Mari Soekõrv Palta is a Swedish-Estonian

biostatistician Biostatistics (also known as biometry) are the development and application of statistical methods to a wide range of topics in biology. It encompasses the design of biological experiments, the collection and analysis of data from those experimen ...

, known for her research on model specification in longitudinal studies, especially in epidemiologic studies of

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

, sequelae of prematurity and

sleep Sleep is a sedentary state of mind and body. It is characterized by altered consciousness, relatively inhibited sensory activity, reduced muscle activity and reduced interactions with surroundings. It is distinguished from wakefulness by a de ...

. She is a professor emerita in the Department of Population Health Sciences and the Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

. She served as vice-chair of Population Health Sciences, and director of graduate studies 2016-2018. She is the author of ''Quantitative Methods in Population Health: Extensions of Ordinary Regression'' (Wiley, 2003). Palta's parents fled Estonia at the time of the Soviet occupation in September 1944 and both worked as physicians, first in Estonia and then in Sweden. Palta was born and grew up mostly in the southern province of Småland, Sweden. She studied mathematics, physics, and English at

Lund University , motto = Ad utrumque , mottoeng = Prepared for both , established = , type = Public research university , budget = SEK 9 billion University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

, she remained at Minnesota for a PhD in biostatistics (1977) and postdoctoral work in

epidemiology Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population. It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evidenc ...

. Her doctoral dissertation, supervised by Richard McHugh, was ''Sample Size Determination for Clinical Trials''. She taught at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

from 1979 until 1982, when she joined the University of Wisconsin–Madison as a research scientist. She became a faculty member at Wisconsin in 1987 and retired in 2018. She continues to be active on several research projects. Palta was president of the

Caucus for Women in Statistics The Caucus for Women in Statistics is a professional society for women in statistics. It was founded in 1971, following discussions in 1969 and 1970 at the annual meetings of the American Statistical Association, with Donna Brogan as its first pr ...

for 2002, and chaired the Committee on Women in Statistics of the

American Statistical Association The American Statistical Association (ASA) is the main professional organization for statisticians and related professionals in the United States. It was founded in Boston, Massachusetts on November 27, 1839, and is the second oldest continuousl ...

from 2008 to 2010. She has been a

fellow of the American Statistical Association Like many other academic professional societies, the American Statistical Association (ASA) uses the title of Fellow of the American Statistical Association as its highest honorary grade of membership. The number of new fellows per year is limited ...

since 2004.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Palta, Mari Soekorv Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American statisticians Swedish statisticians Women statisticians Biostatisticians Lund University alumni University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts alumni University of Iowa faculty University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty Fellows of the American Statistical Association