Statistics and the Drug Development Process

Abstract: A strong background in mathematics, further training in statistics and an interest in applying your knowledge to the health field is a perfect combination for a career in biostatistics. In this talk we will discuss the necessary steps to achieve this goal, and the opportunities that arise for a biostatistician in a research hospital setting. I will discuss how statistical training is a valuable tool for collaboration in exciting medical research, and provide examples based on current medical studies.

Biographical sketch: Tonya Sharp King is an assistant professor of biostatistics at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine at the Hershey Medical Center. She received her bachelor's degree in mathematics with a minor in statistics from Messiah College in 1992. She then worked in biostatistics for one year in the College of Medicine before going to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for graduate school. She received her master's degree in biostatistics in 1995 and her PhD in biostatistics from Chapel Hill in 1999. Aside from her research and collaboration in biostatistics, she enjoys traveling, gardening and sports.