Epidemiology Data Center | University of Pittsburgh

Steven H. Belle, PhD, MScHyg

Professor, Department of Epidemiology
Co-Director, Epidemiology Data Center
Secondary Appointment: Biostatistics
Department of Epidemiology
504 Parran Hall
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
Voice: 412-624-1620
Fax: 412-624-3120
E-mail: belle@edc.pitt.edu

Research Interests

Designing, coordinating and analyzing data from clinical trials and patient and procedure registries. My major areas of application include aging (especially cognitive impairment, dementia, and caregiving), liver-related diseases and issues (especially hepatitis C and liver transplantation), and bariatric surgery. Many of my studies examine quality of life.

Education & Training

University of Pennsylvania- B.A. Mathematics, 1974
University of Pittsburgh- M.Sc.Hyg. Biostatistics, 1975
- Thesis Advisor - Howard Rockette, Ph.D.
University of Michigan- Ph.D. Biostatistics, 1984
- Dissertation Advisor - Robert Wolfe, Ph.D.
- Dissertation Title - Analyses of Dependent Right Censored Data

Positions Held:

2005-Present	Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health University of Pittsburgh
2005-Present	Professor, Department of Biostatistics, Graduate School of Public Health University of Pittsburgh (Secondary Appointment)
2000-2004	Associate Professor, Department of Biostatistics, Graduate School of Public Health University of Pittsburgh (Secondary Appointment)
1985-2005	Research Associate, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh
1988-1996	Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, University of Pittsburgh (Joint Appointment)
1982-1985	Chief of Biostatistics, Division of Epidemiology, Michigan Cancer Foundation, Detroit, MI
1976-1982	Statistician, Senior Statistician, Department of Social Oncology, Michigan Cancer Foundation, Detroit, MI

Honors

Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America (Elected 2003)
Delta Omega Honor Society in Public Health-Omicron Chapter (Elected 1994)

University Service

Chair, GSPH Faculty Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure Committee (2006-Present)
Chair, Department of Epidemiology Curriculum Committee (2003-2005)
President, GSPH Faculty Assembly (2003-2004)
Member, Provost's Ad Hoc Committee on Academic Freedom (2002-2003)
Secretary, University of Pittsburgh Faculty Senate (2001-2002)
Chair, University of Pittsburgh Senate Committee on Bylaws and Procedures (1998-2000)
Member, University of Pittsburgh Faculty Assembly (1997-Present)

Teaching

Epidemiologic Methods I (EPIDEM 2180)
Epidemiologic Methods II (EPIDEM 2230)

Current Projects Include:

Coordinating Center for the Study of Viral Resistance to Antiviral Therapy for Chronic Hepatitis C (Virahep-C) (Principal Investigator)
Coordinating Center for the Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (LABS) (Principal Investigator)
Coordinating Center for Phase I/II Trials of Silymarin for Chronic Liver Diseases (Principal Investigator)
Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (Biostatistics and Data Management Core Principal Investigator)

Selected Publications

Rosen HR, Weston SJ, Im KA, Yang H, Burton JR, Erlich H, Kalrquist J, Belle SH for the Virahep-C Study Group. Selective decrease in hepatitis C virus-specific immunity among African-Americans and outcome of antiviral therapy. Hepatology. In Press (2007).

Taylor MW, Tsukahara T, Brodsky L, Schaley J, Corneliu S, Stephens MJ, McClinitick JN, Edenberg HJ, Li L, Tavis JE, Howell C, Belle SH for the Virahep-C Study Group. Changes in gene expression during peginterferon and ribavirin therapy of chronic hepatitis C distinguish responders from non-responders to antiviral therapy. Journal of Virology. 2007; 81(7):3391-3401.

Belle SH, Berk PD, Courcoulas AP, Flum DR, Miles CW, Mitchell JE, Pories W, Wolfe BM, Yanovski SZ, the Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery Consortium Writing Group (in alphabetical order). The safety and efficacy of bariatric surgery: The Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (LABS). Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases. In Press.

Belle SH, Burgio L, Burns R, Coon D, Czaja SJ, Gallagher-Thompson D, Gitlin LN, Klinger J, Koepke KM, Lee CC, Martindale-Adams J, Nichols L, Schulz R, Stahl S, Stevens A, Winter L, Zhang S. Enhancing the quality of life of Hispanic/Latino, Black/African American, and White/Caucasian dementia caregivers: The REACH II randomized controlled trial. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2006; 145(10):727-738.

Czaja SJ, Schulz R, Belle SH, Burgio LD, Armstrong N, Gitlin LN, Coon DW, Martindale-Adams J, Klinger J, Stahl SM. Data safety monitoring in social behavioral intervention trials: The REACH II experience. Clinical Trials. 2006(3);107-118

Evans IVR, Belle SH, Wei Y, Penovich C, Ruppert K, Detre KM for the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Liver Transplantation Database. Post-transplantation growth among pediatric recipients of liver transplantation. Pediatric Transplantation 2005;9:480-485.

Schulz R, Belle SH, Czaja SJ, McGinnis KA, Stevens A, Zhang S. Long-term care placement of dementia patients and caregiver health and well-being. JAMA. 2004 (Aug. 25);292(8):961-967.

Belle SH, Zhang S, Czaja SJ, Burns R, Schulz R. Cognitive enhancement medication utilization among persons with Alzheimer's Disease who have a family caregiver: Results from the Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregiver Health (REACH) project. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. May-June 2004: (12)3: 250-257.

Schulz R, Mendelsohn AB, Haley WE, Mahoney D, Allen RS, Zhang S, Thompson L, Belle SH for the REACH Investigators. End of life care and the effects of bereavement among family caregivers for persons with dementia. New England Journal of Medicine. 2003; 349: 20: 1936-1942.

Chelluri L, Mendelsohn AB, Belle SH, Rotondi AJ, Angus DC, Donahoe MP, Sirio CA, Schulz R, Pinsky MR. Hospital costs in patients receiving prolonged mechanical ventilation. Does age have an impact? Critical Care Medicine. 2003; (31)6:1746-1751.

Czaja SJ, Schulz R, Lee CC, Belle SH. A methodology for describing and decomposing complex psychosocial and behavioral Interventions. Psychology and Aging. 2003; 18(3): 385-395.

Belle SH, Czaja SJ, Schulz R, Zhang S, Burgio L, Gitlin L, Jones R, Mendelsohn AB, Ory M. Using a new taxonomy to combine the uncombinable: Integrating results across diverse caregiving interventions. Psychology and Aging. 2003; 18(3):396-405.

Pandav R, Mehta A, Belle SH, Martin DE, Chandra V, Dodge HH, Ganguli M. Data management and quality assurance for an international project: The Indo-US Cross-National Dementia Epidemiology Study. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2002. 17: 510-518.

Muldoon MF, Manuck SB, Mendelsohn AB, Kaplan JR, Belle SH. Cholesterol reduction and non-illness mortality: Meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials. British Medical Journal. 2001 January. 322:11-15.

Belle SH, Mendelsohn AB, Seaberg EC, Ratcliff G. A brief cognitive screening battery for dementia in the community. Neuroepidemiology. 2000. 19:43-50.

Belle SH, Porayko MK, Hoofnagle JH, Lake JR, Zetterman RK for the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Liver Transplantation Database (LTD). Changes in quality of life after liver transplantation among adults. Liver Transplantation and Surgery. 1997. 3(2):93-104.

Belle SH, Seaberg EC, Ganguli M, Ratcliff G, DeKosky S, Kuller. LH. The effect of education and gender adjustment on the sensitivity and specificity of a cognitive screening battery for dementia: Results from the MoVIES project. Neuroepidemiology, 1996. 15(6):321-329.

Belle SH, Detre KM, Beringer KC. The relationship between outcome of liver transplantation and experience in new centers. Liver Transplantation and Surgery. 1995. 1(6):347-353.