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Obituary
cell biology (Pavlov Institute tion was as chair at Rochester
of Physiology, 1973), and (2003–2008), with a mandate
Andrei Yakovlev
finally a DSc—the high- to expand the activities of bio-
est degree in Russia and statistics into computational
Jack Hall and Leonid Hanin
required to qualify for full biology. Under his leadership,
Andrei Yakovlev, professor and chair
professor—in mathematics the faculty tripled and grant
of the Department of Biostatistics and
(Moscow State University, support expanded greatly. He
Computational Biology at the University
1981). He set out on a was a natural leader, chairing
of Rochester, died on February 27, 2008.
career of research, apply- departments during 26 of his
Amstat News published an obituary
ing mathematics and sta- Yakovlev 41-year post-MD career.
provided by the press office of the uni-
tistics to basic questions in Andrei was honored by
versity’s medical center in the April issue.
biology and medical science. His unusual membership in the Russian Academy of
However, Yakovlev was an unusual and
combination of training positioned him to Natural Sciences (1992), a von Humboldt
broadly accomplished scholar—a medical
transcend boundaries and cultures in the Award (1994), a Guggenheim Fellowship
scientist, a cell biologist, a biomathemati-
worlds of mathematics, statistics, biology, (1999), Fellow of IMS (1998) and ASA
cian, a probabilist, and a statistician. We
and medicine, and he did so consistently (2000), Honorary DSc at Idaho State
therefore wish to publish additional infor-
throughout his career. (2002), among others. He gave more than
mation about his remarkable personality
After 25 years of research and teaching 150 invited lectures in Europe and the
and career.
in Russia—14 as a department chair— United States (after leaving Russia) and
Andrei was born and raised in
and finding academic science under tight served as associate editor of IMS’s Annals
Leningrad (now St. Petersburg, Russia),
bureaucratic restrictions frustrating, Andrei of Applied Statistics and of Biology Direct.
his father a mathematician and senior
left Russia in 1992. He then visited uni- He became a U.S. citizen in 2005.
naval officer. Although engrossed in
versities and research institutes in Europe, Andrei was foremost a researcher. He
mathematics—often carrying a math-
Australia, and the United States before set- authored four research monographs and
ematics book about as a child—he sought
tling at the Huntsman Cancer Institute more than 200 publications, done jointly
a different career. He earned an MD
in Salt Lake City, Utah, as chair of bio- with many dozens of collaborators, includ-
(Leningrad, 1967), followed by a PhD in
statistics (1996–2002). His final posi- ing 10—biomathematicians, probabi-
lists, statisticians, biologists, geneticists,
and medical scientists—with 10–40 joint
papers each. Every publication was directed
Obituary
toward the solution of a biological or medi-
cal science problem, but included innova-
David Freeman Votaw
tive mathematical developments. Even a
David Freeman Votaw Jr.—a mathematics professor, author, humanitar-
largely probabilistic or statistical paper was
ian, and 40-year resident of Winchester, Massachusettsd— ied Thursday, May
identified as having such a purpose.
8, 2008.
Andrei made definitive and lasting
He was born in Ava, Missouri, the son of the late David F. and Vivian
contributions to a stunning number of
May (Snow) Votaw. He was raised and educated in Missouri and Texas,
fields: branching stochastic processes—
earning his undergraduate degree from Texas State University in San Marcos
especially multitype, age-dependent
and his master’s degree from The University of Texas at Austin. Votaw also
processes and associated statistical
attended Princeton University, where he earned a doctor of philosophy
inference—stochastic models in radia-
degree in applied mathematics.
tion biology, cell population dynamics,
His studies at Princeton were interrupted when he enlisted in the ser-
carcinogenic risk assessment, stochastic
vice during World War II, serving as a Navy specialist. While stationed in
models of carcinogenesis, cancer growth/
Washington, DC, he met the love of his life, Sarah Jane Buster, who was
progression/detection, optimal sched-
working for the federal government. They shared 49 years of marriage until
ules of cancer surveillance and screening,
her passing.
optimization of radiation cancer treat-
Upon his return from the Navy, Votaw taught mathematics, statistics, and
ment, cure models in survival analysis,
business administration at Yale, Boston College, Clark University, and the
statistical inference from microarray
University of Massachusetts, Boston.
gene expression data, genetic regulatory
Besides being a member of the American Statistical Association, he was
networks, and on and on. His collabo-
a member of other technical professional societies, published one book, and
rators, without exception, attribute the
authored a number of technical papers.
innovative direction of their joint work
Votaw is survived by his children, James David Votaw of Quincy and
to Andrei, their unquestioned leader. He
Catherine Jane Votaw of Woburn.
was at the height of his scholarly activity,
with seemingly endless energy.
36 AMSTAT NEWS JULY 2008
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