The Rob Kempton Award LI post

"Biometry, the active pursuit of biological knowledge by quantitative methods.” – R.A. Fisher, 1948

Professor Tobias Chirwa has been awarded the Rob Kempton Award by the International Biometric Society for Outstanding Contribution to the Development of Biometry in the Developing World.

This is one of the society's major international honours: recognising sustained contributions to advancing biometry, which is the use of statistical and mathematical methods to understand biological and public health data. At its core, biometry helps answer critical questions in health research. For example: If a new vaccine is introduced, did fewer people get sick? And how confident can we be that the result is real, rather than due to chance?

Through his work, Professor Chirwa has played a central role in strengthening biostatistical capacity across Africa. He has supported research that informs health systems, policy, and population-level interventions. This mission sits at the heart of the Sub-Saharan Africa Advanced Consortium for Biostatistics (SSACAB), which supports the training and development of biostatisticians across the continent. By strengthening analytical capacity, SSACAB enables researchers to generate robust evidence from complex health data and translate it into policy and practice. Professor Chirwa will receive the award and address delegates at the International Biometric Conference in Seoul in July 2026.

Why this matters:
This award recognises the importance of biometry in shaping credible, data-driven health decisions. Strengthening biostatistical capacity, as SSACAB does, ensures that African data can be translated into reliable evidence, driving solutions that are locally relevant and globally significant.