Careers Blog Home > An R&D Rotation Experience as a Statistical Programmer

An R&D Rotation Experience as a Statistical Programmer

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!

Jobs you might be interested in:

Strategic Account Manager – Pittsburgh, PA

Sales 103244 Pittsburgh Pennsylvania United States United States. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States Commercial Full Time
About the Job The Strategic Account Manager is a field-based role with direct customer engagement delivering Foundation Medicine’s products and services to regionalized health systems, academic medical systems, integrated delivery networks and co...

Associate Director, Community National Accounts

Commercial Programs 103241 United States United States Commercial Full Time
About the Job The Associate Director, Community National Accounts is a field-based role with direct customer engagement and ensures access to and drives the growth of FMI’s products by working directly with national community provider networks, c...

Pathologist - Per Diem

Pathology 103242 Morrisville North Carolina United States Kit Creek Road, Morrisville, North Carolina, United States Operations Part Time
About the Job The Pathologist is involved in all aspects of FMI’s laboratory operations and serves as an internal subject  matter expert, applying medical knowledge to advise decisionmakers in support of FMI’s mission to  transform cancer care. T...

Director, Clinical Transactions

Commercial 103229 Boston Massachusetts United States 400 Summer Street, Boston, Massachusetts, United States Commercial Full Time
About the Job The Director, Clinical Transactions is a key member of the Clinical Business Unit. This role is responsible for the overall transaction and contract strategy with Clinical customers, from development to execution. This role works cr...

Manager, BioPharma Business Development

Strategic Insights, Analytics and Enablement 103232 United States United States Biopharma Full Time
About the Job The Manager, Business Development - is responsible for developing and executing upon a comprehensive strategy in account acquisition, management and growth for FMI’s pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners and prospects. The incum...

 

Sign up for Custom New Job Alerts

Not You?

Thank you