BIPS Director receives prestigious DAGStat medal

“I am very honored to receive this award, which is not only a personal recognition, but also shows that our work in the field of statistics and epidemiology is being noticed and has social relevance,” said Pigeot.

The BIPS director has been a key figure in the German statistics landscape for more than 30 years. As an outstanding scientist, she has made important methodological contributions, particularly in the field of epidemiological studies and drug safety. Under her leadership, BIPS was accepted into the renowned Leibniz Association in 2013 and has since developed into an internationally recognized center for epidemiological research.

The main objectives of Iris Pigeot's research are the development and application of statistical methodology that is motivated by real epidemiological research questions and can be used with real epidemiological data. She was jointly responsible for two of the most important projects at BIPS: the IDEFICS/I.Family cohort, one of the largest European studies on child health, and the GePaRD pharmacoepidemiological research database. In addition to her research, Pigeot is also heavily involved in teaching. Her textbooks, including the standard work “Statistik – der Weg zur Datenanalyse” (Statistics – the Way to Data Analysis), have been used by students in various fields for decades. She has already received multiple awards for her commitment to promoting young talent. She emphasizes: “It is important to me not only to provide young people with a good methodological education, but also to sensitize them to the responsible application of statistics.”

Iris Pigeot has remarkable foresight. Two decades ago, she was already working on the use of artificial neural networks in epidemiology – long before AI-based methods became mainstream. Today, modern health research is unthinkable without such methods. She is currently pursuing the vision of FAIR use of health data with great commitment. FAIR stands for findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable. For example, she is deputy spokesperson of the NFDI4Health consortium, which is building a national infrastructure for personal health data. “Only if data can be used FAIRly can we exploit the full potential of epidemiological research and ultimately improve health care for the entire population,” emphasizes Pigeot.

Iris Pigeot has always been committed to ensuring that scientific findings also have an impact on society. ‘Data alone is not enough. We have to make it usable for the benefit of society – under clear ethical and data protection frameworks,’ she emphasizes.

The DAGStat Medal thus honors not only scientific excellence, but also Iris Pigeot's social commitment and ability to communicate. In awarding her the medal, the DGStat honors a researcher who combines science, teaching and social responsibility in an exemplary manner.

BIPS – Health research for the benefit of mankind

The population is at the center of our research. As an epidemiological research institute, we see our mission in identifying the causes of health disorders and developing new concepts for the prevention of diseases. Our research provides a basis for societal decisions. It informs the population about health risks and contributes to a healthy living environment.

BIPS is a member of the Leibniz Association, which comprises 96 independent research institutions. The orientation of the Leibniz Institutes ranges from the natural, engineering and environmental sciences to economics, spatial and social sciences and the humanities. Leibniz Institutes address issues of social, economic and ecological relevance.Due to their national importance, the institutes of the Leibniz Association are jointly funded by the federal and state governments. The Leibniz Institutes employ around 20,000 people, including 10,000 scientists. The institutes' total budget is 2 billion euros.