Zhengjia Nelson Chen, Ph.D
Professor
Director of Biostatistics Shared Resource Core of UI Cancer Center
Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Contact
Building & Room:
947 SPHPI
Address:
1603 W. Taylor St.
Office Phone:
Email:
CV Download:
University of Illinois (UI) Cancer Center
Building & Room:
Room 524
Address:
818 South Wolcott Av.
Office Phone:
About
My research goal is to improve healthcare and advance the treatment for patients, especially cancer patients. I am interested in application-driven and theoretically challenging biomedical research. In particular, my current research focuses on three areas: 1) Advance the practice of clinical trials by inventing novel adaptive Phase I, II, and III designs using Bayesian approaches; 2) Develop user-friendly statistical software to facilitate the application of my novel adaptive approaches to the practice of clinical trials; 3) Collaborate with various investigators to design studies, analyze data, publish profound research results, and apply for grants.
Selected Publications
- Lu J, Zhang Y, Cui Y, Peng L, Chen Z. A Novel Phase II Hybrid Design to Minimize Trial Duration and Improve the Success Rate of Following Phase III Trial. Journal of Applied Statistics. 2024 (In press).
- Tu J, Chen Z. Bayesian Dose Escalation with Over-dose and Under-dose Control Utilizing All Toxicities in Phase I/II Clinical Trials. Biometrical Journal. 2024; 66(1):e2200189.
- Chen Z, Zhang C , Chen J, Wang D, Tu J, VanWeas C, Saba N, Chen ZG, Chen Z. The Proteomic Landscape of Growth Factor Signaling Networks Associated with FAT1 Mutations in Head and Neck Cancers. Cancer Research. 2021; 81(17):4402-4416.
- Zhang Y, Kutner M, Chen Z. Adaptive Bayesian phase I clinical trial designs for estimating the maximum tolerated doses for two drugs while fully utilizing all toxicity information. Biometrical Journal. 2021; 63(7):1476-1492.
- Harvey RD, Zhang C, Lonial S, Kaufman JL, Chen Z. Reply to African American patients may or may not have poorer response rates after monoclonal antibody treatment: Overreliance on P values in underpowered studies. Cancer. 2020; 123(8):1228-1234.
- Chen Z, Zheng Y, Wang Z, Kutner M, Curran WJ, Kowalski J. Interactive calculator for operating characteristics of phase I cancer clinical trials using standard 3 3 designs. Contemporary Clinical Trials Communication. 2018; 12:145-153.
- Chen Z, Li Z, Zhuang R, Yuan Y, Kutner M, Owonikoko T, Curran WJ, Kowalski J. Adaptive Estimation of Personalized Maximum Tolerated Dose in Cancer Phase I Clinical Trials Based on All Toxicities and Individual Genomic Profile. PLoS One. 2017; 12(1):e0170187.
- Chen Z, Chen X. Exact Calculation of Minimum Sample Size for Estimating a Poisson Parameter. Communications in Statistics – Theory and Methods. 2016 45:16, 4692-4715.
- Chen Z, Yuan Y, Li Z, Kutner M, Owonikoko TK, Curran W, Khuri F, Kowalski J. Dose Escalation with Over Dose and Under Dose Control for Phase I/II Clinical Trials. Contemporary Clinical Trials. 2015; 43:133-141.
- Chen Z, Chen X. Rigorous Error Control Methods for Estimating Means of Bounded Random Variables. Journal of Statistical Planning and Inference. 2015; 157-158:54-76.
- Chen Z, Cui Y, Owonikoko TK, Wang Z, Li Z, Luo R, Kutner M, Khuri F, Kowalski J. Escalation with Overdose Control using All Toxicities and Time to Event Toxicity Data in Cancer Phase I Clinical Trials. Contemporary Clinical Trials. 2014; 37(2):322-32.
- Chen Z, Chen X. Exact Group Sequential Methods for Estimating a Binomial Proportion. Journal of Probability and Statistics. 2013; doi:1155/2013/603297.
- Chen Z, Wang Z, Wang H, Owonikoko T, Kowalski J, Khuri F. Interactive Software “Isotonic Design using Normalized Equivalent Toxicity Score (ID-NETS©TM)” for Cancer Phase I Clinical Trials. The Open Medical Informatics Journal. 2013; 7: 8-17.
- Zhao Y, Chen Z, Huang X, Tighiouart M. Editorial: Adaptive and Sequential Methods for Clinical Trials. Journal of Probability and Statistics. 2013; doi:10.1155/2013/386058.
- Chen Z, Tighiouart M, Kowalski J. Dose Escalation with Overdose Control using a Quasi-Continuous Toxicity Score in Cancer Phase I Clinical Trials. Contemporary Clinical Trials. 2012; 33(5):949-58.
- Prajapati H, Spivey J, Hanish S, El-Rayes B, Kauh J, Chen Z, Kim HS. mRECIST and EASL responses at early time point by contrast-enhanced dynamic MRI predict survival in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated by doxorubicin drug-eluting beads transarterial chemoembolization (DEB TACE). Annals of Oncology. 2013; 24(4):965-73.
- Chen Z, Zhao Y, Cui Y, Kowalski J. Methodology and Application of Adaptive and Sequential Approaches in Contemporary Clinical Trials. Journal of Probability and Statistics. 2012; doi:10.1155/2012/527351.
- Chen Z, Krailo MD, Azen SP, Tighiouart M. A novel toxicity scoring system treating toxicity response as a quasi-continuous variable in Phase I clinical trials. Contemporary Clinical Trials. 2010; 31(5):473-482.
- Chen Z, Krailo MD, Sun J, Azen SP. Rnge and trend of expected toxicity level (ETL) in standard A B designs. Contemporary Clinical Trials. 2009; 30(2):123-8.
- Chen Z, Wu AH, Gauderman J, Bernstein L, Ma H, Pike MC, Ursin G. Does mammographic density reflect ethnic differences in breast cancer incidence rates? American Journal of Epidemiology 2004; 159:140-147.
Professional Leadership
Executive Committee, International Chinese Statistical Association (ICSA) 2016 Applied Statistics Symposium in Atlanta
Treasurer, International Chinese Statistical Association (ICSA) 2016 Applied Statistics Symposium in Atlanta
Review Committee of Research Technologies Program (2016), Atlanta Clinical & Translational Science Institute (ACTSI).
Statisician, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Host Directed Therapy for Tuberculosis and HIV Co-Infection
Member of Clinical Oncology (CONC) Study Section (2019), NCI Center for Scientific Review
Notable Honors
2017, Significant Contribution Award as Treasurer at the 2016 ICSA Applied Statistics Symposium., International Chinese Statistical Association (ICSA)
2016, Award for Outstanding Service to Clinical and Translational Research Committee (CTRC), Winship Cancer Institute
2013, Award for Dedication to High Qualify Oncology Research and Commitment to Clinical and Translational Research Committee (CTRC), Winship Cancer Institute
Education
Ph.D. in Biostatistics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 2008
M.S. in Biometry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 2001
M.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Peking University, Beijing, China, 1998
B.S. in Microbiology, Peking University, Beijing, China, 1995.
Professional Memberships
- Member of American Statistical Association (ASA)
- Member of International Chinese Statistics Association (ICSA).
- Member of Children Oncology Group (COG).
- Member of The Society for Clinical Trials (SCT).
- Member of American Association of Cancer Research (AACR).
Selected Presentations
SRCOS 2019 Annual Meeting, Kentucky.
Date: 6/5/2019.
Topic “Advanced Phase I Clinical Trial Designs”.
Department of Biostatistics. Washington University. St. Louis, Missouri.
Date: 6/2/2017.
Teach a workshop entitled “Commons and Innovative Designs for Phase I Clinical Trial”.
Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics. Georgetown University. Washing DC.
Date: 2/27/2015.
Topic: Bayesian optimal designs for cancer Phase I clinical trials.
Department of Biostatistics. Washington University. St. Louis, Missouri.
Date: 3/16/2012.
Topic: Dose Escalation with Overdose Control using a Quasi-Continuous Toxicity Score in Cancer Phase I Clinical Trials.
Workshop of Department of Mathematics and Statistics. Georgia State University. Atlanta, Georgia.
Date: 5/6/2012.
Topic: Dose Escalation with Overdose Control using a Quasi-Continuous Toxicity Score in Cancer Phase I Clinical Trials.
Department of Mathematics and Statistics. Georgia State University. Atlanta, Georgia.
Date: 10/19/2010.
Topic: A Novel Toxicity Scoring System Treating Toxicity Response as a Quasi-Continuous Variable in Phase I Clinical Trials.
Winship Cancer Institute. Emory University. Atlanta, Georgia.
Date: 5/28/2010.
Topic: A Novel Toxicity Scoring System Treating Toxicity Response as a Quasi-Continuous Variable in Phase I Clinical Trials.
Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics. Emory University. Atlanta, Georgia.
Date: 6/14/2009.
Topic: An Extended Isotonic Phase I Design Treating Toxicity Response as a Quasi-Continuous Variable.
Department of Biostatistics. SUNY at Buffalo. Buffalo, New York.
Date: 6/1/2009.
Topic: An Extended Isotonic Phase I Design Treating Toxicity Response as a Quasi-Continuous Variable.
Artistic and Professional Performances and Exhibits
Organizer and Chair of an invited session entitled “Novel Statistical Methods for Big Health Data” at ICSA 2019 International Conference in Hangzhou, China.
Organizer and Chair of an invited session entitled “Utilization of Big Data in Precision Medicine” at ICSA 2019 International Conference in Hangzhou, China.
Organizer and Chair of an invited session entitled “Adaptive Methods and Regulation for Clinical Trials” at 2016 ICSA Applied Statistics Symposium in Atlanta.
Chair of an invited session entitled “Semiparametric statistical methods for complex data” at 2016 ICSA Applied Statistics Symposium in Atlanta.