Richard C. Zink

Podcasts are a way to share audio and video content over the Internet for consumption at one’s leisure. Within the past year or so, the ASA Biopharmaceutical Section began producing podcasts to provide news and highlights on upcoming conferences, educate the community on various areas of statistics in pharmaceutical development, and share the educational and professional background of section members.

Why are the backgrounds of other statisticians important? For one, they illustrate the diversity of educational and professional experiences that can assist new statisticians in their own development. Such information may help individuals decide whether to pursue graduate programs in statistics or steer others to particular specializations or industries in need of statistical methodology. These discussions also assist new statisticians with the particular pros and cons of different work environments and the hard and soft skills necessary to be successful. Further, these experiences are useful for understanding the amazing flexibility statisticians have with their career choices between large and small companies and within industry, government, or academia.

One podcast to highlight features the current Biopharmaceutical Section chair, Matilde Sanchez-Kam, discussing the importance of volunteering with professional organizations to build professional connections and develop leadership and communication skills.

Future podcasts will continue to educate and inform statisticians. Episodes include discussions on the unique challenges for developing medical devices, different regulatory and statistical hurdles faced by statisticians in Europe, news about the ASA’s 175th anniversary, a feature on Statistics in Biopharmaceutical Research, and highlights for the upcoming Joint Statistical Meetings and FDA-Industry Statistics Workshop. Of course, I need to hear from you! Share your thoughts, experiences, and ideas in a podcast and then send me the link at richard.zink@jmp.com.