Alan Hutson, Ph.D., chairman and professor of oncology within the department of biostatistics and bioinformatics at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, was named to a four-year term as chairman of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Data Sharing and Big Data Task Force.
The Task Force works to address hurdles related to the handling, accessibility and use of large data sets toward the goal of advancing development of immune-based therapies for cancer.
Hutson has served as chairman of biostatistics and bioinformatics at Roswell Park since 2005. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in statistics from the University at Buffalo, and an additional master’s degree and doctorate in statistics from the University of Rochester.
Song Liu, Ph.D., professor of oncology, vice chairman and director of bioinformatics within Roswell Park’s department of biostatistics and bioinformatics, was also elected as a member of this task force.
Hutson is also the inaugural chairman of the steering committee appointed to govern the Immuno-Oncology Translational Network (IOTN), an initiative within the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Moonshot, and is one of four Roswell Park faculty leaders heading the IOTN Data Management and Resource-Sharing Center based at Roswell Park.
“Some of the most exciting advances in cancer treatment of the last few years involved immunotherapies, but there’s so much untapped potential,” says Hutson. “Our goal with this SITC Task Force and a lot of the work we do every day at Roswell Park is to assess what the most pressing priorities are in data utilization and management and then address those challenges and opportunities so we can support the biggest oncology advances of the next decade.”
Photo: Hutson