Dr Laura H Gunn, Associate Director of the Global eHealth Unit & Biostatistician for Research Design Service (RDS)

Laura joined Imperial College London's (ICL) Department of Primary Care & Public Health within the School of Public Health in October of 2011.  She is a Research Fellow & Associate Director of the Global eHealth Unit.  She is also a biostatistician for the ICL Unit of Research Design Service (RDS) London, which is funded by the Department of Health and provides support to those submitting proposals for funding among various applications of health research.

Laura’s training is in biostatistics, with particular focus in public health.  She earned a PhD (2004) and MS (2001) in Statistics from Duke University (North Carolina, USA), and a BA with Honours in Mathematics (1999) from Jacksonville University (Florida, USA).  During her doctoral studies, she held a Fellowship with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS; North Carolina, USA) and provided consultation to several units of the Duke University Medical School. 

She has been a tenured Associate Professor of Biostatistics at the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health (JPHCOPH) at Georgia Southern University (Georgia, USA).  She co-led the development of the College since 2004 (as one of the initial six faculty) through a nationwide Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) accreditation, which was earned in 2011.  She was Program Director of Biostatistics through the spring of 2011 and became Interim Associate Dean of the College for several months prior to arriving in London. 

She has taught numerous courses, at the undergraduate and post-graduate levels, spanning a broad range of biostatistical areas.  Though her training is in Bayesian statistics, she regularly uses both Frequentist and Bayesian methods of analysis.  Recent applications include, though are not limited to, the following: an evaluation of a Georgia (USA) childhood asthma management program for Medicaid eligible patients; an analysis of postural control following concussion; receipt of health care transition counselling in the National Survey of Adult Transition & Health (SATH); colon, breast, and prostate cancer screening behaviours in rural and urban environments; trends in infant mortality; social and behavioural health, including sexual health behaviour; health policy; nutrition; toxicology; reproductive health; oncology; and urology. 

A sample of her professional service includes: a nominated member of the US Department of Health & Human Services’ Center for Medicare & Medicaid's Medicare Evidence Development & Coverage Advisory Committee, nominated Chair of the Biopharmaceutical Applied Statistics Symposium, elected Treasurer for the American Statistical Association-Georgia Chapter, and as a grant recipient and reviewer as well as a journal reviewer for multiple international associations and journals.  She was awarded the Faculty Excellence in Teaching & Mentoring Award (2009) as well as Faculty Excellence in Service Award (2011) at JPHCOPH.

Laura is passionate about using her skills and experience in biostatistics and public health to make a difference in others' lives through research, education, and service at global, national, regional, and local levels.

On a personal note, Laura was recently married in July 2011 and enjoys discovering London with her husband on the weekends.  She also enjoys traveling, visiting with family and friends, and trying a vast array of different foods.