The Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health, has named Heping Zhang¸ Ph.D., Professor at Yale University, School of Medicine as the 2008 Myrto Lefkopoulou Distinguished Lecturer. Professor Zhang will present a lecture on September 4, 2008, at the Harvard School of Public Health. The title of his lecture is “Statistical Challenges in Genetic Studies of Mental Disorders.” A reception will be held following the lecture.

The lectureship was established in perpetuity in memory of Dr. Myrto Lefkopoulou, a faculty member and graduate of Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Lefkopoulou tragically died of cancer in 1992 at the age of 34 after a courageous two-year battle. She was deeply beloved by friends, students, and faculty.

Each year the Myrto Lefkopoulou Lectureship is awarded to a promising statistician who has made contributions to either collaborative or methodologic research in the applications of statistical methods to biology or medicine and/or has shown excellence in the teaching of Biostatistics. Ordinarily, the lectureship is given to a statistician within 15 years of receiving an earned doctorate.