Dr. Colin Begg stands as a preeminent biostatistician and epidemiologist currently serving as Chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. He holds the distinguished Eugene W. Kettering Chair position at MSKCC, a testament to his exceptional contributions to quantitative cancer research. As a Professor of Biostatistics in Population Health Sciences at Weill Cornell Medical College, he bridges academic theory with clinical application to advance rigorous methodological approaches in oncology. A Scottish scholar by training, Dr. Begg has established himself as a leading authority in applying sophisticated statistical frameworks to solve complex problems across the cancer research spectrum.
Dr. Begg's research portfolio encompasses groundbreaking contributions in cancer epidemiology, health services research, clinical trials methodology, and statistical applications in genetics and genomics. His influential work on tumor clonality, including the development of statistical methods for determining the relatedness of multiple tumors in individual patients, has provided critical insights for cancer diagnosis and therapeutic decision-making. His widely cited 2016 publication Defining Cancer Subtypes With Distinctive Etiologic Profiles revolutionized melanoma research by demonstrating how statistical approaches can identify biologically distinct cancer subtypes with different risk factor profiles. His 2020 commentary In Defense of P Values made significant contributions to the statistical methodology discourse, advocating for thoughtful application of statistical testing principles in scientific research rather than their outright dismissal.
Beyond his individual research achievements, Dr. Begg has profoundly shaped the field through his leadership in developing rigorous statistical frameworks that have become standard practice in cancer research institutions worldwide. His mentorship has cultivated a new generation of biostatisticians who now hold prominent positions across academia and research institutions, extending his methodological influence throughout the scientific community. As an editorial board member for leading oncology and biostatistics journals, he continues to guide the highest standards of quantitative research in cancer science. Currently, Dr. Begg is pioneering new approaches that integrate somatic mutation data with traditional epidemiological methods to refine cancer classification systems and improve patient outcomes through precision oncology applications.
