Robert Perera, Ph.D., joins the Biopharmaceutical Applied Statistics Symposium (BASS) Board of Directors
Robert Perera, Ph.D., interim chair of the Department of Biostatistics in the VCU School of Public Health, has been appointed to the board of the Biopharmaceutical Applied Statistics Symposium (BASS). Perera was nominated for this role by current members of the BASS board after serving on the organization’s program committee.
Founded in 1993 by Karl E. Peace, Ph.D., a VCU biostatistics alumnus and leader in pharmaceutical statistics, BASS brings together experts from academia, industry, and government to promote cutting-edge statistical science and support the next generation of biostatisticians. The Department of Biostatistics has maintained a decades-long professional relationship with BASS, with faculty regularly contributing to its programming and mentoring initiatives. Since its inception, BASS has recognized outstanding biostatistics students as BASS Scholars, providing support for their graduate education and research and in presenting this research at the annual symposium. In 2024, Ph.D. students Adam Funk and Li Liu were chosen as BASS Scholars and joined faculty in sharing their work at the symposium.
Perera, who joined VCU in 2011, serves as the Interim Chair of the Department of Biostatistics in the VCU School of Public Health. He also holds affiliate faculty status in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, is a member of the Center for Rehabilitation Science and Engineering, and the Biostatistics Shared Resource at the Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center. Perera has expertise in clinical trial design, adaptive methods, and structural equation modeling, with funded work spanning rehabilitation, cancer prevention, and public health.
As a member of the BASS Board, Perera will contribute to strategic planning and ongoing efforts to strengthen the symposium’s impact and reach.
“I’m honored to join the BASS Board and contribute to a forum that has played such a meaningful role in mentoring students, advancing applied statistics, and fostering collaboration across sectors,” said Perera. “It’s especially meaningful to help maintain and deepen the department’s long standing connection with BASS, which has been a launching pad for many of our trainees.”
This year’s symposium, BASS XXXII, will be November 3-5, 2025 in Savannah, Georgia. Faculty members Ekaterina Smirnova, Ph.D., and Priyam Das, Ph.D., have been invited to present their research.
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