Qixuan Chen’s journey into statistics was deeply inspired by her father, who pursued a self-taught degree in statistics while managing more than 100 employees, achieving the highest GPA in his class. Growing up on a beautiful island in southeast China, Chen was captivated by his explanation of the bell curve, sparking her passion for the field. She later earned advanced degrees in the United States and developed a research philosophy grounded in problem-driven methods, community engagement, and clear communication. As a dedicated educator and mentor, Chen finds joy in supporting students, believing—like her father—it’s never too late to achieve greatness.
China
Ni Zhao
Ni Zhao’s career as a biostatistician followed a convoluted path. When she was a kid, her parents dreamed she would become a medical doctor. She partly had the same wish—she wanted to work toward improving human health and well-being. Yet, she was also fascinated by the beauty of mathematics and didn’t think there was a way to combine math and medicine until she discovered biostatistics. Now, as an assistant professor of biostatistics at The Johns Hopkins University, she collaborates with top-notch researchers and participates in frontline research.
My ASA Story: Jeri Mulrow, Applied Statistician
Jeri Mulrow is vice president and director of statistics and evaluation sciences at Westat.
Hao Helen Zhang
Hao Helen Zhang was born and raised in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China. From a young age, she was passionate about mathematics. Since then, her research has been supported by NSF, NIH, and NSA. She also serves on several editorial boards of professional journals.
The Fulbright Scholar Program, STEM, and Scholars
Amstat News wanted to know more about applying for a Fulbright scholarship as a researcher so we interviewed past scholars and asked them why they applied and what they learned from the program.
Going East
China, which is the world’s third-largest pharmaceutical market after the United States and Japan, grew faster than expected. Drug sales are predicted to increase 25%–27% to more than $50 billion next year, overtaking Japan’s by 2015. Here, Coco Fan and Ping Zhan show how statisticians are needed from the West to transform China’s pharmaceutical industry.
People to People Delegation to China Has ‘Blast’
Ronald L. Wasserstein, the ASA’s executive director, describes the activities he and other ASA members participated in during their 12-day cultural journey to China.