Levent Kirisci

Levent Kirisci is a tenured Professor in the School of Pharmacy at the University of Pittsburgh, where he directs the Biostatistics graduate program sequence and leads the NIDA-funded Center for Education and Drug Abuse Research Statistics Core. His expertise spans biostatistics, psychometrics, and longitudinal data analysis, with a focus on substance use disorder (SUD) research, including item response theory (IRT), mixed modeling, and machine learning applications in healthcare.

Dr. Kirisci has pioneered the Transmissible Liability Index (TLI), a quantitative tool measuring addiction risk across populations, validated across datasets like NESARC and COGA. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles and holds grants such as the NIDA Independent Scientist Award (2005–2015). His work emphasizes person-centered care methodologies, contributing to global initiatives like the International College of Person-Centered Medicine.

• Education: PhD from University of Pittsburgh (1987), supported by Fulbright and institutional fellowships.
• Awards: 2002 Amgen Biotechnology Award, 2018 recognition for statistical leadership in person-centered research.
• Key Contributions: Statistical frameworks for SUD severity assessment (e.g., Opioid Use Disorder Severity Scale), machine learning models predicting addiction trajectories, and collaborative research on PTSD and substance use comorbidity.

His interdisciplinary approach integrates biostatistics, clinical pharmacy, and public health to address addiction epidemiology and preventive interventions. He has advised numerous grants and serves as a statistical editor for high-impact journals.