Rutgers Institute for Translational Medicine and Science
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
89 French Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901

john.vanburen@rutgers.edu

Education

Ph.D, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa

John VanBuren, PhD, is the Inaugural Director of the Rutgers Contract Research Collaboratory (RCRC) within the Rutgers Institute for Translational Medicine and Science. Dr. Van Buren is also appointed within the RWJ Medical School, Department of Medicine, within the General Medicine Division. RCRC will be a full-service contract research organization that specializes in the design and implementation of multi-site studies.

Dr. VanBuren is an internationally recognized biostatistician and clinical trial methodologist with nearly a decade of experience leading large, multicenter clinical research programs. He recently left the University of Utah Data Coordinating Center and has served as Principal Investigator or lead biostatistician for numerous NIH-, DoD-, industry-, and foundation-funded studies. He specializes in Bayesian adaptive designs, risk-based monitoring, decentralized trials, and complex study designs, including exception from informed consent trials.

Dr. VanBuren has authored over 70 peer-reviewed publications. He currently serves as Associate Statistical Editor for JAMA Pediatrics and is a frequent invited speaker at national and international meetings on innovative trial design and data coordination. His work has been instrumental in advancing pediatric emergency care, pediatric critical care, and scleroderma-related research.

As Inaugural Director, Dr. VanBuren brings a proven record of building high-performing teams, overseeing clinical operations across many enrolling sites, and fostering collaborative, investigator-centered research environments. His leadership will establish the RCRC as a national resource for methodological rigor, operational excellence, and innovation in clinical and translational research.

Selected Publications

1. Shah MI, Adelgais KM, Chamberlain JM, Wang HE, Morgan LA, Riviello JJ, Said RR, Sullivan JE, Ghaffari KF, Kothari KM, Saidinejad M, Lowe RA, Fowler RL, Counts CR, Morris CR, Studnek JR, Glober NK, Ward CE, Clemency BM, Patrick N, Munn RD, Brant-Zawadzki GM, Martin-Gill C, Nishijima DK, Li K, Sepulveda N, VanBuren JM, Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) PediDOSE Study Investigator (2025). Methodology for the Pediatric Dose Optimization for Seizures in Emergency Medical Services (PediDOSE) study. Trials,
2. Ayla AY, Bernstein EJ, Zhang M, VanBuren JM, Castelino FV, Chung L, Evnin L, Frech TM, Gordon JK, Hant FN, Hummers LK, Khanna D, Lakin KS, Lebiedz-Odrobina D, Luo Y, Makol A, Mayes M, McMahan ZH, Molitor JA, Moore DF, Richardson C, Sandorfi N, Shah AA, Shah A, Shanmugam VK, Skaug B, Steen VD, Volkmann ER, Zahn C, Zheng WJ, Assassi (2025). Type III and type VI collagen neoepitopes are associated with disease severity in systemic sclerosis. The Journal of rheumatology,
3. Keister A, Stephens SW, Adelgais K, Bosson N, Brown K, Elsholz C, Faris GW, Frey J, Gausche-Hill M, Goldkind SF, Hansen M, Jacobsen K, Leonard JC, Nishijima DK, Rice AD, Saidinejad M, Shah MI, Swanson D, VanBuren JM, Wendt WJ, Wilkinson M, Wang H (2025). Exception From Informed Consent Community Consultation Surveys-Do Respondent Characteristics Accurately Reflect Targeted Communities?. Academic emergency medicine,
4. Hanif I, Assassi S, Mayes MD, McMahan ZH, Zhang M, Charles J, VanBuren JM, Alvey JS, Ghaffari K, Bernstein EJ, Castelino FV, Chung L, Evnin L, Frech TM, Gordon JK, Hant FN, Hummers LK, Khanna D, Lakin KS, Lebiedz-Odrobina D, Luo Y, Makol A, Molitor JA, Moore DF, Richardson C, Sandorfi N, Shah AA, Shah A, Shanmugam VK, Steen VD, Volkmann ER, Zahn C, Skaug (2025). Hand Swelling and Other Non-Raynaud Phenomenon Symptoms as the Initial Presentation of Systemic Sclerosis: Prevalence and Clinical Associations in Two US Cohorts. Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.), 77(11), 1585-1595.
5. Wang HE, Hansen M, Shah MI, Bosson N, VanBuren JM, Wendelberger B, Frey J, Keister A, Lewis RJ, Gausche-Hill (2025). Contemporary issues in pediatric prehospital airway management. Expert review of respiratory medicine, 1-8.
6. Tolles J, Toy J, Bosson N, Dillon DG, Donofrio-Odmann JJ, Menegazzi JJ, Montoy JCC, VanBuren JM, Gausche-Hill (2025). The California Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium (CAL-ROC): A novel collaboration to facilitate the implementation of randomized clinical trials in the prehospital setting. Resuscitation plus, 24, 100992.
7. Johnson AR, Riches NO, VanBuren JM, Corona AE, Jacobsen K, Yang S, Shah MI, Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) PediDOSE Study Investigator (2025). Measuring the efficacy of community consultation in a pediatric exception from informed consent trial. Academic emergency medicine, 32(5), 506-515.
8. VanBuren JM, French (2025). Type I Error Control-Avoiding an Upset. JAMA pediatrics,
9. Wang HE, Stephens SW, Jacobsen K, Brown B, Elsholz C, Frey JA, VanBuren JM, Gausche-Hill M, Shah MI, Bosson N, Leonard JC, Glober N, Ward CE, Nishijima DK, Adelgais K, Remick KE, Gaither JB, Colella MR, Swanson D, Goldkind SF, Keister A, Hansen (2025). Application of digital engagement tools for exception from informed consent community consultation and public disclosure in the pediatric prehospital airway resuscitation trial. Resuscitation plus, 22, 100919.
10. Yu JM, VanBuren JM, Child A, Alvey JS, Mandl LA, Pinheiro LC, Assassi S, Bernstein EJ, Castelino FV, Chung L, Evnin L, Frech TM, Hant FN, Hummers LK, Khanna D, Lakin KS, Lebiedz-Odrobina D, Luo Y, Makol A, Molitor JA, Moore DF, Richardson C, Sandorfi N, Shah AA, Shah A, Shanmugam VK, Skaug B, Steen VD, Volkmann ER, Gordon J (2025). Psychometric Evaluation of the Scleroderma Skin Questionnaire: A Novel Patient-Reported Outcome for Skin Disease in Patients With Systemic Sclerosis. The Journal of rheumatology, 52(3), 263-269.