Debbie M. Cheng, ScD

Professor, Boston University School of Public Health

Biography

Debbie M. Cheng is Assistant Dean of Data Science and the founding Executive Director of the Center for Health Data Science at the Boston University School of Public Health. She is a Professor of Biostatistics with a research focus on applied statistics and the design and analysis of clinical trials. She collaborates with investigators worldwide on multiple studies in the areas of substance abuse and HIV. She is Associate Director of the Providence/Boston Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) and Co-Director of its Biostatistics Core. Dr. Cheng is also Director of the Biostatistics and Data Management Core for the International URBAN ARCH Center, which aims to examine the impact of alcohol on multiple aspects of the TB disease continuum. Dr. Cheng is the lead statistician for the Massachusetts site of the HEALing Communities Study, a multi-site cluster randomized trial aimed at reducing opioid-related overdose deaths in communities across four different states, the largest study of its kind in addiction science. She has been an instructor for Introduction to Statistical Computing (BS723) and the Design and Conduct of Clinical Trials (BS722).

Publications

  • Published 7/9/2025

    Brown JL, Larochelle MR, Fanucchi LC, Calvert DC, Campbell ANC, Chandler RK, Feaster DJ, Glasgow LM, Gibson EB, Holloway J, Lofwall MR, Mack A, Mack N, Nunes EV, Talbert JC, Tan S, Vandergrift N, Villani J, Asman K, Babakhanlou-Chase H, Bagley SM, Battaglia TA, Blevins D, Bridden C, Cheng DM, Christopher M, Cogan LW, Cunningham CO, Eggleston B, Fareed N, Fernandez S, Freedman DA, Freiermuth CE, Freisthler B, Gilbert L, Hammerslag L, Harris D, Hunt T, Hussain S, Huynh P, Jackson RD, Kauffman EB, Knott C, Knudsen HK, Lefebvre RC, Levin FR, Massatti R, McAlearney AS, Morgan JR, Lopez RM, Lounsbury DW, Newman L, Nickels K, Oga EA, Oller DA, Parran TV, Quinn M, Ramsey KS, Rapkin BD, Salsberry P, Stein M, Taylor JL, Teater J, Walters ST, Zarkin GA, El-Bassel N, Winhusen TJ, Samet JH, Walsh SL. Effects of the Communities That HEAL intervention on initiation, retention, and linkage to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD): A cluster randomized wait-list controlled trial. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2025 Sep 01; 274:112785. PMID: 40684522.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 6/1/2025

    Magane KM, Dukes KA, Fielman S, Palfai TP, Regan D, Cheng DM, Lee H, Kraemer KL, Bullard MJ, Chen CA, Samet JH. Oral vs Extended-Release Injectable Naltrexone for Hospitalized Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Intern Med. 2025 Jun 01; 185(6):635-645. PMID: 40257810.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 2/11/2025

    Fuster D, So-Armah K, Cheng DM, Blokhina E, Patts G, Lioznov D, Gnatienko N, Long MT, Freiberg MS, Tindle H, Samet JH. Is There an Association Between Cigarette Smoking and Advanced Liver Fibrosis in Smokers with HIV, Heavy Drinking and High Prevalence of HCV? J Clin Med. 2025 Feb 11; 14(4). PMID: 40004700.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 10/10/2024

    Freeman PR, Walley AY, Winhusen TJ, Oga EA, Villani J, Hunt T, Chandler RK, Oyler DR, Reilly B, Gelberg K, Douglas C, Lyons MS, Holloway J, Vandergrift NA, Adams JW, Asman K, Baker TJ, Brancato CJ, Cheng DM, Childerhose JE, David JL, Feaster DJ, Gilbert L, Glasgow LM, Goddard-Eckrich DA, Knott C, Knudsen HK, Lofwall MR, Marks KR, McMullan JT, Oser CB, Roberts MF, Shoben AB, Stein MD, Walters ST, Watson J, Zarkin GA, Jackson RD, Samet JH, Walsh SL, Bassel NE. Effect of the Communities That HEAL Intervention on Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution: A Cluster-Randomized, Wait-List Controlled Trial. Am J Public Health. 2025 Jan; 115(1):83-94. PMID: 39388670.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 9/14/2024

    Cheng DM, Hogan JW. The Sense and Sensibility of Sensitivity Analyses. N Engl J Med. 2024 Sep 19; 391(11):972-974. PMID: 39282939.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 228 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Assistant Dean of Data Science
    Boston University School of Public Health
  • Executive Director, Center for Health Data Science
    Boston University School of Public Health
  • Faculty, Medicine
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Websites

Education

  • Harvard University, ScD
  • Northwestern University, BS

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