Presenter Profile

Dr. Ron Berk
School of Nursing
Johns Hopkins University

RONALD A. BERK is Professor of Biostatistics and Measurement at the School of Nursing, The Johns Hopkins University. He served as Assistant Dean for Teaching from 1997-2003, was the recipient of the University's Alumni Association Excellence in Teaching Award in 1993 and the Caroline Pennington Award for Teaching Excellence in 1997, and was inducted as a Fellow in the Oxford Society of Scholars in 1998. Since that date, he has been in the Federal Witness Protection Program living in Maryland under the name Britney Spears. He has destroyed scores of trees and shrubbery by publishing more than 120 journal articles and chapters and six "serious" books on educational, psychological, and healthcare measurement, and two "humor" books: Professors Are from Mars, Students Are from Snickers (Stylus, 2003) and Humor as an Instructional Defibrillator (Stylus, 2002). He has written a monthly humor column, "Ask Mister Humor Person," for health professionals in the newsletter MedWorldNEWS (www.medcareers.com). The quality of his publications reflects his lifelong commitment to mediocrity and his professional motto: "Go for the Bronze!" He is a past president of the National Council on Measurement in Education, but he was recently excommunicated from the Council for "not being serious." He must complete 100 days of community service at a local comedy club before review for reinstatement.