Bumjun Park
- Program & Year: PhD, fourth year
- Interned with: Gates Ventures Alzheimer's Disease Data Initiative
Biostatistics PhD student Bumjun Park is passionate about using statistics to support people who are fighting to make this world a better place. This summer, he put that passion into practice through an internship at the Gates Ventures Alzheimer's Disease Data Initiative, a global coalition of academic, industry, government and nonprofit partners working to foster research collaboration and data sharing to advance diagnostics, treatments and cures for Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias (ADRD).
As an intern, Park reviewed datasets and dataset harmonization efforts and conducted statistical analyses using in-house biomarker, proteomics, and imaging datasets. His work focused on understanding sex differences among patients with ADRD, investigating the molecular basis behind different patterns and elevated risks of AD in women.
“I enjoyed getting involved with new challenges related to statistics and experiencing problem solving at the industry level,” said Park, who noted that one of the most valuable aspects of his internship was the opportunity to participate in research outside of an academic setting and collaborate with colleagues from a range of backgrounds.
Park also appreciated the opportunity to apply knowledge and skills developed through his PhD training to real-world research challenges.
“My academic consulting course experience helped me a lot with effectively communicating with non-statisticians when dealing with a statistical issue,” said Park. “And my various research assistant experiences helped me associate existing problems with various statistical solutions.”
