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In his 20 years at the School, Kung-Yee Liang has pioneered statistical methods that have yielded new insight into disease risk factors and genetic epidemiology. Scott Zeger , PhD: "He tries to make it about the department and his colleagues, and [uses] all these other tricks to avoid the shine. He avoids the limelight like the plague [but] Kung-Yee is one of the world's preeminent biostatisticians." This may be one academic argument that Liang, professor of Biostatistics, can't win. Liang, a native of Taipei, Taiwan, was elected in July to be an "academician" in the Academia Sinica, the Taiwanese equivalent to the National Academy of Sciences. The organization, whose 225 members include six Nobel laureates, meets once every two years to elect new academicians and make policies on academic research. Although Liang tries to deflect the prestige associated with the election, his peers agree the recognition is well deserved. "Most people are lucky to make one important discovery in a career. He's made several," says After Liang came to the School in 1982, he and Zeger developed the Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) , a statistical method for using data collected over time to make valid inferences about disease risk factors. Since then Liang has developed statistical methods to help genetic epidemiologists locate genes that cause disease. Despite moving to the United States more than 25 years ago, Liang has maintained close ties with family and colleagues in Taiwan; he uses his summers and sabbaticals to lecture and work with academic institutions there. In 1993, the modest biostatistician helped establish the biostatistics program at the new College of Public Health at National Taiwan University.
David D. Celentano, ScD '77, MHS '75, professor and director of the Infectious Diseases Program in Epidemiology, received the 2002 Innovators Award from the American Association for Public Opinion Research. Celentano and four colleagues were recognized for Audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interviewing, a technology that assists in obtaining information about sensitive, stigmatizing behaviors. Joseph G. Jacangelo, PhD '86, adjunct associate professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, was recently appointed to the American Water Works Association's Technical and Education Council. Moyses Szklo, MD, DrPH '74, MPH '72, professor of Epidemiology, is this year's recipient of the Lilienfeld Award from the Epidemiology Section of the American Public Health Association (APHA) for excellence in teaching. Lynn Goldman, MD, MPH '81, MS, professor, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, has been named "Alumna of the Year" by the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley, and was recognized May 18 at its graduation ceremony. Clifford S. Mitchell, MD, MPH '91, MS, associate research professor, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, chaired the Maryland State Task Force on Indoor Air and recently issued the group's report to the Governor and General Assembly. The task force's report made key recommendations for protecting indoor air quality in the state. Jean B. Nachega, MD, MPH '99, assistant scientist, Department of International Health, was awarded a 2002 National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded JHU Center for AIDS Research pilot grant to study treatment strategies for preventing HIV drug resistance. Andrea Gielen, ScD '89, ScM '79, professor, Health Policy and Management, has been named the 2002 recipient of the Distinguished Career Award from APHA's Public Health Education and Health Promotion Section. Barbara Starfield, MD, MPH '63, professor, Health Policy and Management, received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Ambulatory Pediatric Association. Renate Wilson, PhD, an adjunct associate professor, Health Policy and Management, received the Kremers Award from the Institute for the History of Pharmacy for her book, Pious Traders in Medicine: German Pharmaceutical Networks in Eighteenth-Century North America. |
