Zeger Named Inaugural Hurley-Dorrier Professor In Biostatistics

On May 17, 2005, Scott L. Zeger, PhD, was installed as the inaugural Frank Hurley and Catharine Dorrier Professor in Biostatistics at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Zeger is professor and chair of the Department of Biostatistics at the Bloomberg School and acting director for the Biostatistics Consulting Center.

Scott Zegeer,PhD

“I am delighted Scott is the inaugural Frank Hurley and Catharine Dorrier Professor in Biostatistics. He is a dedicated researcher whose scientific discoveries continue to influence our nation’s public health policies,” said Alfred Sommer, MD, MPH, dean of the Bloomberg School of Public Health.

The professorship was endowed by Frank Hurley, PhD, and his wife and colleague, Catharine Dorrier. Dr. Hurley is chair and chief scientific officer of RRD International, a health care product development company that he co-founded in 2002. He also serves on the Bloomberg School’s Health Advisory Board. Ms. Dorrier is a senior technical advisor at RRD International. They have dedicated their careers to bringing safe and effective health care to people around the world. The couple believes that the key to improving international public health is turning data into information, and information into useful knowledge.

“I would also like to thank Frank Hurley and Catharine Dorrier for their continued commitment to improving public health and support of the Bloomberg School of Public Health,” said Dr. Sommer.

“The Hurley-Dorrier professorship is especially gratifying because Frank Hurley and Kit Dorrier are outstanding biostatisticians who understand the discipline and how increasingly important it is to public health science and practice. They have supported the Department, School and University through their philanthropy and also through their roles as trusted advisors. I look forward to working with them as we plan our future, which has never been brighter,” said Dr. Zeger.

Focusing on the collection and analysis of data from biomedical studies, Dr. Zeger’s research involves using statistical methods in time series and longitudinal studies. His specialty is drawing inferences from data collected over time on cohorts of individuals. He has made major contributions to studies of smoking and health, mental health and environmental health.

Dr. Zeger is a fellow of the American Statistical Association, fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and co-editor of the Oxford Press journal Biostatistics. He was awarded the 1987 Snedecor Award (with Kung-Yee Liang) for best paper in biometry, the 1987 and 2002 Johns Hopkins Golden Apple Award for excellence in teaching, and the 1991 Spiegelman Award from the American Public Health Association for contributions to health statistics. Recently, Science Watch® identified Dr. Zeger as one of the 25 most-cited mathematical scientists of the past decade. He is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences Committee for Applied and Theoretical Statistics.

Dr. Zeger received his bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1974 and his doctorate in statistics from Princeton University in 1982.

The Department of Biostatistics was founded in 1918, making it one of the first academic departments of statistical science in the world. The faculty and staff is dedicated to designing analytic methods to enable health scientists and professionals in academia, government, pharmaceutical companies, medical research organizations and elsewhere to efficiently draw valid conclusions from their ever-expanding sources of information.

Every student entering the Bloomberg School is taught how to use statistical concepts, interpret data in public health and medical literature and develop data analysis skills by Biostatistics faculty.