PhD 2024), Joshua Slone (PhD candidate), Alexis Fleming (PhD candidate), Lisa Levoir (MS 2025), Ashley Mullan (PhD student), and Lynne Berry (faculty)

Press and features

Biostatistics faculty elected to leadership posts in top statistics societies, Vanderbilt Health News, June 17, 2026

ASA Giving Day interview with Caroline Birdrow, October 28, 2025

COPSS Emerging Leader Award - Lucy D'Agostino McGowan is a 2025 winner. 

Members Share Gratitude for Those Who Made Big Impact on Their Careers, AmStat Magazine, May 1, 2023. This compilation includes Jamie Joseph's tribute to Rameela Raman.

Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM) Participation

Henry Ford Health ID badge for Mia, therapy dog

Our involvement with the largest annual gathering of statisticians in North America includes talks, posters, roundtables, socials, and even therapy dogs! Mia greeted dog room visitors on Monday and Tuesday (organized by ASA GivesBack) at JSM 2026. Photo courtesy of Jamie Joseph (PhD 2024).

Here's a glimpse of the dog room at JSM 2026.

JSM2026
JSM2025
JSM2024
JSM2023
JSM2022