Ross L. Prentice, PhD
Professor of Biostatistics
University of Washington
Member
Division of Public Health Sciences
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Seattle, Washington
One of the foremost biostatisticians in the world, Ross L. Prentice, PhD, has played a critical role in the development of statistical methods for health and medical research.
Because of his stature as an internationally recognized authority on issues associated with cancer prevention trials, survival data, and life history and disease progression, he was honored this year by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) with its 14th AACR-American Cancer Society Award for Research Excellence in Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention.
In awarding Ross one of its major research awards, the AACR particularly recognized his role in conceiving, designing, and organizing the clinical trial arm of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), for which he is the principal investigator of the Clinical Coordinating Center. The WHI is a 15-year study of more than 160,000 women throughout the US. Established by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1991, the WHI involves 40 clinical centers in the US and is the largest comprehensive clinical study ever funded by the NIH. The study seeks to find ways to prevent cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and cancer, all of which have a significant impact on women's health.
Ross helped to conceive the WHI to create clarity amidst the controversy surrounding the results of a series of case-control and cohort studies more than 15 years ago regarding issues in women's health. There was conflicting evidence on the role of dietary fat in the etiology of breast and other cancers in women. In addition, concern was growing regarding the increasing use of routine exogenous estrogens and added progesterones to relieve menopausal symptoms. Ross and his colleagues undertook the organization of both an observational study and a large clinical trial to address these major public health issues.
Initial results of the WHI recently have been published in a series of papers demonstrating the adverse effects of combined estrogen plus progestin therapy on both the risk of breast cancer and cardiovascular disease. Although the adverse effects of combined hormone replacement therapy on breast cancer risk, but not coronary heart disease, had been reported in earlier case-control and cohort studies, the magnitude and certainty of these risks were made evident from the results of the WHI, and major changes are currently underway in menopausal hormone therapy. Additional key results of this landmark study are expected later this year, following completion of the other clinical trial intervention activities. The health of participating women in the WHI will continue to be monitored through 2011. These historically important investigations, facilitated by Ross' leadership and vision, will continue to provide major public health benefits for women in the years to come.
Ross was born and raised in Canada where he obtained his BSc and MSc in mathematics from the University of Waterloo in 1967 and 1968, respectively, followed by his PhD from the University of Toronto in 1970. For the next four years, he served as Assistant Professor of Statistics at the University of Waterloo. He was invited to spend 1971 to 1972 as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Statistics at the University of Buffalo. In 1974, he moved to Seattle, where he had accepted dual appointments at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, in its Public Health Sciences Division, and at the Department of Biostatistics of the University of Washington. As one of that department's earliest faculty members, his leadership was critical in building a program that was to become one of the most highly rated in the world.
Ross served as Director and Senior Vice President of the Division of Public Health Sciences at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center from 1983 to 2002. In January of this year, the central atrium of the Center's new Public Health Sciences Building was christened the "Ross L. Prentice Atrium." He is currently a Member of the Public Health Sciences Division and a Professor of Biostatistics at the University of Washington.
He is the author of numerous landmark papers across many disciplines, including survival analysis, methodology for design and analysis of clinical trials and epidemiological cohort studies, and clinical advances in prevention research. His many colleagues attest to his dedication of giving back generously to the field of biostatistics by serving on countless professional committees, boards, and advisory groups; participating in professional societies and editing numerous publications.
"Ross has sought at every turn to foster collaboration between the University of Washington and the Hutch, recognizing that the benefits would be extraordinary," noted Thomas Fleming, PhD, Chairman of the Department of Biostatistics at the University of Washington. "In recognition of his achievements and leadership, the School of Public Health and Community Medicine at the University and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have established the Dr. Ross Prentice Endowed Professorship for Biostatistical Collaboration, to be used for fostering the tradition of collaboration that Ross so exemplifies," he continued.
Ross was elected to membership in the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences in 1990, based on a firmly established career of scientific productivity in the fields of radiation effects and statistical methodology. He is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the Mantel Award for Lifetime Contributions to Statistics in Epidemiology by the American Statistical Association in 2003 and an honorary doctorate in mathematics from his alma mater, the University of Waterloo. Ross was awarded the prestigious COPSS (Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies) President's Award in 1986, and is the 2005 recipient of the Marvin Zelen Leadership Award from the Harvard School of Public Health.
