How do we measure diversity in a meaningful way? The Gini-Simpson Diversity Index, used by the US Census Bureau, provides a powerful tool to quantify diversity across populations.

Katherine L. Monti’s life has been shaped by variability and a love for mathematics. Born in Chicago and raised in multiple locations, Monti developed an early interest in math. During college summers, she worked for The University of North Carolina Department of Biostatistics, where her work with programming and statistical analysis sparked her interest in biostatistics. Despite initially resisting the idea, Monti eventually earned a PhD in biostatistics from UNC. Her career spanned teaching, industry, diagnostics, and pharmaceuticals, and she became known for her humorous and educational in-house newsletters. Monti’s persistence in challenging assumptions led to key successes in pharma. She also made significant contributions to the ASA, serving in several leadership roles. Now retired, Monti reflects on a fulfilling career that perfectly matched her passion for statistics and education.

Elena Grewal’s journey began in New Haven, Connecticut, where the stark contrast between her public elementary school and elite private high school ignited her passion for addressing inequality. Studying ethics, politics, and economics at Yale, she sought solutions through public policy before discovering the power of data while pursuing a PhD at Stanford.

Mei-Cheng Wang’s journey began in Taiwan, where she earned her bachelor’s in mathematics from National Tsing Hua University. In 1981, she moved to the University of California at Berkeley to pursue a PhD in statistics. After completing her PhD, she joined the department of biostatistics at Johns Hopkins University, where she has been a faculty member ever since.

Here is the transcript of Ji-Hyun Lee interviewing members of the statistical advisory panel of the journal Nature Medicine.