Research Newsletter

Yiannoutsos Steps Down, Perkins Assumes Role as Biostatistics Core Director

Susan M. Perkins, PhD, associate professor of medicine, has assumed the role of director for the Biostatistics and Data Management Core (BDMC) of the Indiana University Cancer Center. Perkins replaces Constantin T. Yiannoutsos, PhD, who has served as the core director since its inception in 2002.  

Yiannoutsos was visionary in establishing and developing a strong biostatistics and data management resource for IU Cancer Center members. He is a recent recipient of a grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for the East Africa Regional IeDEA (International Epidemiologic Database to Evaluate AIDS) Consortium. The aims of the East Africa Regional IeDEA Consortium are to: 1) identify data from existing HIV/AIDS care and research networks in the East Africa region; 2) develop protocols to harmonize and merge data and provide training and education to accomplish this task; 3) share data within the East Africa Regional Consortium, the worldwide IeDEA Consortium, and collaborating investigators from the broader scientific community; and 4) identify and pursue critical questions related to HIV/AIDS care, treatment and research that can be addressed with combined regional data. Yiannoutsos worked previously as a senior research scientist at the Center for Biostatistics in AIDS Research at the Harvard School of Public Health prior to his arrival at Indiana University.

Yiannoutsos, his wife Sherri, and their children Theodore and Alexandra recently welcomed two new additions to their family: Andreas, adopted from Africa, and Anastasia, born in March of this year. The IU Cancer Center would like to express its thanks to Dr. Yiannoutsos for his seminal efforts in the development of the BDMC and wishes him and his family all the best for the future.

Perkins is an associate professor and a member of the Indiana University Department of Medicine faculty.  She has been a member of the Division of Biostatistics since 1997, is an affiliate member of the Regenstrief Institute, has been an IU General Clinical Research Center statistician since 2004, and is the director of the Biostatistics Core for the IU Center for Enhancing the Quality of Life in Chronic Illness.  She has a PhD and MS in biostatistics from University of Michigan as well as an MS in mathematics from Eastern Michigan University.

The BDMC continues to offer a wide array of services to cancer center members, including broad statistical support for basic science and clinical research, data management services, and free grant and protocol development support.  We have also recently expanded our capabilities for statistical bioinformatics support.  This includes statistical support related to data obtained from the recently acquired Illumina platform.  For more information, please visit the IU Cancer Center website:  http://cancer.iu.edu/research/facilities/biostatistics/ or contact Dr. Perkins (sperkin1@iupui.edu, 274-2626).