Dr. Abebe directs the Center for Biostatistics and Qualitative Methodology (CBQM), which provides collaborative research infrastructure to many investigative teams within and outside the university. His collaborative research focuses on design, conduct, coordination, and analysis of multicenter randomized controlled trials (RCTs). He is the PI of two large NIH-funded consortiums: the COPE-AKI Consortium Scientific & Data Research Center, which is developing and testing interventions to reduce morbidity and mortality in AKI survivors; and the Data Coordinating Center (DCC) for the REBIRTH Study, which assesses the effect of bromocriptine on left ventricular ejection fraction in women with peripartum cardiomyopathy.
Dr. Abebe is a faculty member within the ICRE, where he has directed numerous courses in biostatistics and clinical trials, and he has advised over 40 masters theses. He has been a standing member of the Kidney, Endocrine, and Digestive Disorders (KEDD) Study Section, and he is an elected Fellow of the Society for Clinical Trials. Lastly, Dr. Abebe is a founding member of the University Data Coordinating Centers (UNICORN) Network, a consortium of new and established academic data coordinating centers (DCC) across the United States.
- BA, Mathematics, Goshen College, 2003
- MA, Statistics, University of Pittsburgh, 2006
- PhD, Statistics, University of Pittsburgh, 2009
Education & Training
Scifres CM, Abebe KZ, Jones KA, Comer DM, Costacou T, Freiberg MS, Simhan HN, Day NL, Davis EM. Gestational diabetes diagnostic methods (GD2M) pilot randomized trial. Maternal and Child Health Journal. 2014; 19(7): 1742-80.
Schrier RW, Abebe KZ, Perrone RD, Torres VE, Braun WE, Steinman TI, Winklhofer FT, Broshnahan G, Czarncki PG, Hogan MC, Miskulin DC, Rahbari-Oskoui FF, Grantham JJ, Harris PC, Flessner MF, Bae KT, Moore CG, Chapman AB, The HALT-PKD Trial Investigators. Blood pressure in early autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. NEJM. 2014: 371(24):2255-2266.
Abebe KZ, Scifres C, Simhan HMN, Day N, Catalano P, Bodnar LM, Costacou T, Matthew D, Illes A, Orris S, Duell J, Ly K, Davis EM. Comparison of two screening strategies for gestational diabetes (GD2M) trial: Design and rationale. Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications. 2017: 62: 43-49.
Abebe KZ, Althouse AD, Comer D, Holleran K, Koerbel G, Kojtek J, Weiss J, Spillane S. Creating an academic research organization to efficiently design, conduct, coordinate, and analyze clinical trials: The Center for Clinical Trials & Data Coordination. Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications. 2019; 16:100488.
Abebe KZ, Rockhold FW. The impact of landscape changes on DSMB oversight of clinical trials. NEJM Evid. 2022; 1(9).
- Chancellor’s Affirmative Action Award, University of Pittsburgh, 2014
- Most Valuable Player Award, Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 2022
- Fellow, Society for Clinical Trials, 2023
- Pitt Scientist Well-Being Award, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 2025
