Burton H. Singer

Dr. Burton H. Singer – (6/12/1938 – 2/15/2026)

Burton Singer was born June 12, 1938 in Chicago to Ida and Isadore Singer. As a child, he was clearly gifted intellectually and demonstrated a very quick wit and feisty persona. In his hometown of Chicago, Burt attended Lane Tech College Preparatory School. He often vividly recalled some of his happiest childhood memories at the Interlochen Center for the Arts Summer Camp where he studied both piano and violin. When not studying or playing music, he occasionally skipped school to watch his beloved Chicago Cubs. His truancy did not hold him back, as he matriculated from Lane Tech to Case Institute of Technology to embark on what would become a brilliant career focused on epidemiology and public health.

Burt received his BS in Engineering Science (1959) and MS in Mechanical Engineering (1961) from Case Institute of Technology. He went on to complete his Ph.D in Statistics from Stanford University (1967). Following his work in Palo Alto, Burt moved to New York and began his academic career at Columbia University where he served as a Professor of Statistics (1967-1984). It was at Columbia that he met his wife of 54 years, Eugenia. In 1984, Burt accepted a position as Professor of Economics and Statistics at Yale University, where he would later be named the Dean of the Yale School of Public Health and Chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health (1989– 1993). From 1993 – 2009, Burt served as the Charles & Marie Robertson Professor of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. He also had affiliated faculty appointments in the Programs in Applied & Computational Mathematics, Environmental Studies, African Studies and the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Most recently, Burt served as an Adjunct Professor in the Emerging Pathogens Institute and Department of Mathematics at the University of Florida.

In addition to his academic appointments, Burt has served as chair of the National Research Council Committee on National Statistics and as chair of the Steering Committee for Social and Economic Research in the World Health Organization Tropical Disease Research (TDR) program. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences (1994), the Institute of Medicine (now National Academy of Medicine) (2005) and was a Guggenheim fellow in 1981-1982. From 2010-2020, he served as a member of the Research Board of the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative, focused on both short- and long-term consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. He also served as a Board Member and Trustee of the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences.

Burt retired on February 15, 2026. Until then, he continued to serve as a mentor to several interdisciplinary teams focused on optimizing public health policy. His collaborative research improved policy at both national and global levels through analyses of health system reforms and epidemic interventions that were cited by congressional leaders and multiple administrations. His scientific reach was extraordinary, spanning diseases from HIV to malaria to cancer, COVID and beyond, always guided by a commitment to the common good. The depth and breadth of his contributions were extraordinary.

While his professional work is unparalleled, he brought the same passion to his most important roles in life: husband, father, brother, uncle and grandfather. Burt is pre-deceased by his parents, his treasured sister, Miriam Sulman, and several well-loved dogs including Carla, Gretchen and Keira. Burt is survived by his beloved wife Eugenia McGinness, his proud and loving children: Gregory Singer (Ann), Maureen Harrell (David) and Sheila Singer (Justin), his nephew Aaron Sulman, his niece Rachel Schechtman, and 5 adoring grandchildren: Maddy (16), Ellie (8), Adrian (7), Bennett (5), and Gracie (3).

A celebration of Burt’s life will be held in March with details to follow.

In lieu of flowers, Burt would be honored by donations to the Alzheimer’s Association to support Eugenia’s battle with this harsh disease. Burt’s memory should be honored by living as global citizens, finding ways to create meaningful impact within one’s community, celebrating differences, asking hard questions, being curious and, above all, kind.