Twenty-eight undergraduate students from across the United States and the globe arrived at the Yale School of Public Health in mid-June with stories to tell about themselves. They had some foundations in data science, they said, but wanted to improve their knowledge and learn more. They were particularly curious about how their coding skills can improve human health. Some wanted to be physicians, many wanted to be statisticians or data scientists. Most wanted to explore options for their future.
While they came away from Big Data Summer Immersion at Yale (BDSY) with more confidence in their data science skills, they learned something more—how to think and talk about science and the science of data.
For Abhroneel Ghosh, who came all the way from Indian Statistical Institute, that means having a new understanding about how statistics can be used to solve health challenges and make a difference in the world. Anthony Zhao from Duke University, who is planning to apply to medical school, became interested in how patient data can be collected and applied to public health research.
Isabelle Summe from the University of Chicago, who wants to work in cancer research, saw public health more clearly. “Public health has more doors open to making real change in peoples' lives,” she said. So did Tony Bolea, a Yale College student who was introduced to the concept of data equity. “I didn’t realize that data inequality can lead to inequitable outcomes,” he said.
"The students learned to see the world of science more broadly, and to tell stories about it,” said Dr. Bhramar Mukherjee, PhD, senior associate dean of public health, data science, and data equity. “Through hands-on training, mentorship, and collaboration, these future leaders explored how big data can contribute to human flourishing,” said Mukherjee, who launched BDSY at YSPH this summer after leading a similar program at the University of Michigan for 10 years. She is also the Anna M.R. Lauder Professor of Biostatistics, professor of epidemiology (chronic diseases) and of statistics and data science. BDSY’s co-directors were Dr. Fan Li, PhD, associate professor of biostatistics and of medicine (cardiovascular medicine), and Dr. Terika McCall, MPH, MBA, PhD, assistant professor of biostatistics (health informatics).
The BDSY students revised their stories they arrived with after hearing YSPH faculty tell theirs. Dr. McCall described in her “journey lecture” how a slowing economy in 2010 led her to move to North Caroline for a research position, where she would end up pursuing an MBA and PhD to acquire valuable project management and health informatics expertise. Dr. Harsh Parikh, PhD, who talked about how statistics can identify underrepresented populations in opioid treatment trials, left an applied scientist position at Amazon to focus on public health. And Dr. Albert Ko, MD, Raj and Indra Nooyi Professor of Public Health, talked about the twists and turns of his own career, from chemical engineering to medicine.
Student Jamie Pelayo from UCLA was inspired by Dr. Ko’s journey. “I had thought it was too late for me to pivot,” said Jamie, whose story from an early age was that he would become a physician. He’s still likely to pursue medicine but is open to other storylines as well.
“Academic trajectories and paths are never proscribed," said Ko, who is professor of epidemiology (microbial diseases) and of medicine (infectious diseases)."These journey lectures do not serve to tell students and colleagues what needs to be done but rather they serve as examples of how scientists channel their inner motivations and aspirations into asking questions and doing science.”