Gillings alumna LaVange elected ASA president
June 28, 2016
Lisa LaVange, PhD, 1983 alumna and former professor of biostatistics at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, has been elected the 113th president of the American Statistical Association (ASA).
Dr. Lisa LaVange
LaVange, who also served as the former director of the UNC Collaborative Studies Coordinating Center, will serve the ASA as president-elect for one year, beginning Jan. 1, 2017, and will begin her term as president on Jan. 1, 2018.
“Statistics is experiencing great strides these days, from the expansion of undergraduate degree programs across the country to the surge in employment opportunities associated with the data revolution,” LaVange said. “And yet, with that energy and growth come challenges. Our attention to attracting and training students and to increasing the understanding of statistical concepts by ‘big data’ practitioners and consumers has never been more important.”
In 2011, LaVange transitioned from the Gillings School to her current role as director of the Office of Biostatistics in the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) at the United States Food and Drug Administration. There, she is responsible for developing policies and procedures to guide statistical review of regulatory submissions, in addition to coordinating biometric research and providing comprehensive statistical services to CDER scientific and regulatory programs. As director, she oversees the work of more than 190 statistical reviewers.
LaVange’s career previously led her to work in the pharmaceutical industry, both as vice president of biostatistics and data management at Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and as vice president of statistics for North American Clinical Development at Quintiles, Inc. She also spent 15 years at the Research Triangle Institute.
“My work in government, academia and private industry has allowed me to grasp the big picture and relate to the experiences of statisticians everywhere,” she shares. “I look forward to working with the ASA Board, staff and members to expand the value and understanding of our profession and the critical role statistics plays in all aspects of life.”
Find more details in the original news release from the ASA.
Gillings School of Global Public Health contact: David Pesci, director of communications, (919) 962-2600 or dpesci@unc.edu
