Andrew Julian Vickers (born 11 February 1967)[1][2] is a biostatistician and attending research methodologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Since 2013, he has also been professor of public health at Weill Cornell Medical College.[3] He is the statistical editor for the peer-reviewed journal European Urology.[4]
Andrew Julian Vickers | |
|---|---|
| Born | 11 February 1967 |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge, University of Oxford |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Oncology, alternative medicine, biostatistics |
| Institutions | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center |
| Thesis | Homeopathy and clinical trials (1999) |
Education and career
Vickers received his B.A. from the University of Cambridge in 1989 and his D.Phil. from the University of Oxford in 1999.[5] He joined Memorial Sloan Kettering in 1999 as an assistant attending research methodologist, before being appointed an associate attending research methodologist there in 2006 and an attending research methodologist in 2012.[5]
Research
Vickers is known for his research into prostate cancer screening.[6] In 2011, he published a study which found that PSA velocity—the change in the blood level of prostate-specific antigen (PSA)--was not a more accurate predictor of prostate cancer than comparing PSA levels to a specific threshold.[7] He was responsible for designing the algorithm[8] that is used in the commercial "4Kscore" test[9] for men with elevated PSA. With colleague Hans Lilja, Vickers published a series of studies demonstrating that a single PSA at age 45 - 60 is an extremely strong predictor of the long-term risk of prostate cancer mortality.[10][11][12] Vickers is separately known for his methodological research on prediction modeling - he developed the statistical method known as "decision curve analysis"[13][14] - and empirical research into several forms of alternative medicine, particularly acupuncture.[15] Vickers was the lead author of a 2012 meta-analysis of 29 acupuncture trials published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.[16] Vickers told Reuters that this meta-analysis "provides evidence that [patients with pain] would be justified in considering acupuncture."[17] Vickers leads the "Amplio" surgical quality assurance initiative at Memorial Sloan Kettering[18] and is Director of the "Web Survey" health informatics core facility.[19]
Personal life
Vickers is a competitive runner[20] and plays ultimate frisbee.[21] He has a daughter and two sons.[22][23]
References
External links
- Andrew Vickers publications indexed by Google Scholar