Nick Jewell recognized for lifetime contribution to the application of statistical science to epidemiology

Nicholas Jewell, Professor of the Graduate School at UC Berkeley School of Public Health and Professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, has been awarded the Nathan Mantel Award by the American Statistical Association (ASA).

The annual award recognizes “contributions to the development and application of statistical science to problems and issues in epidemiology”.

Nicholas has published over 190 articles in statistics, mathematics, epidemiology, medicine, and history. He is also the author of the book Statistics in Epidemiology.

Professor Jewell’s most recent work includes the first ever gold-standard trial which successfully infected the Aedes aegypti mosquito with Wolbachia, reducing dengue cases in areas of Indonesia by 77%. Nicholas was the study statistician on the trial, run by the World Mosquito Program, and conceived the design, statistical methods and ultimate data analysis.

Professor Jewell said: “I am delighted and honored to receive the 2021 Nathan Mantel Award. Mantel played a major role in developing statistical methods for applications to epidemiology, and I am awestruck to join the list of extraordinary prior recipients of this award. It is very humbling indeed.

“The very first conference presentation that I ever gave on a medical statistics topic was in front of Nathan (and David Cox and Norm Breslow–the first recipient of the Mantel Award), and it was a nerve-wracking experience. From those early days, I have been blessed to work with many wonderful collaborators on several major infectious and chronic disease challenges in epidemiology. It is deeply satisfying to have our work recognized.”

Professor Jewell will be presented with the award by the Section on Statistics in Epidemiology at the ASA’s Joint Statistical Meetings in August later this year. The award consisted of a $1,000 award and a plaque.