Celebrating 75 Years of the IBS

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Cheers to 75 Years!


The International Biometric Society is celebrating 75 years of supporting statisticians, mathematicians, biological scientists, and other professionals devoted to advancing the biosciences. We're excited to bring you special programming and opportunities to celebrate throughout the year. Here is the latest information related to the anniversary...

When are we celebrating?


We started with special events during IBC 2022 in Riga, Latvia. We also celebrated the actual 75th anniversary on September 6, 2022 when we launched our new Distinguished Lecture program. September 2022 through August 2023 marks the year-long celebration, though most of our activities will be held from the summer of 2022 through early 2023. 

What's the Latest News?

Perhaps you were in Latvia for the IBC, and among the first to celebrate the Society’s anniversary at the 75th Anniversary Gala Dinner at the Society House Riga on Thursday, 14 July. If so, you no doubt enjoyed a festive meal, great local entertainment from one of the host university’s dance troupes, and a welcome address from Organizing President Geert Verbeke. Even before that, the special 75th anniversary session featuring a panel of past presidents of our Society was presented.

Now that the IBC is behind us, it is time for all IBS members to be a part of the celebration. Speaking of this, it is also time for this publication to offer a correction… If you recall seeing something about the anniversary officially starting on September 5th, you are correct! We have since learned better from Lynne Billard (see below for more about Lynne) that September 6th is considered the official founding of the Society. It was on that day in 1947 that the International Biometric Society was founded at Woods Hole.

The first session in our brand-new Distinguished Lecture Series took place on 12 September 2022 virtually via Zoom, with introductions from President Jose Pinheiro and Past President Louise Ryan, followed by our featured speaker Eric J. Tchetgen, Professor of Statistics and Data Science from the University of Pennsylvania. While our 75th anniversary may offer an entertaining glimpse into the Society’s past, this virtual series focuses on new generations and finding inspiration in the work that we do. Eric’s story is a powerful one, and we are honored that he agreed to share his story with us this September. Watch now!

Note that this first session has been made available to members and non-members. In the future, we expect that these lectures will be a benefit available only to current Society members. So, we encourage you and your local Regions to reach out to colleagues young and old about the value of membership in the IBS. We expect that future Distinguished Lectures will be offered quarterly. Mark your calendars for the next lecture on January 17th! 

Can’t get enough of IBS history? We have another opportunity for you! Those who attended the IBC no doubt heard about the new book from past president Lynne Billard titled History of the International Biometric Society. Lynne previewed the book and updated the attendees at the IBC on her research and the many twists and turns it took. She also shared how she had “gained a new respect and understanding of those academics in the arts/humanities who typically wrote one book every five years or so”. The book remains available at a discount directly through the publisher (using the special code: IBS50), Routledge / Taylor & Francis. To find out more, visit https://www.routledge.com/The-History-of-the-International-Biometric-Society/Billard/p/book/9781032258669.  


Check out the special "75th Anniversary Session" presented by Lynne Billard at IBC2022 in Riga, Latvia! 




Call for Stories


We're eager to spotlight stories from our amazing Society members during this time! We are excited to announce a Call for Stories to capture the face of our members and amplify your voice and perspective on the Society's past and what lies ahead for us in the future. Please note, submitted stories will be shared with our community via email and social media and potentially for marketing of the International Biometric Conference.

Members are sharing their Fun Facts!


Have more IBS fun facts to contribute? Please head to the special 75th anniversary IBS Members Community to share them. We’d love to hear and to share what you know! For instance, can you name the first five IBS Regions? Visit the IBS YouTube Channel for the answer. And as we close out the year, here is your gift of a few of the more interesting fun facts that we’ve uncovered. 

Interesting Fun Facts

  1. Our oldest Region, ENAR (the Eastern North American Region), was founded in 1947!
  2. Did you know that our flagship Biometrics journal was originally published two years prior to the Society’s founding? 
  3. The most highly cited Biometrics paper of all time (via Web of Science): “Measurement of Observer Agreement for Categorical Data” by Landis and Koch (1977) with 42,069 citations!
  4. The Society’s International Biometric Conference has been hosted at least once on every continent (except Antarctica).
  5. When did our popular online Journal Club series debut?: October 12, 2017.
    The IBS has posted 24 recordings of past 'Journal Club Presentations' online, and all are available to Society members, free of charge.
  6. What is the number of Presidents in IBS history: 38

Who was the IBS President at the time of our
  25th Anniversary? Peter Armitage - British Region
  50th Anniversary? Byron J. T. Morgan - British Region
  75th anniversary? Jose Pinheiro - ENAR

IBS Journals Help to Mark the Occasion

The Biometrics and JABES journals will include the official 75th anniversary logo on their covers starting in the second half of 2022. Thanks to our publishers for agreeing to mark this milestone. 



Thanks for visiting and for helping us to celebrate!