HSPH researcher awarded $5.6 million for role in new antibacterial resistance research effort

June 13, 2013 — Scott Evans, senior research scientist in the Department of Biostatistics at Harvard School of Public Health, has been awarded $5.6 million for his role in the Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group (ARLG), a new clinical research network funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. Evans will direct the network’s statistical and data management center (SDMC), which is composed of a Statistical and Data Analysis Center (SDAC) located at HSPH and a Data Management and Informatics Center (DMIC) located at Duke University.

The award was announced June 3, 2013.

Antibacterial resistance is one of the greatest threats to human health worldwide. The ARLG, which includes more than 20 investigators nationwide, aims to strengthen existing research capacity and address the most pressing scientific priorities related to antibacterial resistance. Its scientific subcommittees will conduct a range of activities including evaluating antibacterial drugs, testing diagnostics, and examining best practices in infection control.

The SDAC, located at HSPH, will develop and implement practical and innovative methods for  the efficient and optimal design, conduct, interim data monitoring, analyses, and reporting of ARLG studies. It will be part of the Center for Biostatistics in AIDS Research (CBAR) at HSPH, reflecting a broadening role for CBAR in infectious diseases research beyond HIV/AIDS, said Michael Hughes, director of CBAR.

Investigators at Duke Medicine and the University of California, San Francisco will oversee the nationwide research effort.

Read Duke University Medical Center release