Alice S. Whittemore
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Alice Segers Whittemore is an American
epidemiologist Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population, and application of this knowledge to prevent diseases. It is a cornerstone ...
and
biostatistician Biostatistics (also known as biometry) is a branch of statistics that applies statistical methods to a wide range of topics in biology. It encompasses the design of biological experiments, the collection and analysis of data from those experimen ...
who studies the effects of genetics and lifestyle on cancer, following an earlier career as a pure mathematician studying
group theory In abstract algebra, group theory studies the algebraic structures known as group (mathematics), groups. The concept of a group is central to abstract algebra: other well-known algebraic structures, such as ring (mathematics), rings, field ( ...
. She works as a professor of health research and policy and of
biomedical data science Biomedical data science is a multidisciplinary field which leverages large volumes of data to promote biomedical innovation and discovery. Biomedical data science draws from various fields including Biostatistics, Biomedical informatics, and machin ...
at
Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
, and has served as president of the
International Biometric Society The International Biometric Society (IBS) is an international professional and academic society promoting the development and application of statistical and mathematical theory and methods in the biosciences, including biostatistics. It sponsors t ...
.


Education and career

Whittemore originally studied pure mathematics. She obtained a bachelor's degree in 1958 from
Marymount Manhattan College Marymount Manhattan College is a private college on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. As of 2020, enrollment consisted of 1,571 undergraduate students with women making up 80.1% and men 19.9% of student enrollment. Columbia University Masters ...
, and a master's degree in 1964 from
Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City, United States. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools ...
. Whittemore completed a Ph.D. in 1967, from the
Graduate Center of the City University of New York The Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York (CUNY Graduate Center) is a public research institution and postgraduate university in New York City. Formed in 1961 as Division of Graduate Studies at City University ...
with a dissertation on
Frattini subgroup In mathematics, particularly in group theory, the Frattini subgroup \Phi(G) of a group is the intersection of all maximal subgroups of . For the case that has no maximal subgroups, for example the trivial group or a Prüfer group, it is def ...
s supervised by Gilbert Baumslag. As a professor of mathematics at Hunter College, she became interested in epidemiology and statistics. She pursue a fellowship to
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
to accomplish that shift of interests, under the mentorship of
Joseph Keller Joseph Bishop Keller (July 31, 1923 – September 7, 2016) was an American mathematician who specialized in applied mathematics. He was best known for his work on the "geometrical theory of diffraction" (GTD). Early life and education Born i ...
. Keller and Whittemore married and moved together to Stanford in 1978. There Whittemore became a professor in the Department of Health Research and Policy. She was chief of epidemiology there from 1997 to 2001, and later became co-chair of the department. Keller died in 2016.


Contributions

One of Whittemore's studies found a link between fertility drugs and
ovarian cancer Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different ...
, especially strong among women who were treated with the drugs but failed to conceive. Recently, Whittemore has contributed her expertise in a paper published in the American Journal of Epidemiology to investigating racial and ethnic differences in ovarian cancer risk.


Awards and honors

In 1992, Whittemore was elected as a fellow of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...
. She is also a
fellow of the American Statistical Association Like many other academic professional societies, the American Statistical Association (ASA) uses the title of Fellow of the American Statistical Association as its highest honorary grade of membership. The designation of ASA Fellow has been a sign ...
, and a member of the
National Academy of Medicine The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), known as the Institute of Medicine (IoM) until 2015, is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Medicine is a part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineerin ...
. In 2004, she won the Janet L. Norwood Award for outstanding achievement by a woman in the statistical sciences. In 2010, the Statistics in Epidemiology section of the
American Statistical Association The American Statistical Association (ASA) is the main professional organization for statisticians and related professionals in the United States. It was founded in Boston, Massachusetts, on November 27, 1839, and is the second-oldest continuous ...
gave her their Nathan Mantel Lifetime Achievement Award. She was the recipient of the
Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies The Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies (COPSS) comprises the presidents, past presidents and presidents-elect of the following, primarily Northern American, professional societies of statisticians: * American Statistical Association * ...
Florence Nightingale David Award The Florence Nightingale David Award is an award given every two years (in odd-numbered years) jointly by the Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies and Caucus for Women in Statistics The Caucus for Women in Statistics and Data Science ...
in 2005 and
R. A. Fisher Lectureship The COPSS Distinguished Achievement Award and Lectureship (formerly known as R. A. Fisher Award and Lectureship) is a very high recognition of achievement and scholarship in statistical science that recognizes the highly significant impact of stati ...
in 2016 "for her fundamental contributions to biostatistics and epidemiology, covering a wide range of topics from environmental risk assessment to genetic linkage analysis, genetic association studies and cancer epidemiology; for bringing her statistical and mathematical insight to bear on the collection and interpretation of scientific data; for her leadership in large consortia of cancer studies; and for being a role model for many young scientists".


Selected publications

* *. *. *. *. *.


References


External links


Home page"Alice S. Whittemore: An Oral History,"
Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program, 2015. {{DEFAULTSORT:Whittemore, Alice S. Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 20th-century American mathematicians 20th-century American women mathematicians 21st-century American mathematicians 21st-century American women mathematicians American women epidemiologists American epidemiologists American statisticians American women statisticians Group theorists Marymount Manhattan College alumni CUNY Graduate Center alumni Hunter College alumni Hunter College faculty Stanford University faculty Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows of the American Statistical Association Members of the National Academy of Medicine