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Charles M. Heilig

RESEARCH AREAS:

  • Clinical Trial Methodology

  • Research Ethics

  • Mathematical Statistics

CONTACT:

  • cheilig@cdc.gov

  • Division of Tuberculosis Elimination (DTBE)
    1600 Clifton Rd.,NE
    MS E10
    Atlanta, GA 30333

  • (800) 232-4636

CHARLES M. HEILIG

Associate Director for Data Science, Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services;
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

Charles M. (Chad) Heilig, Ph.D., is the Associate Director for Data Science in the CSELS Office of the Director. This new role will help CSELS apply and integrate data sciences in public health practice and research to better serve the CDC science community around data and surveillance issues, support the CDC Surveillance Strategy, ensure ethical stewardship of our many data repositories, and promote efforts to analyze, interpret, and present evidence from data. Chad came to us from the Division of Tuberculosis Elimination, where he served as Lead Methodologist of the Data Management and Statistics Branch. There he led planning and integration of data sciences within DTBE, mentored students and fellows in data sciences, and spearheaded Tuberculosis Trial Consortium efforts to strengthen the design, analysis, inference, and interpretation of clinical trials for treating latent and active tuberculosis. Previously, Chad worked within the Office of the Chief Science Officer (now the Office of the Associate Director for Science) on research ethics and human subject research protections and with the Division of Reproductive Health on issues around the health of women with or at risk for HIV.

Chad received his PhD in statistics at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1997. From 1997 through 2004, he worked in CDC’s Division of Reproductive Health. From 2005 through mid-2007, he oversaw CDC’s human research protection program in the Office of the Director. From 2007 to 2018, he was with the Division of Tuberculosis Elimination, where he served as the lead methodologist for the Tuberculosis Trials Consortium in the Clinical Research Branch. He has a particular interest in mentoring fellows and students.

I primarily collaborate as a research methodologist with a variety of scientists in tuberculosis clinical research as part of the CDC-sponsored Tuberculosis Trials Consortium (TBTC, www.cdc.gov/tb/topic/research/tbtc/) and other projects in the Division of Tuberculosis Elimination (www.cdc.gov/tb/). Our interdisciplinary efforts include scientists in medicine, epidemiology, pharmacology, microbiology, and statistics.

I also collaborate with philosophers and ethicists on the implications of underdetermination in clinical research, research ethics, and ethics in public health surveillance.

Doctoral Thesis:

Heilig CM. An empirical process approach to U-processes of increasing degree. Doctoral dissertation, University of California, Berkeley, 1997 Oct.

 

Book Chapters:

Heilig CM, Sweeney P. “Ethics in public health surveillance”. In Principles and Practice of Public Health Surveillance, 3rd edition. New York NY: Oxford University Press 2010.

Heilig CM, Hill EG, Karon J. “Leveraging chance in HIV research.” In Statistics: A Guide to the Unknown, 4th edition. Belmont CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole 2005.

 

Articles:

Lee LM, Heilig CM, White A. “An ethical justification for conducting public health surveillance without patient consent.” American Journal of Public Health (in press).

Heilig CM, Chia D, El-Sadr WM, Hirsch-Moverman Y, Mac Kenzie WR, Padayatchi N, Saukkonen J, Villarino ME. “Justifying research risks in a clinical trial for treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.” IRB: Ethics & Human Research (in press).

Getahun H, Kittikraisak W, Heilig CM, Corbett E, Ayles H, Cain KP, Grant AD, Churchyard G, Kimerling M, Shah S, Lawn SD, Wood R, Maartens G, Granich R, Date A, Varma JK. “Development of a standardized screening rule for tuberculosis in people living with HIV in resource constrained settings: individual participant data meta-analysis of observational studies.” PLoS Medicine 2011; 8(1): e1000391. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000391.

Cain KP, McCarthy KD, Heilig CM, Monkongdee P, Tasaneeyapan T, Kanara N, Kimerling ME, Chheng P, Thai S, Sar B, Phanuphak P, Teeratakulpisarn N, Phanuphak N, Nguyen HD, Hoang TQ, Le HT, Varma JK. “An algorithm for tuberculosis screening and diagnosis in people with HIV.” New England Journal of Medicine 2010; 362: 707–716.

Monkongdee P, McCarthy KD, Cain KP, Tasaneeyapan T, Dung NH, Lan NTN, Yen NTB, Teeratakulpisarn N, Udomsantisuk N, Heilig C, Varma JK. “Yield of acid-fast smear and mycobacterial culture for tuberculosis diagnosis in people with human immunodeficiency virus.” American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 2009; 180: 903–908.

Dorman SE, Johnson JL, Goldberg S, Muzanye G, Padayatchi N, Bozeman L, Heilig CM, Bernardo J, Choudhri S, Grosset JH, Guy E, Guyadeen P, Corazon Leus M, Maltas G, Menzies D, Nuermberger EL, Villarino M, Vernon A, Chaisson RE, and the Tuberculosis Trials Consortium. “Substitution of moxifloxacin for isoniazid during intensive phase treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis.” American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 2009; 180: 273–280.

Corneli AL, Bentley ME, Sorenson JR, Henderson GE, Moses A, Nkhoma J, Tenthani L, Ahmed Y, Heilig CM, Jamieson DJ, van der Horst C. “Using formative research to develop a context-specific approach to informed consent for clinical trials.” Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics 2006; 1: 45–60.

Heilig CM, Weijer C. “A critical history of individual and collective ethics in the lineage of Lellouch and Schwartz.” Clinical Trials 2005; 2: 244–253.

Heilig C, Nolan D. “Limit theorems for the infinite-degree U-process.” Statistica Sinica 2001; 11(1): 289–302.

Faculty Research Domains

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