Main navigationMain content
University of Minnesota
http://twin-cities.umn.edu/
612-625-5000
Go to the U of M home page
  • One Stop
  • MyU

School of Public Health

MENUMENU
  • About
        • About
          • School at a Glance
          • History
          • Mission & Values
          • Accreditation
          • SPH Behind the Scenes
        • Leadership
          • Dean Melinda Pettigrew
          • Leadership Team
        • Diversity & Inclusion
          • About
          • Agents for Change
          • Training & Development
          • Events
          • Resources
          • Strategic Plan for Antiracism
          • Podcast
          • Report an Incident
        • Offices and Services
          • Communications
          • Development & Alumni Relations
          • Diversity & Inclusion
          • E-Learning Services
          • Faculty Affairs
          • Finance
          • Human Resources
          • Student Services
        • Faculty Directory
        • Contact Us
  • Academics
        • Degrees & Programs
          • Bachelor of Arts (BA)
          • Master of Public Health (MPH)
          • Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA)
          • Master of Science (MS)
          • Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
          • Executive & Distance Degrees
          • Dual Degrees
          • Minors
          • 4+1 Environmental Health MPH
          • Certificates
        • Academic Divisions
          • Biostatistics & Health Data Science
          • Environmental Health Sciences
          • Epidemiology & Community Health
          • Health Policy & Management
        • Institutes
          • 2025 Public Health Institute
        • E-Learning and Academic Technology
          • Online Course Development
          • Guides and Trainings
          • In-Person Courses
          • Instructor Support
          • Quick Help
        • Syllabi
        • Continuing Education and Outreach
        • Non-degree Seeking Students
  • Prospective Students
        • Application Process
          • Apply
          • Application Deadlines
          • Application Review Process
          • Undergraduate BA
          • International Applicants
          • Equal Opportunity, Access & Privacy
          • Certificate Applicants
          • Declaring a Minor
        • Tuition & Finances
          • Cost of Living in Minnesota
          • Scholarships & Funding
          • Financial Aid, Loans & Grants
          • Employment Opportunities
        • Degrees & Programs
        • Careers
          • Students
          • Employers
          • Alumni
          • Events
          • About
        • Recently Admitted Students
          • Admitted Student Day
          • Confirm Your Enrollment
        • What is Public Health?
        • Living in Minnesota
        • Visit Us
        • Students of SPH
  • Current Students
        • Student Resources
          • Syllabi
          • Guidebooks
          • School and University Resources
          • Student Policies
          • SPHere Lounge
        • Careers Services
          • Students
          • Employers
          • Alumni
          • Events
          • Job Postings
          • About Us
        • Student Engagement Opportunities
          • Student Senate
          • Student Ambassadors
          • MHA Community Stewardship Initiative
        • Applied Practice
        • Mentor Program
        • Minors
        • Students of SPH
        • Orientation
        • Incoming Student Requirements
        • Commencement
  • Alumni
    • Connect
    • Get Involved
    • Career Resources
    • Awards & Honors
    • SPH Alumni Society
  • Research
    • Faculty Experts
    • Research Centers
    • Research Projects and Studies
    • Interdisciplinary Collaborations
    • Student Research
  • News
    • News Home
    • Health In All Matters Podcast
    • Advances Magazine
  • Events
  • Give
  1. Home
  2. Safo awarded selective McKnight Land-Grant Professorship

News

Safo awarded selective McKnight Land-Grant Professorship

Kathryn Silverstein | February 8, 2023

School of Public Health (SPH) Assistant Professor of Biostatistics Sandra Safo received a 2023 McKnight Land-Grant Professorship, one of the most selective faculty awards at the University of Minnesota. The Land-Grant Professorship program is designed to support the work of the most promising assistant professors at a crucial point in their careers. Safo will receive a $25,000 research grant in each of the two years of her professorship.

Sandra Safo

The award acknowledges Safo’s accomplishments, her track record of innovative research and funding success, and her commitment to teaching, equity, and service.

“Dr. Safo’s funding record, research impact, and service is indicative of a rising star in the field of biostatistics,” says SPH Interim Dean Timothy Beebe. “I am thrilled that the University has chosen to recognize and support Dr. Safo’s stellar career path with this prestigious award.”

Safo’s interdisciplinary biostatistics research is breaking new ground by combining classical statistical modeling with modern machine learning so scientists can digest data from multiple medical sources in order to more effectively identify and predict disease. Her team seeks to understand the environmental and genetic factors of disease and how their interplay results in different outcomes in individuals and subsets of the population. Safo’s work is incredibly complex and involves “multiview learning” — integrating disparate data sources such as genomics, genetics, health records, and imaging into easy-to-interpret “views” with potential to identify therapeutic targets, disease causes, and individuals at high risk for specific diseases.

Her unique data methodology fundamentally advances our understanding of cardiovascular disease (CVD), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and infectious diseases. For example, her team identified novel biomarkers for CVD in people living with HIV and she is part of a national team of researchers working to identify the relationship between HIV,  COVID-19, and social determinants of health.

“I am extremely grateful to the University for this recognition,” says Safo. “My successes as a junior faculty have been made possible by the incredible support that I have received from the Division of Biostatistics, the School of Public Health, the University, and the statistical community,” adding that her graduate students have been instrumental in pushing forward her research on multiview learning.

Safo is also committed to advancing equity and diversity in biostatistics. Originally from Ghana, she serves as a role model for a group of students for whom there are few role models in the field. She mentors a team of female graduate students at the University of Minnesota, as well as promising undergraduate and high-school students from diverse backgrounds. She is breaking ground as a leader in the field of biostatistics in almost every way and is poised to have a fundamental impact on the way data is used to predict and identify disease.

  • Awards
  • Biostatistics and Health Data Science
  • News
  • News Release

Categories

  • Research
  • Students
  • Awards
  • Faculty
  • Alumni
  • All news

News from Our Divisions

  • Biostatistics & Health Data Science
  • Environmental Health Sciences
  • Epidemiology & Community Health
  • Health Policy & Management

Media Contact:

Virgil McDill, Media Strategist
mcdi0003@umn.edu

  • About
  • Academics
  • Prospective Students
  • Current Students
  • Alumni
  • Research
  • News
  • Events
  • Give

University of Minnesota School of Public Health

Contact
420 Delaware St. S.E.
Minneapolis, MN 55455

612-626-3500
sph-ask@umn.edu

Submit your news, research, event or communications request
SPH Communications partners with faculty, staff, and students to raise the school's profile and highlight its value to our audiences.

SPH Intranet for Faculty and Staff | Health Sciences

For Students, Faculty, and Staff

  • One Stop
  • My U
© 2025 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer. Privacy Statement