Associate Director for Bioinformatics and Information Technology
National Cancer Institute
Bethesda, MD
Dr. Ken Buetow currently serves as the Associate Director for Bioinformatics and Information Technology, National Cancer Institute, where he initiated and oversees the cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (caBIG®) program, a groundbreaking initiative designed to create standardized tools and infrastructure for organizations and researchers to securely exchange biomedical data, creating a “World Wide Web” of biomedical research.
Dr. Buetow’s 20-plus years in science have focused on understanding the role of genetics in complex human diseases such as cancer. In addition to his current role with caBIG®, Dr. Buetow also serves as the Director of the NCI Center for Bioinformatics and Information Technology (NCI CBIIT), which is responsible for maximizing the interoperability and integration of NCI research. He is also the Chief of the Laboratory of Population Genetics (LPG), where his group works to increase our understanding of how the genetics of complex phenotypes affects disease progression.
In addition to serving on the governing and advisory boards for numerous government organizations, academic institutions, and scientific and medical societies, Dr. Buetow has published more than 160 scientific papers. His recent honors and awards include The Editor’s Choice Award from Bio-IT World (2008), The Federal 100 Award (2005), The NIH Award of Merit (2004) and the NCI Director’s Gold Star Award (2004).
Dr. Buetow received a B.A. in biology from Indiana University in 1980 and a Ph.D. in human genetics from the University of Pittsburgh in 1985.