A Conversation With Gary Grove Koch

Abstract

Gary Grove Koch is Professor of Biostatistics and Director of the Biometric Consulting Laboratory (BCL) in the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he has served on the faculty since December 1967. He received his BS in Mathematics (December 1962) and MS in Industrial Engineering (June 1963) from The Ohio State University, and he received his Ph.D. in Statistics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (June 1968). His principal research interests are the development of statistical methodology for the analysis of categorical data and its corresponding application to a wide range of settings in the health sciences. He has an extensive record of publication in statistics and in collaborative work in health science research. The topics which are addressed by his publications include crossover studies, multicenter studies, longitudinal (multivisit) studies, covariance analysis, strategies for multiple comparisons, and data analysis for pharmacoepidemiology. In recognition of his significant professional activity in these areas, DeMontfort University at Leicester (U.K.) awarded him an Honorary Doctorate of Science in 1996.

This conversation took place in the Laura M. and Peter Grauer Living Room at the James M. Johnston Center in the Graham Memorial at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill on March 16, 2010. In the interview, Professor Koch discusses his early life experiences, arrival in Chapel Hill in 1963, graduate student years at UNC, his research through the decades on the UNC Department of Biostatistics faculty, student support and mentoring and the central role of students in the life of a university, and his view of the importance of biostatistics to society and the career opportunities such an education provides to students today. A detailed biography of Gary Grove Koch is found on page 110 of this special issue.

Keywords: :

• Categorical data analysis
• Regulatory biostatistics
• Student mentoring
• University of North Carolina
• The Ohio State University