J. Michael Bowling, Ph.D.

J. Michael Bowling, Ph.D. is a Research Associate Professor in the UNC Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, and an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Biostatistics. He is a Senior Biostatistician with the Department of Biostatistics Carolina Survey Research Laboratory and the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Associate Director for Research of the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center. His primary doctoral training is in sociology with a concentration in demography and survey sampling methodology. Prior to his faculty appointment with UNC, he worked ten years as senior survey biostatistician and Chief of the Survey and Surveillance Section of the North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics (SCHS).

As a survey biostatistician, Dr. Bowling has designed and managed over 100 large-scale survey projects, many of which involved multi-staged complex survey designs. These included statewide mail surveys of primary care physicians, public school teachers, and employers, numerous statewide and national random digit dialed (RDD) telephone surveys and statewide personal interview surveys involving perinatal health, dental health, and HIV risk behaviors. As a Senior Biostatistician, Dr. Bowling has worked successfully with the UNC Carolina Survey Research Laboratory since its inception. This collaboration has involved teaching survey research methodology, planning and implementing statewide telephone and personal interview surveys, and co-authoring survey research books and articles in national journals. Dr. Bowling has lead statistical analyses on numerous cancer related NCI funded research projects including a randomized controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of tailored messages using multiple modes of delivery to increase mammogram compliance and a study to assess predictors of false positives in screening mammography. He is currently leading a multi-country household survey to assess the magnitude of sales and use of illicit tobacco in Southeast Asia.