Making a contribution to public health. My doctorate and post-doctoral experiences at Harvard and at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute had taken me on a path toward academia, but I was intrigued by the chance to work on clinical trials. When I interviewed here, I learned that I could work on a cancer study that compared the outcomes of a lumpectomy with radiation to a full mastectomy. My mother had faced those options, and I wanted to be part of this research, particularly when the need to trust that data hit so close to home.

I focus on the quality of our research. When I meet with prospective hires, I tell them what Emmes has given me: personal and professional growth.

I’d say I’m a bit of a science nerd. I love to read science fiction and play computer games. My husband and I also enjoy supporting our youngest son’s interest in music, so we go on road trips to listen to his band.

The people: both the quality and the mentorships. From the time I arrived, our leaders were available to me, accessible and took a personal interest in the growth of my career.

I was one of the first recipients of the Gertrude M. Cox Scholarship while I was in the doctorate program. At Emmes, one study I worked on ultimately led to a Herpes vaccine, and the results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Before joining Emmes, I spent five years at Harvard, working toward my Ph.D. and completing a post-doctoral fellowship. Prior to that, I’d worked as a research assistant and a mathematical statistician. When I started here in 1994 as a senior investigator, I focused on the analysis of observational epidemiological studies and multi-center clinical trials. I’ve been able to assume a variety of different roles, both here and outside the company. For example, I’m now chairing the advisory board for the George Mason University department of statistics. One of the best experiences I’ve had at Emmes relates to vaccine research, and the client recognized our contribution to pandemic research with plaques for our entire team. That really demonstrated the value of collaboration.

Sc.D., biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health
M.S., statistics, University of Wisconsin
B.A., statistics, Princeton University