Classroom to Collaboration: A Grad Student’s Tips for a Successful Transition (303236)

Keywords: collaboration, consulting, communication, training

There are challenges you face as a collaborative biostatistician that you may not face as a student. Before seeing any data, a first challenge is to identify the research question since it may not be clearly stated as in a class assignment. This requires communicating with investigators who may not be comfortable with statistics, learning concepts from their field to better understand their questions, and asking many questions to clarify the aims of their investigation. When you get the data, it is always messier than textbook examples. You must spend time formatting the data, checking for errors, and becoming familiar with the variables. Determining an analysis method can be difficult, too; you must use your knowledge of statistics, the research question, and available data to choose an appropriate method. However, you also must ensure the method and corresponding results will be understood by the investigators and their audience and you must communicate results in both oral and written form. In this poster, a student reflects on her experience with these challenges and more, and provides tips for successfully navigating the transition from student to collaborative statistician.