James J. Dignam, PhD, Named New RTOG Group Statistician
Philadelphia, PA - July 16, 2009 - James J. Dignam, Ph.D., has been named the new Group Statistician for the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) and will lead the efforts of RTOG's Statistics and Data Management Center. Dr. Dignam is an Associate Professor of Biostatistics in the Department of Health Studies at the University of Chicago and an Investigator in the University of Chicago Cancer Research Center. RTOG is a National Cancer Institute-funded national clinical trials group and is administered by the American College of Radiology.
Dr. Dignam has an extensive background in cancer clinical trial research, having been a statistician for both the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) and the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group (ACoSOG) in addition to his current work with the University of Chicago. He has also been the principal investigator of several National Institutes of Health grants involving breast cancer research and a Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation award. Dr. Dignam holds a Ph.D. in biostatistics from the University of Pittsburgh.
Dr. Dignam will remain in Chicago as an active member of the University of Chicago faculty as he directs the RTOG Statistics and Data Management Center in Philadelphia. "RTOG has an impressive record in conducting clinical trials that have improved the survival and quality of life of cancer patients and I am very much looking forward to being part of the group's research effort," said Dr. Dignam. As Group Statistician, Dr. Dignam will also serve on the RTOG Executive, Steering, and Research Strategy Committees.
"I am very pleased to welcome Dr. Dignam to the leadership of the RTOG," said Walter J. Curran, Jr., M.D., the RTOG Group Chair, and the Lawrence W. Davis Professor and Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology in the Emory School of Medicine and Chief Medical Officer of the Emory Winship Cancer Institute. "His experience and research background will be a tremendous asset to the group and I know that our statistics and data management staff will benefit from his direction."
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