Rate My Professor Gina Petroni

Gina R. Petroni is a Professor of Public Health Sciences at the University of Virginia School of Medicine and Director of the Division of Translational Research and Applied Statistics (TRAppS). She earned her BA in Statistics and MA in Applied Mathematics from Hunter College, New York, NY, and her PhD in Biostatistics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. Appointed as Assistant Professor at the University of Virginia in 1996, Dr. Petroni has progressed to full Professor, where she has been instrumental in developing the institution's clinical research capabilities. Her career encompasses extensive collaboration across departments, including affiliation with the Department of Statistics, and leadership in analytical support for university-wide translational science initiatives.

Dr. Petroni's research specializes in biostatistics and epidemiology, with particular expertise in the design, analysis, and data safety monitoring of clinical trials. Upon joining UVA, she contributed to the expansion of the Cancer Center's clinical trial infrastructure. Through partnerships with Dr. Craig L. Slingluff Jr. and the Center for Human Immunotherapy, she has achieved national prominence in vaccine trial methodologies. As Director of TRAppS, she oversees statistical expertise for preclinical studies, all phases of clinical research, and innovative early-phase trial designs as part of the Center for Early Phase Trials. Her division supports grant proposals, data analysis, study implementation, monitoring, and education in translational research. She was named a Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, a rare honor for statisticians. Notable publications include 'The Impact of Early-Phase Trial Design in the Drug Development Process' (Conaway and Petroni, Clinical Cancer Research, 2019), 'A pilot study evaluating the safety and efficacy of modafinil for cancer-related fatigue' (Blackhall et al., Cancer, 2009), 'A randomized pilot trial testing the safety and immunogenicity of a three-peptide vaccine targeting wild-type and mutated versions of gp100, tyrosinase, and MAGE-A3' (Slingluff et al., Clinical Cancer Research, 2016), and 'Tailoring early-phase clinical trial design to address multiple objectives in immunotherapy' (Wages et al., Clinical Trials, 2020). Dr. Petroni's contributions have advanced clinical trial innovation, particularly in oncology and immunotherapy, influencing drug development processes nationwide.