Dr. Sanjib Basu Honored as the Inaugural Paul Levy and Virginia F. Tomasek Professor
In 2014, the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health received a $1.4 million gift from the estate of Dr. Paul Levy and is wife, Virginia F. Tomasek. Levy was the first director of its division of epidemiology and biostatistics, a position he held for 15 years. The gift, the largest to the school from an individual, supports the first endowed professorship in the division — the Paul Levy and Virginia F. Tomasek Professirship. It also serves as an enduring source of student scholarships.
On April 9, 2019, the UIC School of Public Health held an investiture ceremony to honor Basu as the recipient of the professorship.
“An investiture of a professor is one of the most significant highlights of a faculty member’s academic life,” said Dr. Robert Barish, vice chancellor of health affairs, who presided over the ceremony. “Bestowing such a position is a sign of appreciation and endorsement of the individual by the university, and strong belief in their accomplishments and future accomplishments,” he said.
Basu, who has been a faculty member at UIC SPH for over six years, was joined by family members, colleagues and friends as he received this honor. As a distinguished biostatistician with international stature, he earned this reputation through outstanding scholarly productivity and the development and application of biostatistical methods that address important biomedical and public health problems.
“He is one of the leading statisticians in the United States, but the hallmark of his work is the sustained impact above and beyond the statistics community. These contributions have mainly occurred in the area of oncology and cancer epidemiology,” said Dr. Ron Hershow, director of the division of epidemiology and biostatistics, who helped recruit Basu to UIC.
Named in honor of Dr. Paul Levy and Virginia Tomasek, this professorship resides in the division of epidemiology and biostatistics, where Levy was a founding faculty member. Levy, who passed away in 2012, was a renowned scientist, esteemed professor, mentor and friend to many in the UIC SPH community. He was a highly innovative biostatistician whose expertise was widely sought by biomedical and public health research communities across the country and globally, Hershow said. His work helped improve the lives and health of millions of people worldwide.
“Paul and Virginia were significant supporters of our school,” said Dean Wayne H. Giles.
“Not only did they make this investiture possible through their generous support of the professorship, they were also donors to a scholarship fund that has benefitted dozens of students over the years. I would like to thank them for instituting this wonderful professorship that will greatly assist our school in recruiting and retaining the highest caliber of academic leaders in their fields, such as Dr. Sanjib Basu.”