Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics

Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics
Name	Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics
Established	1960s
Parent	Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Head label	Chair
Head	Warren B. Bilker
City	Philadelphia
State	Pennsylvania
Country	United States
Website	https://www.med.upenn.edu/dbei/

Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics. It is a premier academic unit within the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, dedicated to advancing population health through quantitative and data sciences. The department integrates the core disciplines of biostatistics, epidemiology, and health informatics to tackle complex challenges in biomedical research and public health. Its faculty and trainees collaborate extensively across Penn Medicine, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and numerous national and international institutions.

History

The department's origins trace to the 1960s with the establishment of biostatistics and epidemiology units at the University of Pennsylvania. A significant formative period occurred under the leadership of Paul Stolley, a renowned epidemiologist who contributed to seminal studies on oral contraceptives and postmenopausal hormone therapy. The modern, unified department was formally created in 2015 through the strategic merger of the former Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology with the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, alongside the integration of informatics expertise. This reorganization, championed by then-dean J. Larry Jameson, aimed to position Penn Medicine at the forefront of the data-driven revolution in healthcare and precision medicine.

Academic programs

The department administers a comprehensive suite of graduate programs, including a Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology and a Master of Science in Health Policy Research. Its doctoral programs train future leaders in Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Health Informatics, often in collaboration with the Wharton School. The department also offers a prestigious NIH-funded T32 postdoctoral training program in Cardiovascular Epidemiology and contributes core coursework to the medical curriculum at the Perelman School of Medicine. These programs emphasize rigorous methodological training and hands-on research experience within the vast Penn Medicine healthcare system.

Research areas

Research within the department spans a wide spectrum, from methodological innovation to applied population health studies. Major foci include cancer epidemiology, neurodegenerative disease research, HIV/AIDS prevention, and cardiovascular disease risk prediction. Faculty develop novel statistical methods for clinical trials, genomics, and comparative effectiveness research. In informatics, research leverages electronic health records from Penn Medicine for phenotyping, explores machine learning applications, and advances clinical decision support systems. The department is deeply involved in large consortia like the ACCORD trial and the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort study.

Faculty and leadership

The department is chaired by Warren B. Bilker, a biostatistician known for his work in pharmacoepidemiology and neuropsychiatric disorders. Its distinguished faculty include Sean Hennessy, a leader in pharmacoepidemiology; Nandita Mitra, an expert in cancer biostatistics; and Jason Moore, a pioneer in computational biology and bioinformatics. Former chairs and influential figures include the late Brian Strom, a founder of the field of pharmacoepidemiology, and Stephen E. Kimmel, a cardiovascular epidemiologist. The faculty hold joint appointments across entities like the Abramson Cancer Center and the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics.

Facilities and resources

The department is primarily housed in the Blockley Hall complex on the University of Pennsylvania campus, with additional presence in the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine. It maintains high-performance computing clusters for large-scale data analysis and secure data enclaves for working with sensitive electronic health record information. Key resources include the Penn Medicine BioBank and direct analytical access to the extensive data warehouse of the Penn Medicine health system. These facilities support collaborative work with partners like the VA Medical Center in Philadelphia and the Penn Institute for Biomedical Informatics.

Notable achievements

Department faculty have led landmark studies, such as research linking hormone replacement therapy to increased risk of breast cancer and cardiovascular disease. Methodological contributions include the development of the G-computation formula for causal inference and advances in propensity score analysis. The department played a central role in the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its members have received prestigious honors including the NIH Director's Pioneer Award and fellowships in the American College of Epidemiology and the American Statistical Association.

Category:University of Pennsylvania Category:Biostatistics Category:Epidemiology Category:Medical informatics