Elena Losina (GRS’99) Receives Biostatistics Distinguished Alumni Award.
Elena Losina (GRS’99) Receives Biostatistics Distinguished Alumni Award
Losina has dedicated her career to using innovative biostatistical methods to address pressing clinical and health policy questions in orthopedics, rheumatology, HIV, and global health.
The Department of Biostatistics at the School of Public Health recently named Elena Losina (GRS’99) the recipient of the 2022 Biostatistics Distinguished Alumni Award. Losina, the Robert W. Lovett Professor of orthopedic surgery at Harvard Medical School and director of the Policy and Innovation eValuations in Orthopedic Treatment (PIVOT) Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, accepted the award and gave a presentation of her work at SPH on October 27.

The annual award recognizes an alum from any graduate-level biostatistics program at Boston University whose career embodies SPH’s core purpose to “Think. Teach. Do. For the health of all.” This includes notable contributions to the field, such as publishing peer-reviewed articles, teaching and mentoring the next generation of biostatisticians, and doing work that impacts underserved populations.
“The people that I have had the privilege to work with at Boston University have largely made me who I am today, so to receive this award is very meaningful,” says Losina. “The Department of Biostatistics has grown and evolved in so many exciting ways over the years, and it is an honor to continue to give back to this community in whatever way I can.”
In 1990, Losina immigrated to the United States from Ukraine with a burning desire to combine her background in mathematics with her passion to improve people’s health and well-being by using mathematical science to help medical advancements. She soon discovered the field of biostatistics and has not looked back since.
An internationally recognized outcomes researcher, Losina has dedicated much of her career to using innovative biostatistical methods to address pressing clinical and health policy questions in orthopedics, rheumatology, HIV, and global health. She leads several NIH funded multi-site projects, including health policy evaluations related to surgical and non-surgical management of knee osteoarthritis and model-based assessment of musculoskeletal frailty prevention and treatment among people with HIV. She is also principal investigator for a multi-center trial designed to establish the efficacy of behavioral economic-based interventions on improving physical activity in persons undergoing total knee replacement.
With English as her second language, Losina came to the US with minimal English language skills. Now, she has published over 480 peer-reviewed journal articles, and is the deputy editor of methodology for the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. She is also a member of the editorial boards for the journals Osteoarthritis and Cartilage and Arthritis Care and Research. She is a member of the board of directors for Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI), the leading medical society for advancing the understanding, early detection, treatment, and prevention of osteoarthritis. Losina has also received a number of prestigious awards, including the Distinguished Scholar Award from the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals and the Clinical Research Award from OARSI.
Throughout her notable career, Losina says she has been able to give the best study design or data analysis advice and do the most good when she understands the heart of the problem her clinical colleagues are seeking to solve. To do this, she not only focuses on comprehensive methods of data analysis, but also makes sure to take the time to shadow the clinicians closest to the problem to better understand its depth and possible health outcomes.
“Biostatistics is a wonderful science, and by approaching my work in this way, I am able to provide the best methodological advice while also helping clinicians formulate their next clinically relevant questions,” she says. “It is a very rewarding and enriching part of my work, and I hope to empower future biostatisticians to do the same.”
As a mother, immigrant, and woman in STEM, Losina credits the many role models and mentors she has had throughout her career for helping her get to where she is today, and hopes to continue to pass on the guidance and support she has received to her students and colleagues, especially those who are women.
“I have been fortunate to work with mentors that truly respect and appreciate my experiences and the challenges I have faced. They have always encouraged me to do more, and it is this support that has been incredibly instrumental in shaping my career,” she says. “While academia and research are important to me, I have always been encouraged to put my family first. I hope to delineate this same philosophy to everyone I work with. It is a privilege to combine our personal and professional skillsets, and I think doing so allows us to show younger generations that it is manageable to have both and it is fun to do it all.”
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