Recognition February 2018

• Welcome new biostatisticians Zhou and Akosile
• McClure named SRNT fellow

Welcome new biostatisticians Jing Zhou and Mary Akosile

Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute is pleased to recently welcome two new biostatisticians to our faculty: Jing Zhou and Mary Akosile.

Jing Zhou, PhD, joined KPWHRI officially in December of 2017. She is a biostatistician with expertise in Bayesian modeling, machine learning methods, latent class analysis, dimension reduction, and variable selection methods, and group sequential design in clinical trials.

Before joining KPWHRI, she was a statistician in Genentech/Roche, a leading pharmaceutical company specializing in oncology. Dr. Zhou completed her PhD in biostatistics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Mary Akosile, MS, joined KPWHRI in January. She is a biostatistician with expertise in application of epidemiological principles and surveillance methodologies. She has an in-depth knowledge of the ICH-GCP, FDA, IRB policies, regulations, and guidelines; and looks forward to using her skills and background to implement epidemiologic study designs in clinical research studies.

Mary earned a master of science degree in biostatistics in December 2017 from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health. Previously, she earned an MPH in epidemiology from the same school. Her thesis: Exposure to toxic metals as a risk factor for hematologic malignancies.

Jennifer McClure named SRNT fellow

KPWHRI Senior Investigator and Director of Research, Faculty & Development Jennifer McClure, PhD, has been named a fellow in the Society for Research on Nicotine & Tobacco (SRNT).

SRNT is a professional association dedicated to the support of researchers, academics, treatment professionals, government employees, and others working across disciplines in the field of nicotine and tobacco research. It has members in more than 40 countries.

As a scientific society, SRNT’s mission is to stimulate the generation and dissemination of new knowledge concerning nicotine in all its manifestations. SRNT produces an annual scientific conference and scientific journal, Nicotine & Tobacco Research.

The status of fellow is a distinction conferred by SRNT on members in recognition of outstanding contributions to the field of nicotine and tobacco research, and in service to SRNT. Its Fellows Program was launched in 2016, with the first cohort of Fellows inducted in 2017.