"If you had told me when I started at ETBU that I would be a Ph.D. statistician at UT Southwestern in 15 years, I probably would have laughed at you," Dr. Pruszynski said. "I was not the biggest fan of mathematics prior to college. God definitely has a sense of humor."
When Dr. Jessica Pruszynski enrolled at ETBU in the fall of 2002, she walked into her elementary statistics class thrilled to be taking what she thought would be her last mathematics course. Little did she know, she had a few dozen more math courses in her future.
"If you had told me when I started at ETBU that I would be a Ph.D. statistician at UT Southwestern in 15 years, I probably would have laughed at you," Dr. Pruszynski said. "I was not the biggest fan of mathematics prior to college. God definitely has a sense of humor."
Dr. Pruszynski went on to earn her undergraduate degree in mathematics from ETBU and then received her Ph.D. in Statistical Science from Baylor University. Today, she serves as an Assistant Professor of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
"Since completing my Ph.D., I have spent 10.5 years working on hundreds of different medical studies at three different institutions," Dr. Pruszynki said. "These studies have investigated a wide range of research questions in various medical fields. Any time one of these studies makes a positive impact on our patient population I consider it to be a
professional achievement."
Dr. Pruszynski credits ETBU professor and Dean of the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness Dr. Marty Warren with pointing her toward biostatistics.
"Dr. Warren was my favorite professor and had such an impact on me," Dr. Pruszynski said. "I started out as a pre-med major with the intention of going into cardiac surgery and quickly learned I enjoyed mathematics more than biology and chemistry. Dr. Warren encouraged me to look into the field of biostatistics, and I quickly learned I could combine my interest in the medical field with my love of mathematics. As a result, I attended Dr. Warren's alma matter for my Ph.D. and worked with the same dissertation advisor that she did."
ETBU is grateful for all of our alumni serving in all aspects of the medical field.