July 27, 2022
The work of statisticians can make a huge difference in the lives of others. For Dionne Price, a mathematical statistician for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), statistics can directly impact the public health and safety of individuals throughout the nation.
As the Deputy Director of the Office of Biostatistics, Office of Translational Sciences, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research for the FDA, Dionne contributes to common drug regulation and development practices through her statistical research findings. Dionne was also recently elected to serve as President of the American Statistical Association (ASA) starting in 2023.
We met with Dionne to discuss her day-to-day life as a statistician and learn about what has helped her develop a thriving career.
What would surprise people about being a statistician in the federal government?
One thing that would surprise people about being a statistician in the federal government is simply the diversity of the statistical issues that we see each and every day. No one day is like the next day.
What is your inspiration?
What inspires me is being able to use statistics to make a difference in the lives of others.
What is your favorite data visualization?
I am partial to interactive data visualizations, which allow people to drill down into the data to gain insights.
If you were a random variable, what distribution would you be?
If I were a random variable, I would be the awesome curve. And that’s simply a normal or a bell-shaped curve where statisticians, including myself, are at the far end of the curve. So, we’re extra awesome!
How has mentoring impacted your career?
Mentoring has greatly impacted my career. It has been instrumental in my development as a statistician at every stage of my career. I’ve been mentored, and now I’m a mentor as well. So, I am paying it forward.
See the full video with Dionne here!
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