John Lachin, Sc.D
Dr. Lachin is Professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, and of Statistics (with tenure). He served as Director of The Biostatistics Center from 1988 through 2000 and is now Co-director.
- Phone: 301-881-9260
- Fax: 301-881-3742
- Email: jml@bsc.gwu.edu
One of the nation's premier experts on statistical and research methodology, Dr. Lachin led the development of GW's graduate program in biostatistics and epidemiology, serving as director of the program from its inception in 1995 until 2004. He is now co-director of The Biostatistics Center, a research facility of the University. Dr. Lachin is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association and the Royal Statistical Society and served in 2002-03 as President of the Society for Clinical Trials. His co-authored book Randomization in Clinical Trials: Theory and Practice (John Wiley & Sons, 2002) won the American Association of Publishers' award for "Outstanding professional and scholarly title of 2002 in mathematics and science." He is also the author of Biostatistical Methods (John Wiley, 2000). Knowledge about preventing and treating diabetes has taken great strides forward as a result of Dr. Lachin's decades-long involvement with a series of NIH-funded trials. He is currently principal investigator of both the Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet and the study of the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC), as well as co-principal investigator for the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP). In 1994, he was a co-recipient of the American Diabetes Association's Charles H. Best Medal for Distinguished Service in the Cause of Diabetes, which was awarded to the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) Research Group. Additional information about Dr. Lachin is available on the Biostatistic Center's web site.
Education
Doctor of Science (Biostatistics), University of Pittsburgh, 1972
Teaching
Stat 6210-Data Analysis, Department of Statistics
PubH 6265-Design of Medical Studies, Department of Statistics
PubH 6266-Biostatistical Methods, Department of Statistics
Stat 6227-Survival Analysis, Department of Statistics
Research
Dr. Lachin's recent publications have focused on the intent-to-treat principle in clinical trials, sample size evaluation, group sequential methods, analysis of repeated measures and survival analysis. Among the key findings of the EDIC study is that a prior period of intensive therapy to maintain near-normal glycemia in type 1 diabetes reduces the long-term development of atherosclerosis (NEJM, 2002) and progression of diabetic kidney disease (JAMA, 2003). Results from the Diabetes Prevention Program demonstrate that a lifestyle intervention or use of the drug Metformin reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (NEJM, 2002).
Community Service
Professor Lachin serves on the Data and Safety Monitoring Board of numerous clinical trials, including ones sponsored by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, the National Institute of Diabetes, Digest and Kidney Diseases and the pharmaceutical industry. He has served on the editorial board of Controlled Clinical Trials and as a board member and committee chairman at the Society for Clinical Trials, prior to assuming the presidency.