Sonia Thomas

Senior Research Statistician, Research Triangle Institute

Sonia Thomas is a clinical trial biostatistician and data coordinating center principal investigator at Research Triangle Institute who leads and collaborates on clinical research projects funded by organizations such as the National Institutes of Health.

“I learned about biostatistics from a flier in a math class at the University of North Carolina,” Thomas said. “I really liked it and earned a BSPH and MS, and, although I had not started with this goal, a DrPH in 1994.” This degree provided Thomas with solid knowledge and training in biostatistics methods and applications for those not inclined toward a career in theoretical statistics.

Thomas considers herself extremely fortunate to have two amazing mentors. Starting from her junior year, she was a student assistant for Gary Koch in his biometric consulting lab (Trailer 39). “For decades, a large family of statisticians has learned so much from him,” she said. “Applying biostatistics to real projects and listening to his approach to design and analysis strategies was invaluable. I could never say enough positive things about Gary Koch.”

Thomas also had the opportunity to work under Lisa LaVange while at Quintiles (now IQVIA). “Because of Lisa, I got to be part of several projects that led to publications in medical journals, she said. “I was hooked! These opportunities impacted the course of my career. For Gary and for Lisa, I am forever grateful.”

Thomas has now worked for more than 30 years in pharmaceuticals (17 years at Quintiles, where she learned about design and analysis of phase III clinical trials), academia (six years at UNC as professor of the practice, where she focused on leadership and NIH grants), and nonprofit research (seven years and counting at RTI). “In many ways, I feel RTI has the best of both the academic and pharmaceutical worlds,” Thomas said.

Thomas’s favorite aspect of her job is collaboration—with medical research professionals on study design and results interpretation in manuscripts, with innovative teams that implement the components of a complex clinical trial, and with fellow statisticians as they plan and conduct analyses. “I enjoy continually learning, and I relish opportunities to share my expertise or “things I’ve learned along the way” with my statistical colleagues, Thomas said. “It’s also very rewarding to sometimes be part of a trial with impactful results that could help improve people’s lives.”

Thomas says being a clinical trial biostatistician has been a fascinating and rewarding career, but it’s also been challenging. Maintaining work/life balance is important to her and requires practice, creativity, mentoring, and organizational support and flexibility. “I’m so happy to see my colleagues with young children have greater work flexibility since the pandemic,” she said. “My kids are grown, and I recently adopted a dog—she’s been a winner at balancing the daily work routine with fun and fresh air!”