A STATISTICIAN’S LIFE
From left: Robert Starbuck,
Sastry Pantula, and Ji Zhang
during the Joint Statistical
Meetings in 2007
actually planted. That enumer-
Lambert/Parke-Davis to gain the Committee on Fellows; and,
ated data was used to train dis-
additional managerial responsibil- because I want students to see an
criminant analysis functions that
ity and experience. The decision industrial statistician and hear
were then applied to the satellite
to move was difficult because I about the positive effect statis-
data to assign a specific land usage
enjoyed working for Cummings ticians have in industry, giving
(e.g., water, trees, corn, soybeans)
and with my Burroughs Wellcome career-oriented talks at statistics
to each acre of land. While at the
colleagues. Also, my family and departments throughout the
USDA, I also taught courses in
I had many good friends in the United States. n
introductory statistics and intro-
Raleigh area. Realizing that my
ductory nonparametric statistics.
friends would continue to be
I enjoyed working at the
my friends, however, I decided
USDA, but wanted to own a
to move to Ann Arbor.
house in which to raise my family.
Two years later, I saw Bruce
Due to the high cost of housing
Schneider at a meeting at the
in the DC area, I could only have
FDA and he mentioned a job
afforded a house a long distance
opening in his department at
from work, so I began exploring
Wyeth. He asked me to come to
other employment venues.
Wyeth to interview, which I did,
At an ASA meeting in Chicago,
and I was offered and accepted
I ran into Walt Cummings, who
the job. I spent the next 21 years
was looking to fill a position in
there and headed a variety of
his group at Burroughs Wellcome
departments, including biosta-
Company, a pharmaceutical firm
tistics, clinical data management,
in Research Triangle Park. I
clinical programming, and the
interviewed for the position and
US-based field monitors.
was offered the job, so moved
Throughout my profes-
to the Raleigh area. I worked at
sional career, I have been active
Burroughs Wellcome for nearly
in professional societies, but
eight years, gaining experience
the ASA has been the society to
in being a supervisor, designing
which I have devoted most of
clinical trials, and analyzing and
my attention. Some of the roles
reporting clinical trial data.
I have played include chair-
I then moved to Warner-
ing the Biopharmaceutical
Lambert/Parke-Davis in Ann
Section, the Corporate Member
Arbor, Michigan, where I became
Representatives, SPAIG, the
the head of their biometrics
Deming Lectureship Committee,
department and provided statis-
and the Special Interest Group on
tical support for preclinical and
Volunteerism; serving on several
clinical trials. I went to Warner-
ASA president’s task forces and
SEPTEMbER 2009 AMSTAT NEwS 53
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