Welcome to the 5th Annual New England Rare Disease Statistics Workshop (NERDS) 2022

The New England Statistical Society (NESS), alongside the 2022 NERDS Organizing Committee, is pleased to announce that we will be hosting an in-person workshop (Friday, December 16, 2022) this year at the University of Connecticut, Storrs campus. Participants are invited to attend either in-person or virtually (hybrid) based on their personal preference.


History

Drug development efforts in the rare disease space have continually expanded and evolved over the past few decades. Contributing factors include increased public awareness, encouraging drug regulation changes, scientific advancement in cellular/molecular biology and genetics, development of innovative trial designs, large influx of capital investment, availability of scientific talent through decades of cultivation, etc.

As a result, a great number of regulators, academicians, and industry statisticians now work to bring these orphan drugs to patients, facing unique technical issues and challenges. However, at least in the US, there is no statistical conference dedicated to such unique issues and challenges. Given the large unmet need, the New England Statistical Society (NESS) provides this unique conference so that statisticians across the entire rare disease drug development spectrum have a common “home” to exchange ideas and share experiences, and also to network. We are delighted to provide this opportunity for colleagues to come together in-person for the first time since our 2019 conference in Boston.

The NERDS Workshop aims to be a one-day workshop with detailed presentations and discussions. Speakers from industry, academia, and government are invited. Topics will cover technical issues, regulatory interpretation, industry trends, and case studies of both success and failure stories.