Wilding named chair of UB’s Department of Biostatistics

BUFFALO, N.Y. — After an extensive national search, Gregory Wilding has been appointed chair of the Department of Biostatistics in the University at Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions (SPHHP).

As the chair, Wilding will focus on ensuring high-quality academic programs, innovative research, high-impact scholarship and service to the campus and community. Through Wilding’s leadership, the biostatistics faculty will continue to provide excellent teaching and cutting-edge research aimed at attracting diverse and academically talented students.

The appointment comes as the school is about to launch a new undergraduate degree in statistics. The program has been approved for this fall and will introduce undergraduates to the Department of Biostatistics, where they can gain solid knowledge in statistical theory, methods and applications, while preparing for graduate or professional study or countless career paths in industry, government or academia.

Wilding, PhD, is committed to driving the department’s scholarship and research outcomes by focusing on fostering opportunities for methodologic and transdisciplinary research, in partnership and collaboration with various units throughout UB and Western New York.

“I’m honored to serve the students and faculty as chair of the department,” Wilding said. “I take the responsibilities associated with the position of chair very seriously, and I will do my best to further strengthen our already flourishing department.”

Wilding joined the Department of Biostatistics as a research assistant professor in 2002. He went on to receive tenure in 2009 and achieved the rank of professor in 2015. In 2016, Wilding was named director of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Research Design (BERD) Core of the UB Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). He has served as interim chair of the Department of Biostatistics since February 2016.

In addition to his work at UB, Wilding has served in various capacities at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI), including director of the Biostatistics Resource and vice chair of the Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics. Wilding will continue at RPCI as a full professor of oncology.

Wilding is an accomplished scientist who has published more than 200 peer-reviewed scientific articles. In addition, he is an active NIH investigator accounting for millions of dollars of awards to UB and RPCI. Wilding’s research interests include clinical trial design, permutation tests, tests for trend, order restricted inference, categorical analysis, resampling techniques, goodness-of-fit tests and tests of independence.

Among his professional accomplishments, Wilding has also received many awards for his work in both research and teaching. These include the Department of Biostatistics Research Excellence Award; Department of Biostatistics Teaching Excellence Award; SPHHP Outstanding Senior Researcher of the Year; and SPHHP Outstanding Teacher of the Year.

Wilding earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in statistics from the University of Rochester. He received his bachelor’s degree from SUNY Brockport.