Biostatistician: A Typical Day - Tara Maddala Career Girls Role Model

Summary

A typical day involves a mix of meetings, office work, and travel, offering variety in tasks. The day may start with reviewing documents such as study protocols or abstracts, followed by analyzing data on gene expression and cancer recurrence. Hours are spent collaborating with researchers from major hospitals like Cleveland Clinic and MD Anderson, discussing study designs, and strategizing future research. The work involves both analyzing data and fostering partnerships with institutions to improve lab tests and contribute to scientific progress.

Takeaways

• 😀 A typical day involves a balance between meetings and desk work, providing variety in tasks.
• 😀 Mornings often start with reviewing documents like protocols (study plans) and abstracts (conference summaries).
• 😀 Reviewing data analysis is a key part of the job, including assessing gene expression and its link to cancer recurrence.
• 😀 The statistician may spend hours programming to analyze associations between gene expression and cancer outcomes.
• 😀 Meetings are focused on strategy, discussing upcoming research studies, and collaborating with other institutions.
• 😀 Collaboration with large hospitals like the Cleveland Clinic and MD Anderson is essential for obtaining tumor samples and clinical data.
• 😀 The clinical data helps in tracking patient outcomes, such as cancer survival rates, to inform research.
• 😀 Strategic discussions are key for designing studies and determining how to develop lab tests and assays.
• 😀 Travel is an integral part of the role, allowing face-to-face discussions with institutions about data collection and collaboration opportunities.
• 😀 The work is centered around both analyzing data and forming partnerships with researchers from different institutions to further scientific progress.

Q & A

What is a typical day like for the person in the script?

A typical day involves a combination of meetings and time spent at the office. The person also travels frequently for work. The day is varied, with tasks ranging from reviewing documents to performing analyses and collaborating with other institutions.

What types of documents does the person review at the start of the day?

The person typically reviews documents such as protocols, which describe how studies will be conducted, and abstracts, which summarize presentations for conferences. They also review analysis reports from other statisticians.

What is the purpose of reviewing a protocol?

A protocol describes the methodology and design of a study, including how it will be run. Reviewing it ensures that the study is well-planned and can proceed smoothly.

What role does the person play in reviewing statistical analyses?

The person reviews the analyses done by other statisticians or sometimes performs the analysis themselves. This includes tasks such as examining the relationship between gene expression and cancer outcomes, like cancer recurrence.

What kind of programming does the person do?

The person may spend hours programming to analyze data, such as looking at the association between gene expression and cancer recurrence. This involves statistical analysis and data modeling.

What kinds of meetings does the person attend?

The person attends meetings to discuss future studies, the design of those studies, and how to collaborate with other institutions. These meetings are also focused on strategizing and analyzing data.

Which institutions does the person collaborate with?

The person collaborates with large hospitals and research institutions such as the Cleveland Clinic and the University of Texas MD Anderson. These institutions provide tumor samples and clinical data for research.

What type of data does the person collect from hospitals and research institutions?

The data collected includes tumor samples from patients, as well as clinical data about patient outcomes, such as whether a patient survived or died from cancer.

How does the person collaborate with researchers from other institutions?

The person works with other researchers to strategize and design studies. They discuss how to collect data that will be useful for both their own lab's development of assays and tests, as well as for the research goals of the other institutions.

What is the person’s role in study design and data collaboration?

The person helps design studies by identifying key factors for their own lab’s research and also ensuring the study design meets the needs of collaborating institutions. This involves a balance of collaboration and data sharing.