Education Needs for
Statisticians in
st
The 21 Century
Christy Chuang-Stein,
Statistical Research and Consulting Center
Pfizer Inc
1
delete these guides from slide master before printing or giving to the client
Premises
 If we don’t make the most of our disciplines
ourselves, how can we expect to be made
much of by others?
 The power of effecting changes for the
better is within ourselves, not in the
favorableness of circumstances.
 While leaders of the statistics profession
can provide vision for our profession, the real
driving force for our profession are the
individual statisticians.
delete these guides from slide master before printing or giving to the client
2
delete these guides from slide master before printing or giving to the client
Desirable Qualifications
 Sound theoretical knowledge
 Identifying, formulating and solving problems
 Computing skills
 Verbal and written communication skills
 Willing to learn the basics of other disciplines and
relevant regulations
 Willing to listen
 A high standard of excellence
 Critical thinking
delete these guides from slide master before printing or giving to the client
3
delete these guides from slide master before printing or giving to the client
Cultivated Qualifications
 Teamwork
 Time management
 Able to “speak to the audience”
 Negotiation
 Capable of innovation and adaptation
 Organizational and leadership skills
 Interpersonal and soft skills
 Ambassadors for our profession
delete these guides from slide master before printing or giving to the client
4
delete these guides from slide master before printing or giving to the client
Qualifications with Maturity
 Enjoy sharing learning with others
 Serve as a mentor to junior statisticians
 Mix soft and technical skills to achieve maximum
effectiveness
 Appreciate all “branches” of statistics
 Give praise where praise is due.
 Feel comfortable speaking up
 Contribute to strategic decisions
 Talk a bit, but say a lot
 Repeat important ideas, from various angles
delete these guides from slide master before printing or giving to the client
5
delete these guides from slide master before printing or giving to the client
Academic Education Focus
 Provide students with the basic technical and
computing skills.
 Teach students a way to analyze and solve problems
that could help them throughout their career.
 Show students how statistical thinking could be
applied to assess many quantitative decisions.
 Serve as a mentor and role model to students in all
aspects of their needs.
 Motivate students with the value of statistics.
 Demonstrate professional etiquettes.
delete these guides from slide master before printing or giving to the client
6
delete these guides from slide master before printing or giving to the client
On-Job Professional Development
 It will be mostly self-driven and self-directed, with
support and guidance from management
 Keep long-term goals in sight even when experiencing
short-term diversions.
 Take advantage of learning opportunities
 Organized learning on process, SOPs, regulations etc
 Technical and soft skills training
 Advice from experienced statisticians, role models and
mentors, and external consultants
Maintain a Passion for Statistics.
delete these guides from slide master before printing or giving to the client
7