Seng-jaw Soong, Ph.D.

Professor and Director, Medical Statistics Section

Education/Training:

Taiwan National Chenghi University B.S. 1966 Statistics,
Oregon State University M.S. 1970 Statistics,
University of Alabama at Birmingham Ph.D. 1976 Biostatistics

Positions:

  • 1971-1976 Associate, Department of Biostatistics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
  • 1976-1979 Assistant Professor, Department of Biostatistics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
  • 1977-1979 Associate Head, Statistical Section and Associate Scientist, Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
  • 1979-1984 Scientist, Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
  • 1979-1984 Associate Professor, Department of Biostatistics and Biomathematics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
  • 1987-1991 Member, National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Center Support Review Committee (1987-1991)
  • 1991-1998 Professor of Medicine (school-wide appointment), School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
  • 1973-Present Biostatistician, NIAID Collaborative Antiviral Study Group, NIH.
  • 1979-Present Director, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Unit, Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
  • 1984-Present Senior Scientist, Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
  • 1984-Present Professor, Department of Biostatistics and Biomathematics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
  • 1991-Present Associate Director for Planning, Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
  • 1994-Present Director, Biostatistics Core Facility, and Senior Scientist, Center for AIDS Research, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
  • 1998-Present Professor and Director, Medical Statistics Section, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.

Honors:

  • Sigma Xi
  • Honorary Professor, Xian Medical University, Xian, China (1990)
  • Member, National Cancer Institute, Cancer Center Support Grant Review Committee (1987 – 1991)
  • Distinguished Faculty Award – 1999 Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham
  • Chairman, Statistical Committee American Joint Committee on Cancer (2000 – present)

Selected peer-reviewed publications (from 277 total publications):

  1. Soong S-j, Watson NE, Caddell G, Alford C, Whitley RJ, and the NIAID Antiviral Study Group: Utilization of brain-biopsy for diagnostic evaluation of patients with herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE): A statistical model. Journal of Infectious Diseases 163:17-22, 1991.
  2. Whitley R, Arvin A, Prober C, Corey L, Burchett S, Plotkin S, Starr S, Jacobs R, Powell D, Nahmias A, Sumaya C, Edwards K, Alford C, Caddell G, Soong, S-j and the NIAID Collaborative Antiviral Study Group: Factors which influence morbidity and mortality of neonatal herpes simplex virus infections. New England Journal of Medicine 324:450-454, 1991.
  3. Soong, S-j, Shaw HM, Balch CM, McCarthy WH, Urist MM, and Lee JY: Predicting survival and recurrence in localized melanoma: a multivariate approach. World Journal of Surgery 16:191-195, 1992.
  4. Chen S, Soong S-j, Wheeler RH: An efficient multiple-stage procedure for phase II clinical trials which have high responsive rate objectives. Controlled Clinical Trials 15(4):277-283, 1994.
  5. Wood MJ, Kay R, Dworkin R, Soong S-j, and Whitley RJ: Oral acyclovir accelerates pain resolution in patients with herpes zoster: a meta-analysis of placebo-controlled trials. Clinical Infectious Diseases 22:341-347, 1996.
  6. Balch CM, Soong S-j, Bartolucci AA, Urist MM, Karakousis CP, Smith TJ, Temple WJ, Ross MI, Jewell WR, Mihm MC, Barnhill RL, and Wanebo HJ: Efficacy of a regional lymph node dissection of 1-4 mm thick melanomas for patients under 60 years of age and younger. Annals of Surgery 224(3):255-266, 1996.
  7. Whitley RJ, Gnann JW, Weiss HL, Soong S-j: Unique clinical trial design: combination acyclovir plus prednisone therapy of localized zoster in the normal host. Antiviral Research 29:67-68, 1996.
  8. Dropcho EJ, and Soong S-j: The prognostic impact of prior low grade histology in patients with anaplastic gliomas: a case-control study. Neurology 47 (3):684-90, September 1996.
  9. Huang X, Soong S-j, McCarthy WH, Urist MM, and Balch CM: Classification of localized melanoma by the exponential survival trees method. Cancer 79(6):1122-1128, 1997.
  10. Soong S-j , Harrison RA, McCarthy WH, Urist MM, and Balch CM: Factors affecting survival following local, regional or distant recurrence from localized melanoma. Journal of Surgical Oncology 67(4):228-233, 1998.
  11. Harrison RA, Haque AU, Roseman JM, and Soong S-j: Socioeconomic characteristics and melanoma incidence. Annals of Epidemiology 8:327-333, 1998.
  12. Talley LI, Soong S-j, Harrison RA, McCarthy WH, Urist MM, Balch CM: Clinical outcomes of localized melanoma of the foot: A case-control study. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 51(10):853-857, 1998.
  13. Huang X, Chen S, Soong S-j: Piecewise exponential survival trees with time-dependent covariates. Biometrics 54:1420-1433, 1998.
  14. Harrison RA, Soong S-j, Lee JAH. Comparative Mortality of Patients Diagnosed with Localized and In Situ Melanomas. Journal of Insurance Medicine 30(3):157-268, 1998.
  15. Harrison RA, Soong S-j, Weiss HL, Gnann JW, Whitley RJ: A mixed model for factors predictive of pain in HIV patients with herpes zoster. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 17(6):410-417, 1999.
  16. Whitley RJ, Weiss HL, Soong S-j, Gnann JW: Herpes Zoster: Risk categories for persistent pain. Journal of Infectious Diseases 179:9-13, 1999.
  17. Beenken SW, Krontiras H, Maddox WA, Peters GE, Soong S-j, Urist MM: T1 and T2 squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue: Prognostic factors and the role of elective lymph node dissection. Head & Neck 21:124-130, 1999.
  18. Balch CM, Soong S-j, Ross MI, Urist MM, Karakousis CP, Temple WJ, Mihm MC, Barnhill RL, Jewell WR, Wanebo HJ, Harrison R: Long-term results of a multi-institutional randomized trial comparing prognostic factors and surgical results of intermediate thickness melanomas. Annals Surgical Oncology 7:87-97, 2000.
  19. Balch, CM, Buzaid, AC, Atkins MB, Cascinelli N, Coit DG, Fleming ID, Houghton A., Jr., Kirkwood JM, Mihm MF, Morton DL, Reintgen D, Ross MI, Sober A, Soong S-j, Thompson JA, Thompson JF, Gershenwald JF, McMasters KM: A New American Joint Committee on Cancer Staging System for Cutaneous Melanoma. Cancer88(6):1484-1491, 2000.
  20. Spitler LE, Grossbard ML, Ernstoff MS, Silver G, Jacobs M, Hayes A, Soong S-j, et al. Adjuvant Therapy of Stage III and IV Malignant Melanoma Using Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 18:1614-1621, 2000.
  21. Ramin BA, Soong S-J, Weiss HL, Wood MJ, Gnann JW, Fiddian PA and Richard Whitley. Phase Specific Analysis of Herpes Zoster Associated Pain Data: A New Statistical Approach. Statistics in Medicine20:2429-2439, 2001.
  22. Balch CM, Buzaid AC, Soong S-J, Atkins MB, Cascinelli N, Coit DG, Fleming ID, Gershenwald JE, Houghton A, Kirkwood JM, McMasters KM, Mihm MF, Morton DL, Reintgen DS, Ross MI, Sober A, Thompson JA, Thompson JF. Final Version of the AJCC Staging System For Cutaneous Melanoma. Journal of Clinical Oncology19(16):3635-3648, 2001.
  23. Balch CM, Soong S-J, Gershenwald JE, Thompson JF, Reintgen DS, Cascinelli N, Urist M, McMasters KM, Ross MI, Kirkwood JM, Atkins MB, Thompson JA, Coit DG, Byrd D, Desmond R, Zhang Y, Liu P, Lyman GH, Morabito A: Prognostic Factors Analysis of 17,600 Melanoma Patients. Validation of the New AJCC Melanoma Staging System. Journal of Clinical Oncology19(16):3622-3634, 2001.
  24. Santiago ML, Rodenburg CM, Kamenya S, Bibollet-Ruche F, Gao F, Bailes E, Meleth S, Soong S-j, Kilby JM, Moldoveanu Z, Fahey B, Muller MN, Ayouba A, Nerrienet E, McClure HM, Heeney JL, Pusey AE, Collins DA, Boesch C, Wrangham RW, Goodall J, Sharp PM, Shaw GM, Hahn BH. Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Infection in Wild-Living Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii Chimpanzees. Science 465, 2002.
  25. Desmond R, Weiss HL, Arani RB, Soong S-j, Wood MJ, Fiddian PA, Gnann JW, Whitley RJ. Clinical applications for change-point analysis of herpes zoster pain. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 23(6):510-516, 2002.
  26. Spencer S, Wheeler R, Peters G, Meredith R, Beenken S, Nabell L, Wooten A, Soong S-j, Salter M. Phase I Trial of Combined Chemotherapy and Reirradiation for Recurrent Unresectable Head and Neck Cancer. Head and Neck Surgery 2:118-22, 2003.
  27. Azzola MF, Shaw HM, Thompson JF, Soong S-j , Scolyer RA, Watson GF, Colman MH, Zhang Y. Tumor Mitotic Rate is a More Powerful Prognostic Indicator than Ulceration in Patients with Primary Cutaneous Melanoma. An Analysis of 3661 Patients from a Single Center. Cancer 97(6):1488-1498,2003.
  28. Desmond RA, Soong S-j: Epidemiology of malignant melanoma. Surgical Clinics of North America 83:1-29, 2003.

Research Support:

ONGOING

CA-13148 LoBuglio (PI) 04/01/2006 - 03/31/2010
NIH/NCI
Cancer Center Core Support Grant

This grant supports the leadership, clinical and basic science program leaders, developmental programs, and shared resources for the Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Soong serves as Director of the Biostatistics Shared Facility, which provides comprehensive statistical support for study design, data management, computer programming, and analysis for the members of the Cancer Center. Dr. Soong also serves as Associate Director for Planning under senior administration.

N01-AI30025 Whitley (PI) 08/01/2003 - 07/31/2010
NIH/NIAID
Clinical Studies for Antiviral Therapies

The goal of the antiviral clinical trials program is to facilitate the development of promising therapies for treating severe acute and chronic human viral disease that are deemed medically and scientifically important by the NIH-NIAID. This program facilitates advances in clinical antiviral therapy by rigorously evaluating the efficacy and safety of new therapeutic regimens for serious viral diseases in adult and pediatric immunocompromised and immunocompetent patient populations. Dr. Soong directs the Biostatistics Section for this multi-institutional study group.

P30 AI27767 Hunter (PI) 03/01/2003 - 02/28/2008
NIH/NIAID
Birmingham Center for AIDS Research

The Birmingham Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) is a comprehensive, interdisciplinary center for HIV/AIDS research. The Biostatistics Core Facility serves as the centralized resource for statistical expertise and data management services to support the research programs and projects conducted by the members of CFAR. Dr. Soong serves as the Director of the CFAR Biostatistics Core Facility.

1P50 CA89019-01 Bland (PI) 09/30/2000 - 09/29/2006
NIH/NCI
SPORE in Breast Cancer

Multi project grant to expand the breast cancer research at the University of Alabama and the Comprehensive Cancer Center with an emphasis on translational research. Dr. Soong serves as Director of Biostatistics Core Component in the Administrative Core to provide statistical consultation regarding study design and statistical analysis for all of the projects.

1 P50 CA097247-01 Rosenfeld (PI) 08/01/2002 - 07/31/2007
NIH/NCI
Molecular Therapeutics for Anaplastic Gliomas (SPORE in Brain Cancer)

The primary goal of the Biostatistics Core is to provide centralized statistical services and collaborative research support for the research projects for the Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) in Brain Cancer.

1R24 HS11617-01A1 Soong (PI) 09/01/2002 - 08/31/2006
NIH/Morehouse School of Medicine
AHRQ Minority Research Infrastructure Support Program

The goal of this study is to strengthen the Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) infrastructure to enhance the capacity of individual faculty members to conduct health services research. Dr. Soong will serve as the principal investigator of this UAB subcontract and will lead the biostatistical and data management support effort for the MSM AHRQ Minority Research Infrastructure Support Program.