ALUMNI PROFILE
Speaking from Experience Having thrived during her training at the Fielding School, Kate Crespi is using her faculty position to ensure that her students reap the same rewards. KATE CRESPI (MS ’91, PHD ’04) believes the most important quality for any academic in mentoring students is empathy. And as someone who trained in the Fielding School’s Department of Biostatistics before joining the department’s faculty, where she is now professor in residence, Crespi can easily identify with her students’ experiences. Crespi completed her MS in FSPH’s Department of Environmental Health Sciences,
DR. KATE CRESPI WITH JUSTIN WILLIAMS (MS ’16), A PHD CANDIDATE IN THE FIELDING SCHOOL’S DEPARTMENT OF BIOSTATISTICS.
then spent five years working
“Biostatistics is a highly collaborative discipline, so it’s particularly beneficial to train at a research powerhouse like UCLA.” —Dr. Kate Crespi
at the South Coast Air Quality
ment of Biostatistics, considers
in the FSPH-based Center for
Management District. While
Crespi one of his department’s
Cancer Prevention and Control
there, she developed quanti-
most valued trainers. “As an
Research, where she is now the
tative health-risk assessments
active researcher on many
lead biostatistician.
associated with air pollution
high-profile projects in FSPH
exposures, using both com-
and the David Geffen School of
than 100 peer-reviewed publica-
puter simulations and statistical
Medicine at UCLA, she is instru-
tions and has served as principal
methods. Fascinated by the
mental in bringing graduate stu-
investigator or co-investigator
work, Crespi decided to return
dents onto scientific projects,”
on more than 40 funded studies
to the Fielding School for a PhD
Banerjee explains. “Working
covering major public health
in biostatistics.
with Dr. Crespi has considerably
issues such as cancer, obesity
“Ever since I was a kid, math
enhanced the research experi-
and infectious diseases. But
was my favorite subject, but not
ence of many of our students.”
nothing takes a back seat to
for its own sake; I was interested
During her own train-
Crespi has amassed more
her work with FSPH students.
in using statistics to advance
ing, Crespi says, she grew to
“I know how stressful graduate
public health,” Crespi explains.
appreciate both the quality of
school can be,” she says. “I try
As she progressed through her
the program’s faculty and the
to be supportive, maintain a
training — including a postdoc-
wide-ranging research opportu-
positive outlook, and allow stu-
toral fellowship supported by
nities within and outside of the
dents to feel a sense of owner-
the biostatistics department’s
Fielding School. “Biostatistics is
ship of their work, while making
HIV/AIDS training grant — Cre-
a highly collaborative discipline,
sure they understand that
spi concluded that she didn’t
so it’s particularly beneficial
science has to be conducted
want to leave academia. “I have
to train at a research power-
with a high level of integrity
experience working for the
house like UCLA,” she says.
and attention to detail. It’s also
government and in the private
Many of the connections Crespi
easy for doctoral students to
sector, but what I love most is
forged during her training have
get caught up in the minutiae
doing research and mentoring
endured through her faculty
of their dissertation. I want to
students,” she says.
tenure. Most notably, as a post-
make sure my students don’t
doctoral scholar Crespi began
lose sight of the big-picture
collaborating with researchers
impact of their work.”
Dr. Sudipto Banerjee, chair of the Fielding School’s Depart-
ph.ucla.edu
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