Biopharmaceutical Section Mentoring Program

Amarjot Kaur, Yue Shentu, Janelle Charles, and Juliet Ndukum

The Biopharmaceutical Section was first to adopt the mentoring program following the Mentoring in a Box blueprint, a tool created by the Committee on Applied Statisticians for developing a mentorship program for ASA units.

Recognizing the value of mentoring for its members, the Biopharmaceutical Section successfully initiated its mentoring program in 2014. Networking can be challenging, but is beneficial. Meeting others in our profession can help us quickly learn the ropes, improve our careers, and contribute to the statistical profession. Finding a mentor has its challenges and, keeping that in mind, the Biopharmaceutical Section initiated this mentoring program to facilitate networking opportunities and support the professional development of its members. More than 60 people participated in the mentoring program in 2014 and 2015. Here are a few testimonials from past participants:

Mentor Allison Florance said the ASA Biopharmaceutical Section “did a great job in matching me to a mentee. It has been a win-win for both of us!”

Mentee Nobuhle Mpofu said, “The biopharmaceutical mentoring program has proved to be invaluable to me. Through my countless conversations with my mentor, I chose to focus on a thesis topic that is of high interest to me, and yet highly relevant to [the] pharmaceutical industry and other settings.”

Mentee Juliet Ndukum describes her productive experience: “I am an example of a success story of the ASA-Biopharmaceutical Section Mentoring Program. The benefits I gained by participating in this program are way beyond what I had imagined. Today, I cannot introduce myself without mention of my mentor and this mentoring program. My mentor was available to assist me in achieving my goal, even on weekends. I learned a lot from her on aspects that relate to day-to-day activities of our noble profession through the numerous discussions we had. She provided me with resources that enabled me make valuable contributions, as well as achieve the goal I had set out when I joined the program.”

Participants also had suggestions for improving the program. The goal of the program is to help members further enrich and enhance their professional experience through achieving personal and professional goals. This may occur through sharing knowledge and experiences between a professional practitioner and someone entering the statistics profession. However, a constructive mentoring relationship can take many forms and may occur at any stage of one’s career, with benefits for both the mentor and mentee. As part of this program, a hands-on resource for mentors and mentees is provided to facilitate their interactions. Information related to the mentoring activities and additional resources are available via the Biopharmaceutical Section website.

The Biopharmaceutical Section is moving forward with the 2016–2017 mentoring program. Through this initiative, it has demonstrated its commitment to better serving the membership and growing the statistical profession.

Check out the September 2016 issue of The American Statistician for more on mentoring.