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Laine Elliott Thomas

Professor of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics
Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Division of Biostatistics
Duke Box 3850, Durham, NC 27710
200 Morris Street, 7812 200 Morris, Durham, NC 27701

Overview


Laine Thomas, PhD is a Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics and Deputy Director of Data Science and Biostatistics at the Duke Clinical Research Institute.  She is a leader in study design and development of methods for observational and pragmatic studies, with over 240 peer reviewed clinical and methodological publications arising from scientific collaboration in the therapeutic areas of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, uterine fibroids and SARS-CoV-2 virus. She led the statistical teams on the HERO COVID-19, ORBIT-AF I & II, ACTION-CMS, CHAMP-HF, and COMPARE-UF clinical registries and secondary analyses of the NAVIGATOR and ARISTOTLE clinical trials. She has served as a primary investigator and co-investigator on numerous methodological studies with funding from NIH, AHRQ, PCORI and Burroughs Wellcome Fund, addressing observational treatment comparisons, time-varying treatments, heterogeneity of treatment effects, and randomized trials augmented by synthetic controls from real world data.      

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Professor of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics · 2022 - Present Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Division of Biostatistics, Biostatistics & Bioinformatics
Associate Director, DCRI Biostatistics · 2018 - Present Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Division of Biostatistics, Biostatistics & Bioinformatics
Deputy Director of Data Science and Biostatistics, DCRI · 2022 - Present Duke Clinical Research Institute, Institutes and Centers
Member in the Duke Clinical Research Institute · 2009 - Present Duke Clinical Research Institute, Institutes and Centers

In the News


Published October 12, 2022
DCRI names Lindsell, Thomas new Data Science and Biostatistics Leadership

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Recent Publications


Trials augmented by external control data using balancing weights: A comparison of estimands and estimators.

Journal Article Contemp Clin Trials · January 13, 2026 As the availability of real-world data has expanded in recent years, studies leveraging external controls (ECs) have emerged as potential alternatives to conventional randomized controlled trials (RCTs). While RCTs remain the gold standard for estimating t ... Full text Link to item Cite

Propensity score weighting methods for causal subgroup analysis with time-to-event outcomes.

Journal Article Stat Methods Med Res · October 2023 Evaluating causal effects of an intervention in pre-specified subgroups is a standard goal in comparative effectiveness research. Despite recent advancements in causal subgroup analysis, research on time-to-event outcomes has been lacking. This article inv ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Comparative Effectiveness of Emerging Medications in Children with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

ResearchStatistical Investigator · Awarded by University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill · 2025 - 2031

2/3 CTSA K12 Program at Duke University

ResearchMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2025 - 2030

Research Triangle Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation (CERSI)

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill · 2023 - 2028

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Education, Training & Certifications


North Carolina State University · 2009 Ph.D.