Announcing NCI’s New Deputy Director for Data Science and Strategy

June 12, 2024

CBIIT is pleased to welcome a new data science leader to NCI! Beginning June 30, 2024, Warren A. Kibbe, Ph.D., will serve as NCI’s first-ever Deputy Director for Data Science and Strategy.

As noted by CBIIT’s new acting director, Dr. Jill Barnholtz-Sloan, “NCI’s commitment to data science and exploring technology’s potential in our field is evident in their selection of Dr. Kibbe as deputy director for this exciting new position. I’m delighted to be working closely with him to further advance the promise of data science in cancer research and care.”

Dr. Kibbe brings a wealth of experience—in both data science and cancer—to this new position, having previously served as acting deputy director of NCI and director of CBIIT.

In his most recent position, as Vice Chair of the Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, and Chief Data Officer at Duke Cancer Institute, he has continued to advise NCI on several important projects, such as the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative.

While at CBIIT, Dr. Kibbe often consulted across NIH on important data science issues. He was instrumental in establishing partnerships with the U.S. Department of Energy. And he worked to engage both federal and private sector partners in activities related to precision medicine and the Cancer Moonshot^SM.

His knack for collaborating, across the government and with outside organizations, will serve him well in this new position, as he leads NCI’s efforts in implementing NIH’s Strategic Plan for Data Science. His expertise also will help NCI further refine the way we collect, store, analyze, and share basic, translational, and clinical research data.

Similarly, his skills in translating science to practice will be invaluable as NCI looks for new ways to put data science discoveries into real-world practice.

“Improving access to data and enhancing our abilities to apply new and existing analyses and visualization techniques for cancer research is a primary goal for me,” said Dr. Kibbe. “I’m particularly excited to see how we can use technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, to accelerate cancer research, applying those technologies to advance our understanding of the basic mechanisms and etiology of cancer and to improve patient care.”

He added, “Data science holds the keys for developing innovative and data-driven ways to enhance not only how we identify and treat cancer, but how we prevent disease from developing in the first place. I’m excited to be back at NCI and in a role where I can promote the use of data in every aspect of cancer research. It is urgent and personal for me that research data and findings rapidly provide benefit to patients.”