Dr. Fritz Scheuren received his MA (1970) and Ph.D. (1972) from GW's Statistics Department in 1972. He wrote his Ph.D. dissertation "Topics in Multivariate Finite Population Sampling and Analysis" directed by Professor Hubert Lilliefors.

Fritz is currently VP Statistics NORC, University of Chicago. He is also the President-elect of the American Statistical Association. In the past he served as Chief Mathematical Statistician SSA, 1972-1980, Director Statistics Division IRS, 1980-1994, Visiting Professor of Statistics GWU, 1994-1997, Principal Ernst and Young LLP, 1997-1999, and Senior Fellow Urban Institute, 1999-2001.

Fritz's brief statement about his experiences as a statistician:

"My student days at GWU were hard but rewarding. As do many others, even now, I worked full time and went to school at night (for 9 years in my case). This gave me the opportunity to learn both the applied and theoretical sides of statistics and the fun to try to see how to fit them together.

Fitting theory and practice together is something I still do, as each new applied problem pushes one to rethink theoretical results and maybe look for (or create) new ones. What also is true from my days as a student is the love I have for thinking statistically and thereby making a difference in hard problem solving settings, particularly when part of an interdisciplinary team.

What stands out most of all is my love for the people whom I got to study with.and for the stream of people since then that I have worked alongside. I am particularly blessed at the moment because I am President-elect of the American Statistical Association and this gives me even more opportunities to interact with colleagues, from those doing the heavy statistical lifting and those just starting out."

Dr. Stephen Lagakos received his PhD and MPh in Mathematical Statistics from GW's Statistics Department in 1972. His thesis advisor was Professor Robert Shumway.

Steve is currently a professor and chair of the Department of Biostatistics at Harvard University's School of Public Health. He also is Director of the School's Center for Biostatistics in AIDS Research. Steve's applied research interests are in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases. His methodological interests are in statistical methods for failure time data and other continuous-time processes, especially as they apply to his applied areas of interest. His greatest enjoyment comes from teaching and working with graduate students.

Steve is currently an Associate Editor for the Journal of the American Statistical Association and a statistical editor for the New England Journal of Medicine. He is a fellow/member of the American Statistical Association, Institute of Mathematical Statistics, International Statistical Institute, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Institute of Medicine.

Steve has many fond memories of his days at GW, and is particularly pleased with the development of biostatistics at GW through the activities of the Department, and the Biostatistics Center, which did not exist when he was a student.