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Job Title: Research Scientist At A Small Public Health Research Organization
Type of Company: My company designs and performs publicly and privately funded public health and clinical research projects.
Education: BA Mathematics, Skidmore College •• PhD Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health
Previous Experience: I worked as a data analyst in graduate school, then as a statistician for a pharmaceutical company.
Job Tasks: My training is in biostatistics, which involves applying mathematical tools to help in data gathering and analysis, specifically in medical science and public health.
In one part of my job I collaborate with clinicians (nurses and doctors) and their research teams in designing and executing studies that test new treatments in pediatric cardiology. Some of these studies evaluate new medicines for treating heart health issues. Others are designed to measure the effectiveness of surgical techniques to physically repair heart damage in very small children.
Before a study like this can go forward, the team has to plan it in great detail. What measurements will best indicate if a treatment is effective? Sometimes it is fairly stark: we would like the new treatment to prevent subjects from dying, and so monitoring subjects' mortality is the main focus.
In other cases, the treatment is targeting something more subtle. In one study, for instance, the goal is to slow down the progression of growth in part of the aorta. For the team to design an effective study, we need to have a very good understanding of that measurement, and the numeric data that will come out of it. That knowledge helps us to calculate the number of subjects we need to have in the study in order to obtain believable results.
On a typical day I spend a portion of time analyzing data coming out of a study like this so that we can publish the result, a portion of time interacting with colleagues to discuss issues occurring in ongoing studies (such as handling unexpected events that occur during treatment), and another portion designing new studies. It's a mixture of collaboration and solo work, and a combination of writing and "number crunching." Probably 65% of my day is spent in front of a computer, and another 35% in collaborative meetings.
Best and Worst Parts of the Job: The best parts of my job are collaborating with scientists (clinicians, epidemiologists), a relatively flexible schedule, professional recognition as a scientist, work that has impact, and good compensation. The not-so-great parts involve juggling many responsibilities, (to some degree) sitting in the same location for much of the day.
Job Tips:
1. Take courses in mathematics and statistics, computer programming, and basic medical science (e.g. anatomy, etc.). Keeping in mind that graduate school (Master's degree or more) is required, early training in statistics and epidemiology is a plus.
2. Communication skills are critical. Training in writing is very useful.
3. As early as possible, become familiar with major trends in public health and medical science. Think about whether you are interested in a particular application (e.g. pediatrics, emergency medicine, osteoporosis) This is not absolutely necessary, but if you have specific interest then pursue knowledge in that area as early as possible.
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