Derek Blankenship
Biostatistics Lead
Derek Blankenship, Ph.D., M.B.A., is a seasoned biostatistician and epidemiologist with extensive experience conducting experimental, clinical, and healthcare analyses for US research institutes, as well as provider and payer entities. He currently serves as the Sr. Director and Global Biostatistics Lead for the Renal Research Institute’s Real World Evidence Generation team. Given his background, he supports a wide variety of projects focused on improving patients’ care and clinical outcomes with an emphasis on observational program evaluations.
Dr. Blankenship holds an academic position as a graduate faculty affiliate member with Stephen F. Austin State University where he partners with faculty and student interns to identify or develop best practices aimed at improving every aspect of the program evaluation process. He has also held an adjunct professorship at Baylor University and a courtesy appointment at Southern Methodist University.
Dr. Blankenship’s career began at the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, where he worked as a biostatistician and statistical programmer. He later joined the Baylor Health Care System, advancing to Director of Biostatistics, and managing a team supporting numerous clinical research, experimental, and observational studies. Prior to joining Fresenius Medical Care and the RRI, he was the Sr. Director of Analytics Consulting for Health Care Service Corporation where he led a team focused on evaluating value-based care programs.
Dr. Blankenship's expertise spans biostatistics, epidemiology, research methodology, and advanced statistical techniques. He has contributed analyses to over 30 peer-reviewed publications, covering topics for ESRD patients, COVID-19 vaccination impacts, and biomarker discovery in various diseases. His has also led significant research projects funded by the NIH, American Cancer Society, and other funding agencies.
Dr. Blankenship holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Biostatistics from the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center and an M.B.A. from the Sloan School of Management at MIT.
