About ISC

The Independent Statistical Center is part of the Frontier Science Foundation, an organization that provides innovative data management, analysis and support for clinical trials in a variety of disease settings worldwide. The Frontier ISC was formed in 2002 and is led by leading biostatisticians.

Leadership

David L. DeMets

David L. DeMets, PhD

Senior Biostatistician

David L. DeMets is currently the Max Halperin Professor of Biostatistics and former Chair of the Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. He received his PhD in biostatistics in 1970 from the University of Minnesota. Following a postdoctoral appointment at the National Institutes of Health (1970-72), he spent ten years (1972-1982) at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health where he was a member of and later became chief of the Biostatistics Branch. In 1982 he joined the University of Wisconsin and later founded the Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics which he chaired until 2009.

He has co-authored four texts, Fundamentals of Clinical Trials, Data Monitoring in Clinical Trials: A Case Studies Approach, Data Monitoring Committees in Clinical Trials: A Practical Perspective, and Statistical Methods for Clinical Trials. He has served on numerous NIH and industry-sponsored Data Safety and Monitoring Committees for clinical trials in diverse disciplines. He served on the Board of Directors of the American Statistical Association, as well as having been President of the Society for Clinical Trials and President of the Eastern North American Region (ENAR) of the Biometric Society. In addition, he was Elected Fellow of the International Statistics Institute in 1984, the American Statistical Association in 1986, the Association for the Advancement of Science in 1998, the Society for Clinical Trials in 2006, and the American Medical Informatics Association in 2008. In 2013 he was elected as a member of the Institute of Medicine/now the National Academy of Medicine. His research interests include the design, data monitoring and analysis of clinical trials, especially large Phase III randomized clinical trials. He is well known for his work on sequential statistical methods for monitoring interim data for early evidence of intervention benefit or possible harm.

Jamie Hoel, MS

Jamie Hoel, MS

Director

Jamie Hoel, Director, joined Frontier Science in 2004. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and Bachelor of Science in Statistics from Winona State University (2002), and a Master of Science in Biostatistics from the University of Minnesota (2004). He served as a Biostatistician at Frontier Science until 2015, when he was appointed as Associate Director of the Madison office. In 2018 he was appointed Director of the Madison office.

Jamie has served as lead statistician and provided biostatistical support and direction in a wide range of disease areas, including but not limited to Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis, Secondary Hyperparathyroidism, Atrial Fibrillation, Atrial Flutter, Acute Decompensated Heart Failure, Dyslipidemia, Breast Cancer, Clostridium Difficile-Associated Diarrhea, Diabetes, Insomnia, Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, and Menkes Disease.

In his extensive experience working with Data Monitoring Committees, Jamie has had the opportunity to work on a wide variety of different statistical analyses. Some of these include Nonparametric methods, Kaplan Meier estimates, futility analyses, conditional power calculations, O’Brien-Fleming monitoring boundaries, Inverse Probability of Censoring Weighting, and study projections for event driven trials.

Rebecca Post, MS

Rebecca Post, MS

Deputy Director

Rebecca Post joined Frontier Science as a Biostatistician in 2017. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and Psychology from Augustana College (2015) and a Master of Science in Statistics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2017). In 2022, she was appointed Deputy Director of the Madison office.

At Frontier Science, Rebecca serves as a statistical lead for the organization, in addition to reviewing, producing, and presenting DSMB monitoring reports. She has worked on clinical trials in a wide range of disease areas including but not limited to: stroke, relapsing multiple sclerosis, breast cancer, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and tuberculosis. These clinical trials have allowed Rebecca the opportunity to work on a wide variety of statistical analyses as well, including study projections for event driven trials, Kaplan Meier estimates, futility analyses, conditional power calculations, and multi-stage designs.

Ting-Li Lin, PhD

Ting-Li Lin, PhD

Senior Research Scientist

Ting-Li Lin joined Frontier Science as a Research Scientist in 2017. He received a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from the National Taiwan University (2000) and a Master’s and a PhD in statistics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2005 and 2011, respectively). Before joining Frontier Science, he worked as a statistician in the pharmaceutical industry for 5 years and played a key role in multiple FDA submissions.

At Frontier Science, Ting-Li serves as a scientific lead for the Madison office on statistical related matters in addition to reviewing, producing, and presenting IDMC monitoring reports. He also assists the Director in advising the staff statisticians and overseeing the statistical operations of the Madison office. He provides statistical support to other Frontier Science offices as needed.

Ting-Li’s research interest lies in design and analysis of clinical trials, experimental design, and generalized mixed effect models. He has extensive consulting experience working with scientists, researchers, and investigators in various fields, including but not limited to biomedical, veterinary, agricultural, and life sciences. An artist and entrepreneur, Ting-Li also has a broad interest in business operations, marketing, and B2B services. Ting-Li is a member of the American Statistical Association and the Society of Clinical Trials.

Frontier ISC at a Glance

Formed
2002, as a unit of Frontier Science

Headquarters
Madison, WI

Clients
NIH, pharmaceutical, clinical research networks

Employees
20+

Projects
Currently supporting nearly 20 clinical trials

Mission
To contribute to medical research by providing high quality and responsive statistical support to Independent Data Monitoring Committees, evaluating the risk / benefit profile of ongoing clinical trials.