scholarship

Pfizer and SPH Partner for a Second Year to Support Graduate Study in Biostatistics

Incoming MS student Shae Gantt is the second recipient of the Pfizer Statistics Fellowship, which aims to support students in pursuing an advanced degree in biostatistics.

Pfizer has partnered with the School of Public Health to financially support a promising student pursuing an advanced degree in biostatistics. The fellowship aims to not only attract top talent to the field, but also bring in more diverse voices and experiences.

Shae Gantt, an incoming student in the Master of Science in Biostatistics (MSB) program at SPH, is the second recipient of the scholarship, which was awarded for the first time last year. Gantt previously studied mathematics while an undergraduate at the University of South Carolina Beaufort and earned a Master of Science degree in epidemiology from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

During undergrad, Gantt helped her calculus professor create mathematical models to explore the effects of offering salad bars in schools on trends in childhood obesity. Conducting public health research allowed her to see how the mathematical theories she was learning in the classroom could be applied to the real world, she says.

“I love biostatistics–it combines mathematics, computational science, and epidemiology. It is a perfect route for all my interests to overlap each other,” says Gantt. “Funding a master’s degree is not easy, so to get the opportunity to work with Pfizer and to be funded by them is something I’m really grateful for. I know I want to go into industry, but exactly what I want to do, I’m undecided. I’m hoping that this degree and scholarship will help introduce me to the many career applications within biostatistics, and I’m excited about the opportunities that will come along with it.”

In addition to financial support, the scholarship will also provide Gantt with networking and mentorship opportunities with Pfizer representatives, allowing her to advance her training and broaden her understanding of working in an industry setting.

“With the growing importance of data-driven decision making, it is critical to ensure that academic institutions develop the next generation of statisticians, data scientists and other quantitative experts,” says Kannan Natarajan, senior vice president and head of global biometrics and data management at Pfizer. “The Pfizer Statistics Fellowship Program aims to attract prospective students pursuing graduate studies in statistics, biostatistics and data science. To date, we are quite pleased with the outcome of our partnerships with several universities.”

 “We are thrilled to have Shae joining our program,” says Laura White, professor of biostatistics and chair of the admissions committee. “Bringing her strong background in epidemiology, Shae offers a great skill set to the field of biostatistics.”