“From Trains to Brains: Roanoke’s future continues to be bright!”  So asserts Dwayne Yancey in his Cardinal News Opinion.

Alexandra Hanlon exemplifies this monumental change that began about a decade ago.  She arrived in 2019 from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as a Professor of Practice, Department of Statistics as well as Director, Center for Biostatistics & Health Data Science at Virginia Tech.

She is also a SORO resident and homeowner, living in a 1920s house with lush greenery, a big front porch that features pots of ferns on the steps leading up, 2 lovely seating areas and a beautiful view.  A point of pride is the wonderful backyard they have transformed into a gathering place that various species of birds, chattering squirrels, chipmunks, and sometimes even deer enjoy.  It is so different from the urban life that was theirs in Philly.  Alexandra enjoys commuting to work on her bicycle, and you can often see her whizzing down the street to her office at Riverside 4.

Alexandra and her husband, Rodney Kolb, have been together for a long time.  They were just in the 6th grade when they met at Chambersburg Middle School.  After high school, Alexandra earned her degree at Rochester Institute of Technology, and Rodney obtained his business degree from Clarion.  He moved to the Philadelphia region, and she ended up on the West Coast, working in aerospace.  They met again over the holidays when she was in grad school and back home to visit their hometown.  They married 2 years later and raised 2 children in Philly, both of whom graduated from Temple University.  Their son, Patrick Kolb has a degree in Sport & Recreation and is Communications Coordinator for USA Basketball in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  Their daughter, Ryann Kolb, has a degree in Criminal Justice and helped to lay the groundwork for one of the projects at the Center for Biostatistics.

Both Patrick and Ryann were athletes growing up, and their dad was always very involved in those activities.  Rodney loves sports, but he is also a great chef, with scallops on the grill being one of his specialties.  He also loves to bake and hike and is looking forward to exploring the hiking trails around here, but he has a couple more years before he can retire and relocate.  He also loves their beach house in Delaware, where they would spend entire summers when the kids were little.  They have kayaks and paddleboards and they bike everywhere.  An eclectic playlist of music (country, blues, folk, R&B, Soul and rock) fills their home.

Rodney will be moving here when he finishes up his over 40 years’ of experience as an Underground Design Consultant.  He works for PECO, a utility company in Philly.  For the time being, he and Alexandra have a long-distance marriage and travel back and forth to visit each other.

Alexandra already has lots of connections to our history here.  Her brother is Pat Hanlon, who is Senior VP of Communications with the NY Giants.  That is important for the story because Tyrod Taylor is a Giant who has become a vital player in part of what Alexandra does.

In her roles as Professor and Director, her work crosses different fields and has many moving parts.  She mentors medical students, works with faculty and staff, designs clinical trials, and collects and analyzes data to impact health and change policies.  She is also Co-Director of iTHRIV Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Research Design. Her team includes an assistant director, research assistants, assistant professors, data scientists, an assistant manager and a research and administrative coordinator.  Their goal is to improve health using data collection.

The areas of study are cancer, cardiovascular disease, stress, sleep, communication, violence, gerontology, women’s health, obesity, biobehavioral studies, care transitions, afib, and Alzheimer's, 

Alexandra’s interest in biostatistics is personal, due to the loss of her mother at the age of 37, when she was only 12 years old.  Her dad raised her, her older brother, Pat, and her younger sister, Erica, after that.

Alexandra excelled in math, and her degrees reflect that:  B.S. in Mathematics at Rochester Institute of Technology, an M.S. in Mathematical Statistics at the University of California, Irvine, and Ph.D. from Temple in Statistics.  She has authored over 350 peer-reviewed clinical or biomedical research publications.

An example of one of the studies she has conducted, which has critical importance due to the pandemic: Moral Distress/Depression/Suicidal Thoughts.  This would be a case in which the person knows what is right to do but is unable to carry it out because of some obstacle. This crosses over the fields of nursing, bioethics, psychiatry, neuroscience, and statistics.  

An associated program, part of the Center for Biostatistics & Health is CUBE: Collaborative Undergraduate Biostatistics Experience, a program that offers motivated and underrepresented students the opportunity to work with a real-world dataset, under the mentorship of experienced data scientists.  CUBE is aimed at promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the STEM field.

To apply to the 8-week program, a student must have a 3.0+ GPA and have completed a course in statistics or biostatistics.  The student receives a $4800 stipend, and housing and social outings associated with the program are covered as well.  Food expenses are not covered, but the students are housed at the Patrick Henry Hotel in a furnished apartment with a full kitchen.

As mentioned before, Tyrod Taylor, a former VT quarterback and current NY Giants quarterback, has participated in an associated program.  He has given $1.5 million to The Market at Virginia Tech for students experiencing food insecurity.  The Market stocks fresh produce, proteins, dairy and pantry items, all of which are at no cost to the student.  He has also provided this program in Hampton, where he grew up.

The rapid changes in health care have been largely driven by the type of data that Alexandra and her team have been able to provide.  MyChart, telemedicine and on-demand lab testing have helped the patient be more proactive in his/her health care.  With so much expertise and knowledge, and so many different people contributing to the health and welfare of our residents – Roanoke is once again a hub for progress.