Joseph G. Ibrahim, PhD

Dr. Joseph Ibrahim, Alumni Distinguished Professor of biostatistics, is principal investigator of several grants and contracts for developing statistical methodology related to clinical trials, cancer and genomics research.

Dr. Ibrahim is also the Director of the Biostatistics Core at UNC’s Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Ibrahim is currently the biostatistical core leader for the NIH-funded Breast Cancer Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) project. He is also the PI of the NCI training grant titled “Biostatistics for Genomics and Cancer.”

Honors and Awards

Elected Fellow

2020, International Society of Bayesian Analysis (ISBA)

Alumni Distinguished Professor

2006, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Janssen Research Foundation Chair in Survival Analysis

2005, Limbergs Universitair Centrum (LUC), Belgium

Elected Fellow

2000, Institute of Mathematical Statistics

Elected Member

2000, International Statistical Institute

Elected Fellow

1999, American Statistical Association

Elected Fellow

1989, Royal Statistical Society

Teaching Interests

Representative Courses

BIOS 762: Theory and Applications of Linear and Generalized Linear Models (Fall, 2016-2022)

BIOS 779: Bayesian Statistics (Fall 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2017, Spring 2021, 2023)

Research Activities

Dr. Ibrahim's areas of research focus are Bayesian inference, missing data problems, medical imaging analysis and genomics. He received a Doctor of Philosophy degree in statistics from the University of Minnesota in 1988. With more than 30 years of experience working in cancer clinical trials, Ibrahim directs the UNC Center for Innovative Clinical Trials -- one of eight Gillings Innovation Labs funded by a gift to the School from Dr. Dennis and Joan Gillings.

Dr. Ibrahim is also the director of graduate studies in the Department of Biostatistics at the Gillings School, as well as the program director of the cancer genomics training grant in the same department. He has served on several national committees and study sections, including as the section chair of the Section on Bayesian Statistical Science of the American Statistical Association and the Biostatistical Methods and Research Design (BMRD) NIH Study Section. He has also served as the associate editor for several statistical journals, and was the editor of the Journal of the American Statistical Society (JASA) - Application and Case Studies from 2013 to 2015.

Dr. Ibrahim has published more than 360 research papers, mostly in the top statistical journals. He also has published two advanced graduate-level books on Bayesian survival analysis and Monte Carlo methods in Bayesian computation. He has also supervised over 40 doctoral dissertations. He is an elected fellow of the International Society of Bayesian Analysis, American Statistical Association, Institute of Mathematical Statistics, Royal Statistical Society, and an elected member of the International Statistical Institute.

Service Activities

2013–2015: Editor for the Journal of the American Statistical Association (Applications and Case Studies)

2001–2012: Associate Editor for the Journal of the American Statistical Association (Applications and Case Studies)

2016–2021: Associate Editor for the Journal of the American Statistical Association (Applications and Case Studies)

2011–2021: Associate Editor for the Journal of the American Statistical Association (Theory and Methods)

2007–2010: Section Chair, Section on Bayesian Statistical Sciences, American Statistical Association

2005–2009: Biostatistical Methods and Research Design (BMRD) NIH Study Section (Regular Member)

2003–2008: Associate Editor for the Journal of the American Statistical Association (Theory and Methods)

2002–2006: Associate Editor for Applied Statistics

2002–2005: Epidemiology of Cancer (EPIC) NIH Study Section (Regular Member)

2004–present: Associate Editor for Bayesian Analysis

2000–2002: Associate Editor for Biometrics

1999–2002: Treasurer, Section on Bayesian Statistical Sciences, American Statistical Association

1999–2002: Associate Editor for Lifetime Data Analysis

Key Publications

Mixture Survival Trees for Cancer Risk Classification. Jia, B, Zeng, D, Liao, JJZ, Liu, GF, Tan, X, Diao, G, Ibrahim, JG (2022). Lifetime Data Analysis, 28(3), 356-379.

Hierarchical Bayesian Generalized Linear Models with Mean Shrinkage. Alt, EM, Psioda, MA, Ibrahim, JG (2022). Biostatistics, 23.

Bayesian Design of Clinical Trials Using Joint Models for Recurrent and Terminating Events. Xu, J, Psioda, MA, Ibrahim, JG (2023). Biostatistics.

LESA: Longitudinal Elastic Shape Analysis of Brain Subcortical Structures. Wang, Z, Wu, Y, Xiong, D, Ibrahim, JG, Srivastava, A, Zhu, H (2023). Journal of the American Statistical Association, with discussion.

Synthesizing Studies for Comparing Treatment Sequences in Clinical Trials. Diao, G, Ma, H, Zeng, D, Ke, C, Ibrahim, JG (2022). Statistics in Medicine, 41.

metapack: An R Package for Bayesian Meta-Analysis and Network Meta-Analysis with a Unified Formula Interface. Lim, D, Chen, MH, Ibrahim, JG, Kim, S, Shah, AK, Lin, J (2023). The R Journal.

The Scale Transformed Power Prior for Use with Historical Data from a Different Outcome Model. Alt, EM, Nifong, B, Chen, X, Psioda, MA, Ibrahim, JG (2023). Statistics in Medicine.

Bayesian Design of Clinical Trials Using Joint Cure Rate Models for Longitudinal and Time-to-event Data. Xu, J, Psioda, MA, Ibrahim, JG (2023). Lifetime Data Analysis.

BayesPPD: An R Package for Bayesian Sample Size Determination Using the Power and Normalized Power Prior for Generalized Linear Models. Shen, Y, Psioda, MA, Ibrahim, JG (2023). The R Journal.

Bayesian Design of Multi-Regional Clinical Trials with Time-to-Event Endpoints. Bean, N, Ibrahim, JG, Psioda MA (2023). Biometrics.

Staff/Administrative Duties

2002– present: Member, Qualifying Exam Committee, Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2003–present: Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2006–present: Biostatistics Core Director, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2004–present: Director: Cancer Genomics Training Grant, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2007–present: Director: Center for Innovative Clinical Trials, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
-----------------------------------------------
2007–2008: Faculty Retreat Committee, Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2007–2008: Self-Study Committee, Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2006–2009: Committee on Education of Public Health (CEPH), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2001–2002: Chair, Degree Program Committee, Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health
1999–2000: Chair, Masters Degree Program Committee, Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health
1998–2002: Chair, Qualifying Exam Committee, Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health
1997–1998: Chair, Curriculum Committee, Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health
1997–1998: Member, Qualifying Exam Committee, Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health
1996–1998: Member, Degree Program Committee, Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health
1994–2002: Member, Curriculum Committee, Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health
1994–1997: Member, Student Admissions Committee, Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health

Education

PhD, Statistics, University of Minnesota, 1988

MS, Statistics, University of Minnesota, 1988

BS, Mathematics, University of Minnesota, 1983