Elena F Losina, PHD
Adjunct Professor, Biostatistics - Boston University School of Public Health
Biography
For nearly two decades I have been dedicated to bringing rigorous research methods to bear on pressing clinical and policy questions. I enjoy working closely with clinical investigators in two spheres – rheumatology and orthopaedics. I serve as the principal investigator on several NIH-funded projects and
as the collaborating methodologist on several others. My work focuses on: application of decision analytic models to the analysis of long-term clinical and economic implications of treatment or prevention strategies; statistical analysis of data collected longitudinally or via complex hierarchical surveys; design
and conduct of non-pharmacologic clinical trials.
I am the principal investigator of a multidisciplinary team that has developed the Osteoarthritis (OA) Policy Model, a computer simulation model of prevention, natural history and treatment for knee OA. This model is supported by an RO1 from NIAMS. I am also the Analytic Core Director of a multidisciplinary, international project assessing the prognostic value of serum and imaging biomarkers in knee OA.
Studies of surgery raise especially challenging methodologic problems. I serve as the principal statistician of a NIAMS-funded multicenter RCT of the efficacy of arthroscopic partial meniscectomy in persons with meniscal tear and knee osteoarthritis; principal investigator of an RCT that investigates the efficacy of a patient navigator intervention to enhance recovery following total knee replacement; and principal statistician on a multidimensional population-based study examining the association of hospital volume and outcomes of total hip and knee replacement.
I am a passionate, dedicated educator. Since 2007 I have served as a Core faculty member of EPI 208, the keystone course of the Harvard School of Public Health Program in Clinical Effectiveness. As a core faculty member I lead workshops and seminars and help students to shape research ideas into feasible
research projects. I am also a co-Director of a T32 funded training program in musculoskeletal clinical research based at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
For more than a decade I have served as Principal Investigator of the Methodology Core of the NIAMSfunded P60 Multidisciplinary Clinical Research Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The core provides direction and support for study design, data management, programming, statistical analysis, psychometric testing, training and education of post-doctoral fellows and other trainees.
In recent years I became interested in implementing methods of behavior economics into workplace wellness programs and to increase physical activity in persons with arthritis. I led the R21 supported pilot RCT and currently work on planning a multicenter RCT to examine the efficacy of two interventions –
financial incentives and telephonic coaching to improve physical activity post total knee replacements.
I spend about a quarter of my time providing methodological mentorship to fellows, medical and doctoral students, and junior faculty. This work is funded in part by a NIAMS K24 Mentoring award. I co-founded and co-directed a short course “Essentials of Clinical Research in Orthopaedics” for orthopaedic fellows. I lead monthly research seminars and co-direct the PRIDE (Pilot Research Incubation and Development) Program in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. This innovative program creates collaborations between clinical investigators and our methodology team to move the clinicians’ research ideas toward feasible projects and publications. I also serve as a Deputy Editor for Methodology and Biostatistics for the premier orthopaedic journal, the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.
The breadth of clinical and methodological topics encompassed in my research and mentoring has enabled me to translate methods and concepts across disciplines and cultures.
Education
- Boston University, PhD Field of Study: Biostatistics
- Odessa I. I. Mechnikov National University, MSc Field of Study: Mathematics
Publications
- Published on 5/23/2025
Hawker GA, King LK, Liew JW, Wang Q, Mahmoudian A, Jansen NEJ, Stanaitis I, Berenbaum F, Das S, Ding C, Emery CA, Filbay SR, Hochberg MC, Ishijima M, Kloppenburg M, Lane NE, Losina E, Mobasheri A, Runhaar J, Appleton CT, Turkiewicz A, Englund M, Lohmander LS, Haugen IK, Neogi T. OARSI initiative to develop classification criteria for early-stage symptomatic knee OA (EsSKOA): What conditions should be considered in the differential diagnosis of EsSKOA? Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2025 May 23. PMID: 40414550.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 4/15/2025
Mathieson S, Ferreira G, Jones C, Eyles J, Bowden JL, Sharma S, Callander E, Hunter D, Ackerman IN, Keefe F, Ferreira ML, March L, Briggs AM, Sit RW, Thirumaran AJ, Losina E. The cost-effectiveness of guideline-recommended treatments for osteoarthritis: A systematic review. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2025 Apr 15. PMID: 40246059.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 3/11/2025
Yang CT, Katz JN, Selzer F, Conley CW, Lemaster NG, Stone AV, Kumara MT, Matzkin EG, Kim JS, Jacobs CA, Losina E, Jones MH. Prospective Preference Assessment of a Pharmacological Clinical Trial to Alter the Progression of Posttraumatic Osteoarthritis After ACL Reconstruction. Orthop J Sports Med. 2025 Mar; 13(3):23259671241311906. PMID: 40078595.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 2/17/2025
Osaghae EO, Sirek G, Roberson T, Chandler M, Childs A, Crespo-Bosque M, Curry G, Dhand A, Dollear M, Eggelston A, Ezeh N, Fleurissaint D, Garrett D, Granville G, Jean-Jacques M, Losina E, Milaeger H, Muhammad L, Nelson MA, Nosamiefan C, Ojikutu B, Pillai N, Son MB, Toussaint MJ, Valle A, Williams JN, York M, Mancera-Cuevas K, Feldman CH, Ramsey-Goldman R. Community-engaged curriculum development using racial justice and biomedical lenses to address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in black individuals with rheumatologic conditions. Front Public Health. 2024; 12:1493331. PMID: 40034470.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 2/12/2025
Waddell LM, Mitchener DP, Frier KC, Jones MH, Losina E, Bansback N, Fraenkel L, Kim JS, Katz JN, Selzer F, Easterbrook A. Patient Perceptions of Medication Therapy for Prevention of Posttraumatic Osteoarthritis Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury: A Qualitative Content Analysis. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2025 Feb 12. PMID: 39936242.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 1/31/2025
King LK, Liew JW, Mahmoudian A, Wang Q, Jansen NEJ, Stanaitis I, Hung V, Berenbaum F, Das S, Ding C, Emery CA, Filbay SR, Hochberg MC, Ishijima M, Kloppenburg M, Lane NE, Losina E, Mobasheri A, Turkiewicz A, Runhaar J, Haugen IK, Appleton CT, Lohmander LS, Englund M, Neogi T, Hawker GA. Corrigendum to "Multi-centre modified Delphi exercise to identify candidate items for classifying early-stage symptomatic knee osteoarthritis" [Osteoarthritis Cartilage (2025) 155-165]. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2025 Apr; 33(4):530-533. PMID: 39890093.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 12/23/2024
Jacobs CA, Jones MH, Collins JE, Waddell LM, Li X, Winalski CS, Pietrosimone B, Kraus VB, Otero M, Wellsandt E, Schmitt LC, Spindler KP, Anderson DD, Rodeo SA, Magnussen RA, Wolf BR, Hart JM, Stone AV, Conley CE, Golightly YM, Myer GD, Snyder-Mackler L, Lotz MK, Kim JS, McLeod MM, Huebner JL, Lisee C, Selzer F, Katz JN, Long K, Frier KC, Betensky DJ, Felson DT, Losina E. The PIKASO trial (Preventing Injured Knees from Osteoarthritis: Severity Outcomes): Rationale and design features for a randomized controlled trial. Osteoarthr Cartil Open. 2025 Mar; 7(1):100563. PMID: 39867299.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 11/11/2024
Messier SP, Monroe MG, Callahan LF, Mihalko SL, Beavers DP, Queen K, Miller GD, Losina E, Katz JN, Loeser RF, DeVita P, Hunter DJ, Quandt SA. Disparities Between Rural and Urban Communities: Response to 18 Months of Diet and Exercise Versus Control for Knee Osteoarthritis and Overweight or Obesity. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2025 Jan; 77(1):69-76. PMID: 39400996.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 11/8/2024
King LK, Liew JW, Mahmoudian A, Wang Q, Jansen NEJ, Stanaitis I, Hung V, Berenbaum F, Das S, Ding C, Emery CA, Filbay SR, Hochberg MC, Ishijima M, Kloppenburg M, Lane NE, Losina E, Mobasheri A, Turkiewicz A, Runhaar J, Haugen IK, Appleton CT, Lohmander LS, Englund M, Neogi T, Hawker GA. Multi-centre modified Delphi exercise to identify candidate items for classifying early-stage symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2025 Jan; 33(1):155-165. PMID: 39521366.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 10/8/2024
Bechtold JE, Bauer TW, Clayton J, Foucher KC, Graves L, Heidari S, Ireland M, Losina E, Paul CR, Ramos PS, Regensteiner JG, Schiebinger L, Templeton K, Temkin S. Sex and Gender Considerations in Orthopaedic Research: Existing Barriers, What's Needed by Institutions and Research Departments, and How to Guide Junior Investigators and Faculty. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2024 Nov 20; 106(22):2160-2166. PMID: 39724603.
Read At: PubMed
View 521 more publications:View Full Profile at BUMC