Scarlett Bellamy recently accepted the role as the new chair of the Department of Biostatistics at the School of Public Health. She will join the SPH community on July 1.

Bellamy is currently a professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and the Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion at Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health. Prior to joining Drexel University in 2016, Bellamy spent 15 years at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) Perelman School of Medicine, where she was a professor of biostatistics. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Hampton University, and completed her doctoral training in biostatistics at the Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Much of Bellamy’s research centers on evaluating the efficacy of interventions in longitudinal behavioral modification trials, including cluster- and group-randomized trials. She is particularly interested in applying this methodology to address health disparities for a variety of clinical and behavioral outcomes, including HIV/AIDS, cardiovascular disease, and health-promoting behaviors.

Bellamy previously served as the co-principal investigator of the Data Coordinating Center for the Prematurity and Respiratory Outcomes Program at UPenn, which aimed to improve respiratory outcomes during the first year of life after preterm birth. She was also PI of the Fostering Diversity in Biostatistics Workshop at the Eastern North American Region of the International Biometric Society (ENAR). This federally funded initiative aims to increase the number of underrepresented minorities in graduate training and professional careers in biostatistics.

In 2016, Bellamy was elected a fellow of the American Statistical Association (ASA). The designation has been an honor for nearly 100 years, and under ASA bylaws, only one-third of one percent of the total association membership may be elected as fellows each year. 

In 2017, Bellamy served as the president of ENAR. She also currently serves as a statistical collaborator for the Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion at the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Philadelphia.

“We are tremendously excited to welcome Professor Bellamy to SPH. She brings a wealth of experience, distinction in her field, and a deep commitment to scholarship, education, and practice consistent with the mission of our school,” says Dean Sandro Galea. “I am delighted to be working alongside Professor Bellamy and the faculty, staff, and students in the Department of Biostatistics to move forward our work together in the coming years.”