Philip Westgate, Ph.D., Chair of and Professor in the Department of Biostatistics at the University of Kentucky (UK) College of Public Health (CPH), has been honored as a 2024-2025 University Research Professor.
“Being recognized as a University Research Professor is an amazing honor that I deeply appreciate,” Westgate said. “This recognition not only acknowledges the significance of my research contributions but also reflects the collaborative efforts of my colleagues and research teams who have supported and enriched my work along the way.”
Westgate’s research centers on biostatistics, with a specific focus on designing and analyzing data from cluster or community randomized trials. These trials involve the randomization of clusters, such as clinics or entire communities, to different trial arms, allowing for the evaluation of interventions applied to groups of individuals.
With the increasing demands for expansive research into public health interventions, Westgate has designed many funded grant proposals for the UK Substance Use Priority Research Area (SUPRA). Over the last five years, his portfolio of funded work has reached nearly $100 million. This includes being the lead biostatistician for the UK site of the HEALing Communities Study.
“It has allowed me to grow professionally, and I have been able to expand my collaborations in the substance use area,” Westgate said of serving on the HEALing Communities Study.
Westgate’s work at UK has spanned various public health fields, with an emphasis on pediatrics and substance use. However, those were not a specific focus for him when he first joined the university.
“I was simply looking for collaborations in which my methodological expertise would be valued,” he said. “As it turns out, these are two areas in which I have had great collaborations, and I have enjoyed working in these applied areas.”
Reflecting on his journey into biostatistics, Westgate recalled the early encouragement he received from his professors during his undergraduate education at Central Michigan University.
"In my undergraduate education, I studied statistics and actuarial science. My statistics professors encouraged me to go on to graduate school. I was especially encouraged to study biostatistics at the University of Michigan, and that is what I ended up doing," he said.
It was during his time at the University of Michigan that Westgate discovered his passion for longitudinal data analysis, a field that would become central to his career.
"Longitudinal data analysis was one of my favorite courses in graduate school, and my dissertation advisor introduced me to cluster randomized trials,” he said. “My dissertation was involved in these areas, and I continued to grow in these areas here at the University of Kentucky."
The University Research Professorship program will provide funding for resources that will allow Westgate to advance his research, he said. This includes trials that play such a crucial role in expanding the understanding of public health interventions and their impact on communities.
“I hope that my research will play a role in improving health outcomes and the well-being of individuals and communities across Kentucky,” he said.
The University Research Professorships were established by the UK Board of Trustees in 1976 to recognize outstanding research achievements.
Each academic year, college leadership develop criteria for excellence within their area of expertise and nominate faculty who excel at these criteria. Each University Research Professor receives a one-year award of $10,000 and participates in other events planned around the program.
To learn more about the University Research Professor program, visit https://www.research.uky.edu/support/university-research-professors.
Erin Wickey contributed to this story.
