Celebrating Bios; experiencing NYC menu changes firsthand

Celebrating Biostatistics (Bios)

Last week, we celebrated the 60^th anniversary of our department of Biostatistics featuring a huge Festschrift for Professor Gary Koch. During the week-long celebration,  Professor Larry Kupper also was honored for his contributions to the field and to our School. I really admire Larry, and he has won numerous teaching awards in recognition of his role in the classroom. He is appreciated equally as a statistical collaborator on research projects.

The Festschrift for Dr. Gary Koch was held Monday night, and as I looked around, the room was a “who’s who” in biostatistics. It is remarkable how many outstanding statisticians were trained at our School and how many really excellent collaborators have been associated with them. They all came together to recognize Gary and his remarkable contributions. Gary is an eminent statistician, and I’m also very fond of him. When I reviewed  his CV before the event, I was struck by how many different topics he’s studied and in how many areas he’s made significant contributions. His contributions, though, weren’t only the statistical consultation he gave. Many people talked  about how Gary’s mentoring changed their lives He cared about them as people. Their comments reminded me of the important roles our faculty members play in their students’ lives and how positive that impact can be when faculty members are committed fully to the experience. Gary and his wife Carolyn have supported students very generously and are role models in that regard.

The planning committee* for the anniversary event did a great job, and there were lots of amazingly funny, clever and warm tributes, especially to Gary’s legendary propensity for breakfast meetings at some, shall we say, interesting restaurants. There also were several days of state-of-the-science presentations on different aspects of biostatistics.

Experiencing NYC’s new menu standards

I was in NYC over the weekend for a meeting. It was my first trip since menu labeling began. My husband and I went to one of our favorite restaurants, Le Pain Quotedian. It was great to have calorie counts for food and drink items on the menu. For people who heard Dr. Tom Frieden talk at our School a couple weeks ago, this was his and Michael Bloomberg’s policy. What will it take to make this a policy in North Carolina? I do wonder about the accuracy of the calorie calculations and what can be done to assure careful calculations.

While in NYC, we went to an exhibit on design innovation at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. The focus was not just on design but also on the materials chain and how the entire process can be made more sustainable.

There’s convergence of thinking across multiple fields toward more global sustainability, environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and user-centered design. These trends are totally aligned with public health. We should develop new partnerships given the multiple companies and organizations interested in these issues.

Happy Monday, Barbara

*BIOS 60^th Anniversary and Festschrift Organizing Committee Members: John Bailer, Jianwen Cai, Jennifer Clark, Stephen Couch, Rebekkah Dann, Ed Davis, Jason Fine, Stuart Gansky, Joan Gillings, Amy Herring, Melissa Hobgood, Beth Horton, Peter Imrey, Michael Kosorok, J. Richard Landis, Lisa LaVange, Dustin Long, Evie McKee, Maura O’Donoghue, Tania Osborn, Lauren Paynter, Margaret Polinkovsky, John Preisser, Frank Rockhold, Todd Schwartz, Betsy Seagroves, Maura Stokes, Beth Weiner, Alison Wise, Robert F. Woolson