Dr. John Ioannidis is globally recognized as a preeminent leader in clinical research methodology and evidence-based medicine. He currently serves as Professor of Medicine, of Epidemiology and Population Health, and (by courtesy) of Biomedical Data Science and Statistics at Stanford University, where he also co-directs the Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford (METRICS). Born in New York City in 1965 and raised in Athens, Greece, he excelled academically as valedictorian of Athens College in 1984 and graduated with top honors from the University of Athens Medical School in 1990. His distinguished career includes previous appointments at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, Johns Hopkins University, and held adjunct professor positions at Harvard, Tufts, and Imperial College London, while also chairing the Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology at the University of Ioannina Medical School from 1999 to 2010.
Dr. Ioannidis has revolutionized the scientific community's understanding of research reliability through his pioneering work in meta-research, earning recognition as one of the most-cited scientists of all time. His landmark 2005 paper Why Most Published Research Findings Are False in PLoS Medicine became the most-accessed article in Public Library of Science history with over 2.5 million hits and fundamentally transformed discourse about scientific credibility. He has made seminal contributions to developing methods for appraising and improving the reliability of scientific studies across multiple disciplines. His creation of the Stanford Top 2% Scientists list, published annually since 2019, has established a transparent benchmarking system for evaluating scientific impact worldwide. His research agenda spans meta-research, large-scale evidence synthesis, population health sciences, and predictive medicine, with profound implications for scientific practice.
His leadership extends to numerous influential roles including President of the Association of American Physicians (2023-2024), has served as President of the Society for Research Synthesis Methodology, and past Editor-in-Chief of the European Journal of Clinical Investigation (2010-2019). Dr. Ioannidis has served on the editorial boards of over thirty leading journals including PLoS Medicine, The Lancet, and Annals of Internal Medicine, shaping the standards of scientific publication. His exceptional contributions have been recognized with prestigious awards including the European Award for Excellence in Clinical Science (2007), the Albert Stuyvenberg Medal (2021), and election to the National Academy of Medicine (2018). As a Senior Leader in the field, he continues to advance rigorous research practices and meta-scientific approaches that enhance the credibility and impact of scientific discovery across all disciplines.
