In a break from tradition, two biostatistics students were chosen this year as recipients of the Dr. Colin White Memorial Scholarship.
The scholarship named in honor of Dr. White, a former chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at Yale, is usually awarded to a masters’ student who has shown exemplary performance in their studies.
“We look for model students who have done very well in coursework and research,” said Professor Shuangge (Steven) Ma, interim chair of the Department of Biostatics.
This year, for the first time since the inception of the scholarship, two highly qualified students were selected.
The selection process, Ma said, consisted first of identifying students who had performed well in classes and research. Once a shortlist of candidates was generated, feedback from faculty and advisors was collected and evaluated.
One of this year’s winners is Chichun Tan, M.S. ’22, currently a second-year M.S. candidate in biostatistics. Chichun said he came to the Yale School of Public Health because he wanted a challenging research environment.
“The faculty at YSPH are very open to having students find them for research,” said Chichun.
Indeed, Chichun took advantage of the many research opportunities offered in the biostatistics department. As a first-year student, he was involved in multiple research projects - working on developing statistical models in neuroscience, as well as researching novel mathematical tools to explain the relationship of mutational signatures in lung and colorectal cancer. Chichun hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in biostatistics after graduation.
Associate Professor Anita Wang, who led the selection of scholarship winners, noted faculty members’ praise for Chichun’s work ethic and academic performance. “He has tremendous motivation and very strong analytical skills,” Wang said.
The second scholarship recipient is Yi Dai, M.P.H. ’22, a second-year M.P.H. candidate in biostatistics.