Join us April 9-11, 2025
"Driving Clinical Research Forward with Advanced Statistics and Data Innovations: Biostatistics in the age of AI/ML"
We are delighted to announce the symposium DISS2025, scheduled for April 9-11, 2025, at the Hilton Durham, conveniently located near Duke University. Under the compelling theme “Driving Clinical Research Forward with Advanced Statistics and Data Innovations: Biostatistics in the Age of AI/ML,” this symposium will delve into the cutting-edge realms of biostatistics and data innovations within pharmaceutical development, particularly in the context of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).
The rapid advancements in biomedical technology, big data science, and AI have opened unprecedented opportunities for drug development. This evolution necessitates the integration of diverse, state-of-the-art tools and methodologies into clinical trial research. Key areas of focus will include the application of machine learning and AI, the utilization of electronic health records, pragmatic trials, patient-centered trial designs, master protocols, adaptive trial design methodologies, as well as the effective use of historical controls and real-world evidence. Unlike traditional clinical development approaches, these innovative strategies demand the systematic extraction of insights from data collected through ongoing clinical trials and external sources. They also involve leveraging AI and ML algorithms and analyzing high-dimensional clinical, genomic, and imaging data as biomarkers for the creation of next-generation pharmaceutical products.
The symposium will commence with a day dedicated to short courses, offering a robust and comprehensive foundation for the subsequent sessions. The following day and a half will feature an array of enriching experiences, including keynote addresses by industry leaders, engaging parallel sessions, and dynamic poster lightning talks.
The Steering Committee and our local Organizing Committee extend a warm welcome to all participants. Your expertise in biostatistics and data innovations will undoubtedly enrich our discussions. Please do not hesitate to let us know if you require any assistance during your stay in Durham.
The Duke Industry Statistics Symposium (DISS) is organized by the Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University School of Medicine and several industry and non-profit partners. The first symposium was established in 2013 to discuss challenging issues and recent advances related to the clinical development of drugs, biologics and devices and to promote research and collaboration among statisticians from industry, academia, and regulatory agencies.
Michael J. Pencina, PhD
Chief Data Scientist, Duke Health
Vice Dean for Data Science
Director, Duke AI Health
Professor, Biostatistics & Bioinformatics
Duke University School of Medicine
Opening Remarks Thursday, April 10th
Michael J. Pencina, PhD, is Duke Health’s chief data scientist and serves as vice dean for data science, director of Duke AI Health, and professor of biostatistics and bioinformatics at the Duke University School of Medicine. His work bridges the fields of data science, health care, and AI, contributing to Duke’s national leadership in trustworthy health AI.
Dr. Pencina partners with key leaders to develop data science strategies for Duke Health that span and connect academic research and clinical care. As vice dean for data science, he develops and implements quantitative science strategies to support the School of Medicine’s missions in education and training, laboratory and clinical science, and data science.
He co-founded and co-leads the national Coalition for Health AI (CHAI), a multi-stakeholder effort whose mission is to increase trustworthiness of AI by developing guidelines to drive high-quality health care through the adoption of credible, fair, and transparent health AI systems. He also spearheaded the establishment and co-chairs Duke Health’s Algorithm-Based Clinical Decision Support (ABCDS) Oversight Committee and serves as co-director of Duke’s Collaborative to Advance Clinical Health Equity (CACHE).
Dr. Pencina is an internationally recognized authority in the evaluation of AI algorithms. Guideline groups rely on his work to advance best practices for the application of clinical decision support tools in health delivery. He interacts frequently with investigators from academic and industry institutions as well as government officials. Since 2014, Thomson Reuters/Clarivate Analytics has regularly recognized Dr. Pencina as one of the world’s “highly cited researchers” in clinical medicine and social sciences, with more than 400 publications cited over 130,000 times. He serves as a deputy editor for statistics at JAMA-Cardiology.
Dr. Pencina joined the Duke University faculty in 2013, and served as director of biostatistics for the Duke Clinical Research Institute until 2018. Previously, he was an associate professor in the Department of Biostatistics at Boston University and the Framingham Heart Study, and director of statistical consulting at the Harvard Clinical Research Institute. He received his PhD in Mathematics and Statistics from Boston University in 2003 and holds master’s degrees from the University of Warsaw in actuarial mathematics and business culture.
Journal of Biopharmaceutical Publication
The Journal of Biopharmaceutical Statistics will be publishing a special issue based on the invited talks and submitted posters from DISS2024. This special issue is currently under review and will be published in the Spring of 2025. The special issue was co-edited by Dr. Shibing Deng (Pfizer) and Dr. Zhaoyang Teng (Sevier).
It is planned that there will be a special issue published derived from the DISS2025 invited talks and submitted posters as well. We invite you to consider submission when we begin organizing this special feature.
The DISS23 special issue was published early this year, and all the articles are in the Latest Articles category on the Journal of Biopharmaceutical Statistics website.
DISS2025 Sponsors
Silver Level Sponsors
