On August 27, 2019, the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University celebrated the 80th birthday of Donna Jean Brogan.
biostatistics
(Bio)Statistics Bachelor’s Degrees Nearly Quintuple This Decade
The decade of statistics continues with strong growth in the number of statistics and biostatistics degrees awarded annually. According to the latest preliminary data release from the National Center for Education Statistics, bachelor’s degrees grew 17 percent, master’s degrees increased by 5 percent, and doctoral degrees increased by 11 percent.
New Graduate Data Science Programs, Continued
The proliferation of master’s and doctoral programs in data science and analytics continues. Given their interdisciplinary nature, we identified programs involving faculty with expertise in different disciplines—including statistics—and asked them a few questions.
Nonclinical Biostatistics Conference a Venue for Presentation, Discussion
One hundred thirty attendees converged on the Rutgers University campus in New Brunswick, New Jersey, to participate in the 2019 Nonclinical Biostatistics Conference June 17–19.
Orange County Holds Symposium on Drug and Device Development
The inaugural Orange County ASA biostatistics symposium was held May 3 on the Allergan campus in Irvine, California.
2018–2019 Academic Salary Survey
The 2018–2019 academic salary survey includes both faculty and nonfaculty statisticians and biostatisticians. We received responses from 66 institutions in the United States. The data include 996 faculty and 208 nonfaculty statisticians, with gender information. The quartiles and 90th percentile for relevant categories are provided in the summary tables.
Laura Hatfield
Laura Hatfield grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, as a classic nerdy kid interested in math and science. She began college on a pre-med route, but while doing medical research at Johns Hopkins, she learned she wanted to design studies and analyze data. After several years immersed in health policy research, she co-founded the Heath Policy Data Science Lab with Sherri Rose at Harvard.
Dionne L. Price
After being awarded a scholarship to Norfolk State University, Dionne Price earned a summer internship at the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke. It was there she fell in love with biostatistics. Currently employed at the US Food and Drug Administration, her statistical expertise contributes to ensuring the efficacy and safety of drugs and therapeutic biologics for the public.
Susmita Datta
Susmita Datta was born in Kolkata, India, where she attended an eclectic school for women that taught her science, literature, drama, and music. She contemplated whether to pursue a career in music or science, with her passion for science winning out and bringing her into the world of physics, followed by statistics. Susmita is widely published in peer-reviewed journals and currently serves on the editorial boards of Briefings in Bioinformatics and the IISA Springer book series.
Rhonda Bacher
Rhonda Bacher found patterns and solving problems interesting when she was younger, so she fell in love with statistics when she realized it was its own powerful language, capable of explaining patterns and problems. Currently, she teaches and mentors biostatistics students and—like her mentors—she’s able to help students discover their careers, passions, and paths.