Jeffrey Blume

Jeffrey D. Blume is a data scientist and biostatistician whose work spans statistical theory, biomedical research, and the development of interdisciplinary data science programs. In spring 2026, he was appointed Interim Dean of the University of Virginia School of Data Science, where he supports the School’s continued growth in research, education, and partnerships while advancing its mission to practice and teach responsible data science for the common good.

Blume is internationally recognized for his contributions to statistical inference and prediction science, particularly in the evaluation of diagnostic and screening methods. He is the inventor of second-generation p-values, an improved p-value that resolves the mismatch between how classical p-values are defined and how they are routinely misinterpreted in practice. His research has advanced both theory and practice, with foundational contributions to likelihood-based inference, mediation modeling, missing data in prediction models, clinical trials analysis, false discovery rates, and ROC curve methodology. His work consistently emphasizes the foundations, interpretability, and reliability of predictive models, with a focus on improving decision-making in high-stakes biomedical settings. As Director of the PRISM Lab (“Prediction, Inference, and Scale in Data Science Models”), he leads and mentors PhD students developing methods that bridge statistical innovation and biomedical application.

His collaborative research spans a wide range of domains, including cancer diagnosis and screening, clinical trials, radiology, nephrology, functional neuroimaging, structural biology, and women’s health. He served for 17 years as invited faculty at the Radiological Society of North America’s Clinical Trials Methodology Workshop, including Co-Chair for 5 years. He has played a leading role in interdisciplinary efforts to improve risk prediction and screening strategies, particularly in lung cancer, where his recent work has shaped approaches to evaluating clinical utility and model performance for high-risk populations. His work contributed to the 2021 updates to U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) lung cancer screening guidelines.

Blume also specializes in the design, conduct, and analysis of clinical trials, with particular expertise in radiologic and cancer trials. Through his work with the American College of Radiology Imaging Network, he served as both a trialist and Deputy Director of the Biostatistics and Data Management Center, leading the statistical design and analysis of multicenter imaging trials.

In addition to his research contributions, Blume has had a sustained impact on the development of data science, biostatistics, and public health training programs. He has led the creation of multiple interdisciplinary programs, including the Master of Science in Data Science and graduate programs in Biostatistics (M.S. and Ph.D.) at Vanderbilt University, and the Master of Public Health program at Brown University. He also co-directed the Big Biomedical Data Science (BIDS) Training Program at Vanderbilt, a doctoral initiative focused on large-scale biomedical data. At the University of Virginia School of Data Science, he previously served as Quantitative Foundation Associate Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs, where he led the School’s growth in educational programs and partnerships while shaping its academic strategy and advancing its mission of responsible data science.His work has helped shape the training of data scientists and quantitative researchers across academic and applied settings.

Blume founded Analytical Edge, a data science start-up focused on improving the design and analysis of clinical trials, while at Brown University; the company was supported by the Slater Technology Fund. He later played a founding role in the Vanderbilt Data Science Institute, where he served as Director of Graduate Education and Vice Chair of Education in Biostatistics at Vanderbilt University, and as a tenured Professor of Biostatistics with joint appointments in Biomedical Informatics and Biochemistry. He has authored approximately 130 peer-reviewed publications, which have been cited nearly 11,000 times. Blume is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. His work has been recognized with the Chancellor Award for Research at Vanderbilt University and the Spinoza Chair in Medicine at the University of Amsterdam.