MD Anderson clinical trial expert Lee earns election as AAAS Fellow

MD Anderson News Release December 04, 2019

J. Jack Lee, Ph.D., associate vice president of Quantitative Sciences and Biostatistics at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and a leader in the design and analysis of clinical trials, has been named a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Fellows in the organization are elected by their peers, a tradition that began in 1874, in honor of their invaluable contributions to science and technology. Election of Lee, who is also a professor of Biostatistics, gives MD Anderson 49 AAAS Fellows.

Lee’s AAAS election citation notes:  Dr. J. Jack Lee (Statistics) for seminal contributions to novel clinical trial designs and their applications in cancer research, particularly in taking Bayesian adaptive designs from theory to practice.

 “Improvement in cancer treatment and prevention is achieved through carefully conducted clinical trials,” says MD Anderson President Peter WT Pisters, M.D. “We are delighted to see Jack recognized by his peers for his dedication to improving clinical trials to ensure that we safely maximize what we learn from these studies.”

The 443 newly elected Fellows represent each of AAAS’s 24 sections, from neuroscience and psychology to social, economic and political sciences. The honor recognizes diverse accomplishments, including pioneering research, leadership within a given field, teaching and mentoring, fostering collaborations and advancing public understanding of science.

The 2019 group will receive official certificates and rosette pins in gold and blue, colors symbolizing science and engineering, in a ceremony on Feb. 15, 2020, during the AAAS Annual Meeting in Seattle.