Alumni Reflections

Alumni panel participants at the 2017 Pipelines into Biostatistics Symposium

Read alumni reflections on the six-week Summer Program in Biostatistics and Computational Biology.

“Biostatisticians are of the upmost importance for the future of medicine and public health. The program is a great opportunity to be exposed to different types of research within the biostatistics field. You will have the chance to talk to faculty members about their work and the importance of it. Also, you will have the chance to talk to the current students about their experience and get to know the program. Moreover, the experience will help you determine if biostatistics is the right fit for you.” – Rolando Acosta


“An amazing summer of learning and interacting with many passionate Biostatisticians.  I know for a fact that Biostatistics is what I want to pursue after my undergraduate studies.” – Jeff Joseph


“I am a biostatistician because of this program. I think the program changed my way of thinking – to a more quantitative objective manner.” – Ronnie Sebro


“This program will change your life.  My knowledge and confidence grew exponentially, after being almost non-existent before the program. The Biostatistics Department faculty at Harvard welcomed us into the world of biostatistics with constant support and encouragement.” – Julia Thome


The 2017 cohort out and about

“Before entering the program, I was dead set on going for a Ph.D. in applied mathematics, and within two weeks of the program, I decided that I now wanted a Ph.D. in biostatistics instead. I was simply just amazed on the applications and potential that biostatistics had on our world, and thus, I cannot thank this program enough for introducing me to the joys of biostatistics.” – Tyler Vu


“This program provided me with living examples of minority public health researchers and practitioners that are making a difference in the world.” – Gary Yu


“The presentations were a big part of the program, with the professors and PIs from different departments. This was really neat as it showed me that these folks came from varying paths. The summer program gave me a taste of what research entailed, especially at a prestigious, high-output university. It also gave me a glimpse of how much work was ahead of me to become a researcher and a scientist, that only having an undergrad degree and a grad degree did not establish me as a researcher, but only started me on the path. I’m currently a biostatistician so it had a rather large impact.” – Steele Valenzuela