CS4a: Panel: The Biostatistics Garden: Growing Careers, Cultivating Community, and Leading with Impact

Subtitle: Lessons in Mentorship, Career Advancement & Navigating Challenges.

Growing your career can be compared to tending a garden. Sometimes the seeds that are planted don't sprout (a change in path) and sometimes seeds we forget planting (an unexpected introduction) end up leading to new and exciting opportunities.

Whether or not you have a green thumb, there are some essential lessons for growing a career in statistics and data science. Our panelists have each cultivated a robust community and navigated the structures within and outside of their organizations (whether academic institutions, industry, or government organizations) to bring value and build inclusive structures for shared success.

In this session, we will discuss the frameworks and competencies that helped our panelists along their career journey. Each panelist has also dedicated significant time to mentorship and contributing to the larger statistics community. We will discuss their approaches to mentoring and advice for best practices as both a mentor and mentee.

We aim to share actionable advice for mid-career professionals looking to grow their influence and lead with integrity. Come for a candid conversation with 4 amazing people and stay to have time to ask your own questions!

Session format: Discussant + 4 panelists

Dr. Ana M. Ortega-Villa, Mathematical Statistician, Biostatistics Research Branch
Dr. Emma K. T. Benn, Associate Professor, Founding Director, Center for Scientific Diversity, Center for Biostatistics & Department of Population Health Science and Policy, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Karin Sather Niemeyer, Biostatistics Manager, Natera
Dr. Reneé Moore, Research Professor; Director of the Biostatistics Scientific Collaboration Center (BSC); and Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging at Drexel Drexel University, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Career advancement

Cultivating a robust community

Inclusive excellence

Mentorship

Integrity in leadership

Navigating challenging situations 

Mid-Level

Influence

Women in Statistics and Data Science 2025