Professor Gianluca Baio

Biographical Details

Gianluca graduated in Statistics and Economics from the University of Florence (Italy). He then completed a PhD programme in Applied Statistics again at the University of Florence, after a period at the Program on the Pharmaceutical Industry at the MIT Sloan School of Management, Cambridge (USA); he then worked as a Research Fellow and then Temporary Lecturer in the Department of Statistical Sciences at University College London (UK).

Research Interests

Gianluca's main interests are in Bayesian statistical modelling for cost effectiveness analysis and decision-making problems in the health systems, hierarchical/multilevel models and causal inference using the decision-theoretic approach. Gianluca leads the Statistics for Health Economic Evaluation research group within the department of Statistical Science.

Current research students

• Chengyang Gao (Population adjusted methods in health economic evaluations)
• Luke Hardcastle (Bayesian inference in survival analysis: new approaches to modelling and computation) - joint supervision with Sam Livingstone

Past students

• Zhaojing Che (Health economic evaluation based on survival data subject to non proportional hazards)
• Xiaoxiao Ling (Item-level missing data in trial-based health economic evaluation)
• Zejing Shao (Statistical methods for the analysis of the effect of policies based on observational longitudinal data)
• Alberto Caron (Bayesian Tree-Based Learners for Individualized Treatment Effects Estimation) - secondary supervision with Ioanna Manolopoulou
• Anna Heath (currently at University of Toronto/Hospital for Sick Kids, Canada)
• Christina Ding
• Andrea Gabrio (currently at University of Maastricht, Netherlands)
• Anthony Hatswell (currently at Delta Hat)
• Antonio Remiro Azocar (currently at Bayer)
• Katrin Haussler (currently at ICON Plc)
• Mariam Adeleke (currently at UCL)
• Spyros Poulimenos
• Javier Alejandro Espinosa Brito
• William Barcella

Selected research grants

• Bayesian modelling to assess the cost-effectiveness of a vaccination strategy to prevent Human Papilloma Virus-related disease: the BEST2 study. Principal investigator, Sanofi Pasteur Research Grant, 2012-2013
• Novel multimodality imaging techniques for neurosurgical planning and stereotactic navigation in epilepsy surgery. Co-investigator (PI Prof John Duncan, UCL Neurology), Wellcome Trust/NIHR, 2012-2015
• Evaluating the benefits of community based aerobic training on the physical health and well-being of people with neuromuscular diseases: a pilot study. Co-investigator (PI: Dr Gita Ramdharry, UCLH), NIHR Research for Patients Benefit, 2013-2016
• The regression discontinuity design: a novel approach to evaluating the effects of drugs and treatments in primary care. Principal investigator, MRC Methodology Panel, 2013-2015
• Cannabidiol: a novel treatment for cannabis dependence? Co-investigator (PI: Prof Valerie Curran, UCL Clinical Education & Health Psychology). MRC Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme/Developmental Clinical Studies Panel, 2013-2016
• A feasibility study of a psychological intervention to address alcohol misuse for people with mild to moderate learning disabilities living in the community. Co-investigator (PI: Dr Christos Koumtsidis, Hertfordshire NHS Trust), NIHR, Research for Patients Benefit 2013-2016
• Comparative evaluation of the stepped wedge design efficiency. NIHR Research Methods fellowship (collaboration with Rumana Omar, UCL Statistical Science and Michael King, UCL Mental Health Sciences), 2014-2015
• Can albumin infusion reverse immune suppression in patients with acute on chronic liver failure via dampening Prostaglandin E2 bioavailability? Co-investigator (PI Alastair O'Brien, UCL Medicine). Wellcome Trust, 2014-2016
• Investigating the feasibility of a group self-management programme after stroke. Co-applicant (PI: Prof Nick Ward, UCL Institute of Neurology), NIHR Research for Patients Benefit, 2014-2017.
• Health economic evaluation of Pembrolizumab in Melanoma. Principal investigator. Merck, Sharpe & Dohme. 2017-2018
• Advancing Psychiatric Mapping Translated into Innovations for Care: PsyMaptic-A. Co-applicant (PI: Dr James Kirkbride, UCL Psychiatry), Wellcome Trust. 2017-2018
• Risk Assessment and Increasing Safety in Dementia - the RAISe-Dementia study. Co-applicant (PI: Dr Juanita Hoe, City University London), The Dunhill Medical Trust. 2018-2021
• Evaluating Policy Implementations TO Predict MEntal health [EPITOME]: a Bayesian hierarchical framework for quasi-experimental designs in longitudinal settings. Principal Investigator, Wellcome Trust. 2021-2025

Selected publications