Staff Spotlight: Michael Winter.

Collaborative work is key to developing sustainable public health solutions and improving population health outcomes. This weekly series spotlights one SPH staff member who advances public health through collaborations within the field and across sectors.

Can you talk about your main responsibilities as the director of biostatistics for BEDAC?

My main responsibility for BEDAC is to provide leadership for the statistical programming team. This includes training programmers and analysts in best practices, developing BEDAC statistical standard operating procedures (SOPs), and overseeing progress of BEDAC projects that involve statistical programming. I also spend time developing and editing analytic plans for projects and mentoring programmers and practicum students.

 Can you discuss how collaborative work is integral to your role, and what are one or two collaborations that have been most meaningful to you?

Pretty much everything I do at BEDAC involves collaboration, whether it’s working with my team at BEDAC on projects, working with investigators on developing and implementing statistical analysis for their research, or working with (and learning from) faculty in the Biostatistics department. My 25-year history of collaborating with BMC’s General Internal Medicine CARE Unit on many different studies, including the current URBAN ARCH Consortium, has been very meaningful to me, both in terms of the challenging work and relevant and impactful subject matter. Working with Jeffrey Samet and Richard Saitz, along with Department of Biostatistics faculty Tim Heeren, Debbie Cheng, and others, on these relevant public health projects has been very rewarding to me.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

 There are two aspects of my work that I enjoy most. First, the variety and breadth of projects I have been privileged to work on over my 32-year career at BEDAC makes the job both challenging and interesting. Sure, it’s difficult to juggle priorities of several different projects at the same time but it also ensures that no two days are the same! The second aspect—probably the most important actually—is that I get to work every day with some of the smartest, most talented, kindest, and fun people I’ve known in my colleagues at BEDAC. I am continually reminded how lucky I am to work with these folks. 

“Michael is first and foremost a teacher and mentor, as well as an expert biostatistician and analyst.  These combination of skills make him extremely approachable, easy to work with and there is a sense of ease and comfort knowing that the project and team he is working with is in good hands. Staff and faculty love working with him, he is able to simplify and explain complex concepts and processes, understand the big picture, focus on the details that matter most and always be kind and encouraging.”

Kimberly Dukes, executive director of BEDAC and research associate professor of biostatistics