WASHINGTON (January 9, 2026) — The Biostatistics Center had a ribbon-cutting ceremony in December to celebrate its new office space in Bethesda. The Director of the Center, Professor Scott Evans, cut the ceremonial ribbon with the Center’s administrative leadership. During the ceremony, the Center named one of its conference rooms for Professor Emeritus John Lachin.
The Biostatistics Center has a 53-year history of leadership in practice-changing clinical trials, observational studies, diagnostic accuracy studies, and biostatistical methodology research. With a vision to improve public health by conducting transformative scientific research, and with historically more than $1 billion in NIH grant funding, research studies conducted by the BSC have been: recognized in reports to the United States President and Congress, cited in reports from the United States White House, recognized in Time Magazine’s The Year in Medicine, named the #1 advance in medicine by the Harvard Health Letter, received the Society for Clinical Trials “Trial of the Year” Award, received the Norman F. Gant Award for best research in maternal medicine, twice recognized in Clinical Research Forum’s Top Ten Awards, served as the basis for the National Diabetes Prevention Program adopted by the CDC, served as the basis for regulatory clearance of first extragenital Neisseria gonorrhoeae / Chlamydia trachomatis diagnostic tests, featured in People magazine, twice recognized in “Drazen’s Dozen”, and resulted in more than 65 publications in the New England Journal of Medicine. The BSC has a staff of approximately 120, with more Fellows of the Society for Clinical Trials (SCT) than any other institution.
A selection of current studies at the Biostatistics Center includes:
- Comparing early vs. delayed umbilical cord clamping on short-term postnatal and 2-year neurodevelopmental outcomes
- Comparing oral metformin that may require supplemental insulin vs. starting treatment with injectable insulin for the treatment of gestational diabetes
- Evaluating adjunctive azithromycin prophylaxis for scheduled / pre-labor cesarean delivery
- Evaluating gestational hypertension and preeclampsia blood pressure treatment goals
- Evaluating dose escalation of low-dose aspirin for the prevention of recurrent preterm birth
- Examining the interface between type 1 diabetes and aging
- Evaluating the prevention, treatment, and management of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Alzheimer’s disease-related dementias (ADRD) in older adults with pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes
- Developing prediction models to identify which individuals are at risk for developing youth-onset type 2 diabetes and identify determinants of progression from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes so that targeted prevention approaches can be developed and tested
- Evaluating the physiologic drivers of youth-onset type 2 diabetes to guide development of more effective strategies to achieve glycemic control and preserve beta cell function
- Evaluating exercise and nutrition interventions in tandem with chemotherapy on cancer treatment-related outcomes for therapies delivered with curative or life-extending intent
- Evaluating the underlying mechanisms that link obesity, metabolic dysregulation, and increased cancer risk
- Comparing therapeutic strategies for staph aureus bacteremia
- Evaluating rapid antibiotic susceptibility testing for Gram Negative Bacteremia
- Evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of molecular diagnostics for ciprofloxacin-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae
- Evaluating intravenous phage therapy in adults with cystic fibrosis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa airway colonization
- Evaluating the use of microbiome therapeutic for treating intestinal colonization with multidrug-resistant organisms
- Comparing durations of antifungal in hospitalized children with uncomplicated candidemia
- Developing master protocols for combat trauma infection prevention and management