What is your role in the Department of Internal Medicine?

I am a statistician within the Section of Digestive Diseases. I assist my PI, Dr. Louise Wang, with research aimed at improving early detection of pancreatic cancer. I help design and carry out analyses to identify individuals at higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer, using both clinical and genetic information.

How did you become interested in your line of work?

I first became interested in the field of statistics because I liked the variety and freedom that came with being able to work in any field that generates data. While completing my bachelor’s and master’s degrees, I began to focus more on biostatistics due to some valuable internships I had. These internships gave me the opportunity to work on projects that, at the end of the day, are intended to help people. I really loved that aspect of the work, and that’s what eventually led me to work at Yale School of Medicine.

What do you enjoy about working at Yale?

There is a lot to enjoy about working at Yale! I’ve found that most individuals I’ve interacted with here are friendly and collaborative. I also love the many resources available to researchers. I’ve increasingly been using the Yale high performance computing platform, which has been very beneficial for our research.

What is your favorite pastime?

One of my favorite pastimes in the summer is paddleboarding. It’s a great way to explore the Northeast. I love making day trips to check out new lakes and rivers.

Tell us one piece of advice you will never forget.

Some of the best advice I received as an undergraduate student was: “You can’t fix by analysis what you bungled by design.” It’s so important to take the time at the beginning of any project to set yourself up for success with thorough research design.

Since forming one of the nation’s first sections of hepatology more than 75 years ago and then gastroenterology nearly 70 years ago, Yale School of Medicine’s Section of Digestive Diseases has had an enduring impact on research and clinical care in gastrointestinal and liver disorders. To learn more, visit Internal Medicine: Digestive Diseases.