Wilding named chair of Department of Biostatistics

Gregory Wilding has been appointed chair of the Department of Biostatistics in the School of Public Health and Health Professions (SPHHP) after an extensive national search.

In his new position, Wilding will focus on ensuring high-quality academic programs, innovative research, high-impact scholarship and service to the campus and community. He is charged with leading the biostatistics faculty in continuing to provide excellent teaching and cutting-edge research aimed at attracting diverse and academically talented students.

The appointment comes as the school will launch a new undergraduate degree in statistics this fall. The program 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 also will focus 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 says. “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 received tenure in 2009 and was promoted to professor in 2015. In 2016, Wilding was named director of the Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Research Design (BERD) Core of the UB Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). He has served as interim department chair since February 2016.

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

Wilding has received numerous awards for his research and teaching, among them the Department of Biostatistics’ Research Excellence Award and Teaching Excellence Award, the SPHHP Outstanding Senior Researcher of the Year and the SPHHP Outstanding Teacher of the Year.

Wilding earned a BS from SUNY Brockport, and an MA and PhD in statistics from the University of Rochester.