Bradley Hammill, DrPH, joined the Duke Division of General Internal Medicine in March of 2016. He is a Senior Biostatistician with the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI) and was recently named Associate Professor of Medicine. Learn more about him in our interview below:
Where do you work?
I split my time between the new Department of Population Health Sciences and Health Services Research group at the Duke Clinical Research Institute.
What are your interests in the field?
I’m actually a biostatistician, so I love all things data and analysis… and both the DCRI and the medical center have plenty of data.
How did you get in to this specific field & what brought you to Duke?
I was in graduate school for sociology many years ago and gravitated toward the quantitative side of the field. My work with SAS and large census data was essential for getting a job as a statistical programmer at the DCRI. My first project involved working with the STS (Society for Thoracic Surgeons) Adult Cardiac Surgery Database when that arrived at the DCRI in 1998. In the ensuing 19 years, I moved to a statistician role, finished by doctorate in Biostatistics, and transitioned to faculty. It's been exciting.
Is there any research you are doing or plan on doing?
One project that I'm pretty involved in is the ADAPTABLE trial. This is a pragmatic clinical trial taking place at over 20 sites in the U.S. to compare the efficacy and safety of different aspirin doses among patients at risk of cardiovascular events. The follow-up data for this trial is coming from electronic health record (EHR) data, and as someone working closely with that data, there are a lot of interesting challenges and opportunities.
What are your hobbies or interests outside of work? 
I recently finished up my second year as president of the PTA at Saint Thomas More Catholic School in Chapel Hill, which my son attends. I love that school and volunteer to help out whenever it fits my schedule.
Any trips you've taken recently that you would like to share?
We just got back from a week in Colorado. In addition to visiting family out there, we got a chance to spend a few days at Mesa Verde National Park. The history at that park is almost overwhelming. The cliff dwellings are more amazing in person than you imagine they could be.
Any recent books you’ve read that you’d like to share?
"All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr was a great read. I also recently finished "Ready Player One" by Ernest Cline. I'm not usually a science fiction guy, but as a child of the 80s, this book was fun.
What is your favorite food?
Is it wrong to say cereal?
What is your favorite restaurant?
Juju. Their brown butter pot de crème is outrageous.