Karl Peace—longtime ASA member, mentor, and philanthropist—was recognized recently by Virginia Commonwealth University and the Medical College of Virginia Foundation for his exceptional contributions.
Although Peace is the child of sharecroppers with little formal education and was raised in rural Georgia without electricity or running water, he earned a doctorate in biostatistics from VCU in 1976.
His career in the pharmaceutical industry proved consequential for millions of patients. He contributed to US Food and Drug Administration approvals of drugs treating gastric ulcers, high cholesterol risk, and, most notably, tacrine—the first drug approved for Alzheimer’s disease.
As meaningful as his research career has been, his philanthropy may be his most enduring legacy. He founded the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health at Georgia Southern, named for his late wife, and has endowed scholarships, professorships, and chairs across multiple universities. His scholarship fund at VCU’s MCV Foundation has supported 67 biostatistics students since 1996.
“There’s a moral obligation,” he said simply. “If you can help someone who needs help, and you don’t—that’s on you. My giving is to individuals with great need in order to allow them to rise higher than they would otherwise.”
In 2012, his son, Christopher K. Peace, established the ASA Karl E. Peace Award for Outstanding Statistical Contributions for the Betterment of Society, which recognizes statisticians who have made substantial contributions to the profession and society at large.
Now 85, Peace continues to teach and is watching closely as artificial intelligence reshapes the field he devoted his life to.
Read the story of Peace’s early life, remarkable resilience, and legacy on the VCU School of Public Health’s website.
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