It is with great pleasure that we announce Dr. Don Mercante as the new Program Director for the Biostatistics and Data Science Program. Dr. Mercante brings a wealth of experience and expertise to this role, having completed his PhD in Statistics from Virginia Tech in 1990 under the supervision of Professor Eric P. Smith. Currently, he is a Professor of Biostatistics at the LSU School of Public Health, where he has been a cornerstone of the faculty.
Dr. Mercante’s extensive academic involvement includes his roles as a conjoint Professor in the Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, and the School of Nursing, as well as an Adjunct Professor of Experimental Statistics at LSU Baton Rouge. He also leads the Biostatistics and Epidemiology Key Component at LSUHSC for the Louisiana Clinical & Translational Science Center (LA CaTS).
His previous leadership roles include serving as the Program Director for the Biostatistics Program from 2006 to 2013 and as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for the LSUHSC School of Public Health from 2013 to 2018. Dr. Mercante is renowned for his contributions to clinical trials, linear models, and permutation tests, and for providing statistical expertise and leadership to large multidisciplinary research studies. He also teaches BIOS 7200 Theory of Linear Models.
One of the longest-serving faculty members, Dr. Mercante has been with us since before the School of Public Health was formally organized. His deep connections with the Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, and Nursing, along with his service on the Graduate Faculty Council, make him an invaluable asset to our community. We are very fortunate that Dr. Mercante has agreed to take on this leadership role, and we look forward to his continued contributions to the advancement of our program.
https://sph.lsuhsc.edu/people/faculty/faculty-list/mercante-donald/
