Shumeng Zhang, Bioinformatics Scientist II

As a natural learner with strong curiosity, I am always interested in the work that different teams do at Foundation Medicine to support our mission of transforming cancer care.

I have been with Foundation Medicine for almost three years as a Data Management Scientist II in the Data Management team and initially learned about the internal rotation program during my employee onboarding. Towards the end of last year, Wenshu Li, Senior Biostatistician, reached out to me about an upcoming rotation opportunity in the Platform Biostatistics team in R&D as a Statistical Programmer. I was very excited about this opportunity because it allowed me to expand my knowledge of Foundation Medicine’s work and practice the skills learned from my master’s degree in statistics. I also wanted to explore and understand more deeply what biostatisticians do at Foundation Medicine. 

Initially, I was unsure about the hiring and application process, but with the support of my managers, I was able to quickly figure out the process. The process was simple and required an updated resume and application submitted through the job listing on the rotations page of our internal career site. Next steps involved a formal interview with team members on the Platform Biostatistics team. After a few days, I received an offer to join the rotation program. From start to finish, the whole process was very smooth, and I am very grateful to have received support from my managers when I approached them with this opportunity.

My rotation provided me the opportunity to work on different projects and to interact with colleagues across the organization. The Platform Biostatistics team mainly supports the data analytics activities of development and validation studies and publications. My main responsibility during the rotation was to support the development of a configurable prototype for analytical validation standardization, which can improve the consistency, efficiency, and accuracy of statistical analysis for analytical validation. I also shadowed several development and validation studies. I learned to write SAPs (statistical analysis plans), perform statistical analysis, prepare validation reports, and handle FDA submissions and responses. I also participated in internal meetings with development and validation project teams to gained insights into the product development cycle and design review. I would like to express my gratitude to Wenshu Li, Derek Brown, and the rest of the team for their mentorship and support during my rotation.  

Moreover, I was able to bring my data management and bioinformatics skills to the Platform Biostatistics team, helping resolve data-related problems. My rotation also bridged the gap between my previous team and the Platform Biostatistics team, helping streamline processes and reduce handoffs as the two teams collaborated on projects. 

After the rotation came to an end, I was able to bring back this new knowledge to my current role and encourage team members to be more involved in project meetings. This helps the team get insights into projects, support requests from biostatisticians more effectively, and gain visibility into multiple different teams. This has helped to foster closer collaboration between the two teams. I am thankful for the experience, and I hope to have the opportunity to do another rotation on another team one day!