Newswise — WASHINGTON, DC (March 15, 2018)The Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH) at the George Washington University (GW) today announced that Scott Evans, an internationally recognized expert in clinical trials, infectious diseases and biostatistics, will join the school on April 1 as the Director of the Biostatistics Center (BSC) and Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. The Biostatistics Center, which is part of Milken Institute SPH, is a coordinating research center for large-scale, multi-center clinical trials and epidemiologic studies.

Evans comes to Milken Institute SPH from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH) where he had been a Senior Research Scientist and had been a member of the Steering Committee for the Center for Biostatistics and AIDS Research. In addition, Evans served as the Director of the Statistical and Data Management Center (SDMC) of the Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group at HSPH. He will continue leadership of the SDMC while at Milken Institute SPH.

 “We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Evans to our school where he will lead the Biostatistics Center, which has a 45-year history of coordinating cutting edge clinical trials and observational studies,” said Lynn R. Goldman, MD, MPH, the Michael and Lori Milken Dean of the Milken Institute SPH. “With the addition of Dr. Evans, the interdisciplinary team has an opportunity to collaborate on new projects and take advantage of the growth of pragmatic trials, real world evidence, big data and other issues.”

Evans scholarly contributions include applied and methodological research, published in top journals including The New England Journal of Medicine, The Journal of the American Medical Association, Clinical Infectious Diseases, Statistics in Medicine, and others. His methodological developments impact the design, analyses, and interpretation of studies in infectious diseases and beyond by obtaining better benefit/risk assessments of interventions and diagnostics. He has authored three books since 2015 including a textbook on clinical trials and two statistical methodology books. Evans is currently the Editor-in-Chief of  Statistical Communications in Infectious Diseases, and the Co-editor of a new Section of Clinical Infectious Diseases entitled Innovations in Design, Education, and Analyses (IDEA). He also serves as the Executive Editor of CHANCE, a publication of the American Statistical Association (ASA).

His many honors include the Mosteller Statistician of the Year Award from the Boston Chapter of the ASA, the Robert Zackin Distinguished Collaborative Statistician Award for contributions of statistical expertise to HIV research in the AIDS Clinical Trials Group, a Recognition Award for contributions of statistical expertise to the HSPH Institutional Review Board, and elected Fellowship from the ASA and from the Society for Clinical Trials (SCT). He is a member of the Board of Directors for the ASA and the SCT, and the Steering Committee for the Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative (CTTI). He also is a member of an FDA advisory committee, the Chair of the Trial of the Year Committee of SCT, a Team Leader on the Real World Evidence Project for the CTTI, and the Chair of the Committee on Data Monitoring Committees and Benefit/Risk Assessment for the Quantitative Sciences in the Pharmaceutical Industry. In addition, Evans serves on several data safety and monitoring boards for government and industry-sponsored clinical trials.

He plans to take a proactive approach to enhancing the research activity and diversity of the BSC by creating new interdisciplinary collaborations and projects, including those within the GW community as well as with outside partners. The growth of pragmatic trials, real world evidence, data science, and the expanding GW research community are creating opportunities for the Center’s expertise.  He also plans to grow the educational role of the BSC.

“I am honored to be joining the faculty and staff at GW’s BSC, the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and the Milken Institute School of Public Health. I am eager to contribute to the world-class research already underway as well as expand into exciting new areas and projects,” said Evans.

Evans received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the Plymouth State College, an MS degree in mathematics from the University of New Hampshire, and a PhD in biostatistics from the University of Massachusetts.