Kellie Archer: Reflecting on a decade of Biostatistics leadership

One of the accomplishments I’m most proud of is the growth and visibility of our academic programs. During the last decade, we established an online MPH specialization in biostatistics, along with an online graduate certificate and minor in biostatistics. These programs expanded access for students and helped raise the national profile of our MPH and MS programs, contributing to increased enrollment in both.

I’m also incredibly proud of the success of our faculty. Over the years, we’ve celebrated multiple promotions to associate and full professor, welcomed outstanding new faculty members and seen a significant increase in faculty serving as principal investigators on grants. Watching colleagues earn major honors — including four faculty being named Fellows of the American Statistical Association — has been especially rewarding. It has truly been a privilege to support and celebrate the accomplishments of such a talented group of people.

From the beginning of my tenure as chair, I viewed one of my primary responsibilities as creating an environment where faculty could grow and succeed professionally.

Academic leadership is ultimately about investing in people, and it has been incredibly rewarding to watch colleagues advance in their careers and gain national recognition for their work. I believe the strength of a division comes from the success and collaboration of its faculty, and I’m grateful to have worked alongside colleagues who are committed to excellence in research, teaching and service.

After serving in the role for 10 years, I felt it was the right time to allow others the opportunity to lead and bring new ideas and perspectives to the division. I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished together, and I’m excited about the division’s future.

At the same time, I’m looking forward to returning my focus more fully to research and scholarship. Starting in August, I’ll take a faculty professional leave, which will give me the opportunity to reinvigorate my research program and expand collaborations in an area that has become a major focus of my work: cure models for long-term cancer survivors. Recent advances in medicine mean that traditional survival analysis methods are not always the best fit for these patient populations, and I’m excited to continue developing statistical approaches that can better address those challenges.

I’m excited to devote more time to research collaborations and mentoring students and trainees. During my faculty professional leave, I plan to spend the fall semester at KU Leuven in Belgium as part of a Fulbright U.S. Scholar award, collaborating with Dr. Ingrid Van Keilegom and other internationally recognized experts in cure modeling. The experience will provide an exciting opportunity to expand my research network, deepen international collaborations and continue advancing this important area of statistical research.

While I’m stepping away from the chair role, I remain deeply committed to the Division of Biostatistics and to the College of Public Health, and I look forward to contributing in new ways in the years ahead.