Awards

2024 Student Paper Award Competition – Mental Health Statistics Section of the ASA 

The Mental Health Statistics Section (MHSS) of the American Statistical Association is inviting submissions to our student paper competition for the 2024 Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM). Papers entered in this student paper competition should involve a methodological innovation or a novel application of statistical methods to a mental health issue. Up to three cash prizes of at least $1,250 each will be awarded to the highest rated paper(s) to cover JSM 2024 expenses.

Eligibility:
Current undergraduate or graduate students at any level, as well as those who graduated in 2023 and wish to submit research they conducted as students, are eligible to participate. There is no requirement for participants to be a member of ASA or the MHSS.

The MHSS strongly encourages submissions from diverse applicants including those from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, individuals with disabilities, individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, and women in the biomedical workforce.


Application Materials: 
The deadline for application is 5 PM EST on November 15, 2023.

Applications to the Mental Health Section student paper award competition should include:

  1. A cover letter including name, current affiliation and status including actual or intended date of graduation, and contact information (address, telephone, email) of the applicant.
  2. A letter from the adviser certifying student status (or completion of degree within the past year).
  3. The paper submitted for the competition, including an abstract of up to 1200 characters.

Applications must be submitted by email as one combined document (PDF files preferred).  You should submit the single document with the three application parts in the following order: (1) cover letter, (2) adviser letter, and (3) paper.

To apply, please send the application materials to Chong Wu (cwu18@mdanderson.org) with “MHSS student paper award application” as the title.


Selection Process and Expectations for Award Winners:

The award committee will review all papers, and winners will be notified by January 15, 2024. The winner(s) will be required to present their papers at JSM 2024. The winner(s) must submit an abstract on the topic of their winning paper and register for JSM 2024 before the deadline through the official JSM abstract submission system. The award(s) will be announced at the Mental Health Statistics Section Mixer at JSM 2024, and it is hoped that winners will be in attendance to connect with the Mental Health Statistics Section members. Award winners are also encouraged to become a member of Mental Health Statistics Section and serve as reviewers, but these are not required.

For section members who are teachers or mentors, please bring this to the attention of your students and encourage them to apply. 

Section members and friends are welcome to contribute funds towards future student awards.

Please contact Chong Wu (
cwu18@mdanderson.org) for more information.