In memoriam: James H. Ware, renowned biostatistician, admired leader and mentor

James H. Ware, the Frederick Mosteller Professor of Biostatistics and associate dean for clinical and translational science at the Harvard Chan School, passed away April 26 after a long battle with cancer.

Ware was a deeply respected and admired member of the Harvard Chan School community for nearly 40 years, having joined the faculty in 1979 after receiving his Ph.D. in statistics from Stanford University and spending eight years as mathematical statistician at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. He was dean for academic affairs at the School from 1990 to 2009, including serving as acting dean in 1997–1998 when then-Dean Harvey V. Fineberg took the position of provost of Harvard University. As academic dean under deans Fineberg and Barry Bloom, Ware had a deep and significant effect on shaping the School’s academic and research vision—a legacy upon which the School of today is built.

Ware had a longstanding interest in studies of pulmonary and cardiovascular disease and it is no exaggeration to say that his research efforts have helped save thousands, if not millions of lives. From 1980 to 1995, he was a co-investigator in the landmark Six Cities Study of Air Pollution and Health, which has had a profound effect on Clean Air Act regulations in the U.S. and efforts to limit air pollution around the world. He was internationally recognized for his publications on the design and analysis of longitudinal and multi-level physiologic, clinical, and biological studies and on methodologic issues in clinical trials research.