Unlocking Growth: The Power of Coaching and Mentoring for Statisticians

In this episode, I talk with Ning Leng, Ph.D., Director II, Data and AI Acceleration Group, Data & Statistical Sciences at AbbVie, about the growing role of the R Consortium in the pharmaceutical industry. Ning brings extensive experience in statistics, computational genomics, open-source technology, and the adoption of R across the pharmaceutical industry. Before joining AbbVie, she spent 10 years at Roche Genentech, where she helped drive the adoption of R, cloud technologies, Git, and Shiny. We discuss how the R Consortium creates a platform for statisticians, programmers, pharmaceutical companies, and regulators to collaborate on practical challenges—and how that collaboration is changing the way we approach regulatory submissions.

Cancer treatments have changed dramatically over the past decade, but have our dose-finding strategies kept pace? In this episode, I speak with Dr. Ayon Mukherjee, who leads statistical innovation in early oncology development at Eli Lilly. Together, we explore Project Optimus, the FDA initiative that is changing how we think about dose optimization in oncology. Instead of simply finding the highest dose patients can tolerate, Project Optimus encourages us to identify the dose that provides the best balance between efficacy, safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and long-term tolerability. Ayon explains why the traditional maximum tolerated dose approach worked well for chemotherapy but often falls short for targeted therapies and immunotherapies. We also discuss how statisticians can help lead this transformation by designing better dose optimization studies and collaborating more effectively with clinicians, pharmacologists, and regulators.

In this insightful interview, Emma May and Alun Bedding explore the nuances of coaching and mentoring, sharing personal stories, frameworks, and practical tips to enhance professional growth. Discover how these powerful tools can transform statisticians' careers and foster leadership development.

External control arms are becoming increasingly important in drug development, but creating valid comparisons requires more than matching patient populations. In this episode, I speak with Ben Ackerman, Director of Real-World Biostatistics at GSK, about one of the most overlooked challenges in external control arm studies: endpoint bias. We discuss why differences in how outcomes are measured can influence study results, what researchers should consider when designing studies, and how the field is evolving to address these challenges. If you work with real-world evidence, causal inference, or innovative clinical trial designs, this episode offers valuable insights into improving the credibility and transparency of external control arm analyses.

This episode features three leading statistical methodology experts discussing the role, impact, and future of methodology groups in the pharmaceutical industry. They explore organizational structures, skill sets, AI integration, and strategies to accelerate adoption of innovative methods.

In this episode of The Effective Statistician, I speak with Andrew (Andy) York about the evolving world of programming validation, traceability, and quality assurance in clinical trials. Andy has decades of experience in statistical programming, leadership roles across pharma and CROs, and now works with AI-driven solutions focused on improving validation and traceability.

In this episode, Alun Bedding speaks with Richard Zink about how **applied improvisation** can help statisticians become more effective communicators and leaders. They explore how improv techniques—like “yes, and,” active listening, and embracing mistakes—build confidence, strengthen collaboration, and improve the way we explain complex ideas. This conversation shows that developing interpersonal skills doesn’t have to be theoretical or boring—it can be practical, interactive, and even fun. If you want to communicate your ideas more clearly, connect better with stakeholders, and grow beyond technical expertise, this episode is for you.

Episode Overview In this episode, I speak with Anna Mosikian, a physician by training and Global Clinical Program Lead working at the intersection of clinical development and strategic marketing. Anna brings a powerful perspective on how clinical data translates into real-world value—bridging evidence generation, regulatory expectations, and commercial impact. We dive into what clinical leaders truly expect from statisticians and how statisticians can move from technical contributors to strategic partners. We explore what “good collaboration” really looks like in practice, why understanding the purpose of a study is critical, and how statisticians can elevate their impact through communication, proactiveness, and cross-functional thinking.

Trust is one of the most fundamental elements of effective leadership—and yet, most organizations don’t measure it properly. In this episode, I speak again with my good friend Alun Bedding about how we can move from talking about trust to actually quantifying and improving it. We explore why trust is essential for collaboration, leadership, and performance, and what happens when it’s missing. We also dive into practical tools like the Leadership Trust Index, how to interpret trust as a lead measure, and how organizations can systematically improve trust over time. If you want to become a more effective leader and create real impact, this episode gives you both the mindset and the tools to do it.

In this episode, I sit down with Rachael Lawrance to dive into a topic that has become absolutely central to clinical research: patient-centered outcomes. When I first started as a statistician, I knew these measures existed—but I didn’t really understand how they were developed, analyzed, or used in decision-making. That has changed dramatically over the years. Today, patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and the broader framework of clinical outcome assessments (COAs) play a key role in regulatory approvals, payer decisions, and how we demonstrate treatment value. Rachael brings deep expertise from her work at Adelphi Values and shares how these endpoints are developed, validated, and applied in practice. We also discuss how statisticians can contribute more effectively by understanding the science behind these measures—not just treating them as “just another scale.”