Stephanie Cook was interested in math and science as a girl, but math did not come easy for her because she has mild dyscalculia—a disability that impairs a person’s ability to learn number-related concepts. Even though it took her longer to do math, however, she excelled at it. Consequently, she went on to earn an MPH and DrPH in sociomedical science at Columbia University with a focus on research methods and statistics. Currently, she is a New York University James Weldon Johnson Professor in the department of social and behavioral sciences and department of biostatistics.
Department of Biostatistics
Karen Bandeen-Roche
Karen Bandeen-Roche was inspired by her dad’s life as a NASA scientist and studied mathematics in college and graduate school. She wasn’t exposed to statistics until she attended Cornell and it was there, while mentored by David Ruppert, that she found joy in analyzing data. She now fosters trainees and co-founded a National Institutes of Health–funded training program in the epidemiology and biostatistics of aging.