On August 27, 2019, the Rollins School of Public Health (RSPH) Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics at Emory University celebrated the 80th birthday of Donna Jean Brogan, professor emerita of biostatistics since her Emory retirement in 2004. Gifts given by colleagues, friends, and family helped endow the annual Donna Jean Brogan Lecture in Biostatistics.
Nancy Murray, a biostatistics doctoral candidate, emceed the celebration. Several people reviewed aspects of Brogan’s career, including her contributions to fostering career opportunities for women in statistics (e.g., spearheading the formation of the Caucus for Women in Statistics in 1971). Speakers included John Hanfelt, interim chair of biostatistics and bioinformatics; Murray; Ying Guo, professor of biostatistics; Michael Kutner, professor of biostatistics; Jim Curran, dean of the RSPH; Kathryn Graves, senior associate dean of development and external relations of the RSPH; and Andrea Lane, biostatistics doctoral student. Extemporaneous remarks from previous colleagues and friends followed.
Students and faculty coordinated a membership drive for the Caucus for Women in Statistics in honor of Brogan and the honorary gift of increased membership was presented at the celebration.
Brogan expressed appreciation to her colleagues and friends at the RSPH and thanked them for their role in her enjoyment of a long career in biostatistics. She reminded all that she has retired from Emory (sort of), but not from the biostatistics discipline. She still teaches continuing education courses about design and analysis of complex sample surveys, including two at CDC University in November. And, yes, she still participates in challenge-level square dancing!
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