CSEB-UW Career Info Session A SUMMARIZATION OF IMPORTANT INFORMATION, FOR UNDERGRADUATES INTERESTED IN CAREERS IN EPIDEMIOLOGY AND BIOSTATISTICS

INTRODUCTION TO CSEB-UW -CSEB-UW = Canadian Society for Epidemiology and Biostatistics – UWaterloo Chapter -Our mission is to promote the fields of epidemiology and biostatistics at UWaterloo. -Connect like minded undergraduates, graduates and professors to foster a discussion and raise interest in the field. -Officially recognised by UWaterloo FEDS and the Canadian Society for Epidemiology and Biostatistics (our parent group). -Our events focus on raising awareness on epidemiology/biostatistics, providing guidance on topics like internships and grad school and highlighting research done by UWaterloo students. -Those interested in learning more or joining us can contact us at… FACEBOOK – CSEB-UW ( ) TWITTER – SITE – csebuw.wordpress.com

THE EVENT & TABLE OF CONTENTS -First ever CSEB-UW event -Held on September 21, 2015 (1:30 – 2:30) in Sunlife auditorium at UWaterloo -Topics covered included… ◦Introductions to the fields ◦Grad school advice ◦Undergrad internship, COOP, volunteering advice ◦Soft skills needed for success in the fields -Speakers ◦Dr. Mark Oremus, Epidemiologist ◦Dr. Cecilia Cotton, Biostatician ◦Maryam Iraniparast, PhD Student SLIDE 1 – Title Page SLIDE 2 – Intro to CSEB-UW SLIDE 3 – The event & Table of Contents SLIDE 4 – Intro to epidemiology and biostatistics SLIDE 5 – Undergrad preparations SLIDE 6 – Approaching profs for research jobs SLIDE 7 – Letters of Recommendation SLIDE 8 – MPH vs. MSc. SLIDE 9 – Soft skills SLIDE 10 – Letters of Intents

INTRODUCTION TO EPIDEMIOLOGY AND BIOSTATISTICS EPIDEMIOLOGY -Studies patterns, causes and effects of health and disease in a population -Major element of public health -Etiology, transmission, outbreak investigation, disease surveillance and screening are all issues epidemiologists focus on -Not to be confused with dermatology (skin, nail and hair) BIOSTATISTICS -The application of statistics to a wide range of topics in biology -For example, medicine, pharmacy and agriculture -The collection, summarization and analysis of health data

What can undergraduates do to prepare themselves for a future in epi/biostat? -Gain familiarity and experience in statistics. -Consider learning some basic programming. -Research Experience (COOP, Summer Internships, Volunteering etc.). -Conduct and independent study project with a professor in your 4 th year. -Networking is important. -When volunteering for a faculty members… ◦Aim for long term jobs ◦Get involved as much as possible with the project ◦Ask for a letter of recommendation while your still volunteering for them -Consider taking courses in epidemiology ◦-HLTH442 – Chronic Disease Epidemiology held by Dr. Mark Oremus

How should I contact a professor to ask for research opportunities? -Professors receive multiple s requesting opportunities for COOP/internships/volunteering. ◦They ignore and delete the majority of them. -YOU NEED TO STAND OUT Do not… ◦Send generic s that fail to highlight your experience and their work/interests. ◦Mass professors. It shows a lack of interest in the work and they easily tell when you’ve done this. ◦Have typos, misspell their name, make grammar errors etc. ◦Re-summarise their online biography on to your and say that’s your interest. -Do… ◦Write custom s to a select number of professors whose work genuinely interests you. ◦Contact professors whom you already know and have experience in. ◦Highlight any experience that is directly useful to them and what they’re working on.

What do graduate schools look for in a letter of recommendation? -Not all letters of recommendation are created equal ◦What is included in them is crucial ◦Poor letters can hurt your chances of admission -Letters highlighting research experience are far more valuable to those that highlight academic and course experience. -Letters from professors whom you’ve only had class with are generic (often following the same format) and say little about your practical skills and interest. Should be avoided. -In order to get research experience… ◦Start early ◦Be genuine and develop and show an interest ◦Be consistent when working/volunteering (long-term not short-term)

What’s the difference between an MPH. and an MSc.? EPIDEMIOLOGY Master’s of Science ◦More theoretical ◦Better for research or academic careers ◦No COOP though Master’s in Public Health ◦More practical ◦For those who want to work in public health ◦Have a COOP component, gets your foot in the door with the government -Still possible to switch MSc. in government and MPH in academia. -PhDs are not needed for those aiming to work in public health BIOSTATISTICS Master’s of Public Health ◦Can be found in a few US universities ◦Not recommended ◦US public health is very different from Canada it may not be relevant to students who plan on working in Canada Master’s of Science ◦The majority of programs for biostatistics are MSc.

What are some soft skills needed to be successful working in epi/biostat? -Communication skills, verbal and oral, are important. -Public speaking and presentation skills are good to have. -The ability to manage your time and set your own goals is important, as your work and careers goals must be independent. -The ability to work on multiple projects at the same time. -These are not solitary jobs, be prepared to work in groups with a wide variety of people with different backgrounds and skill sets. -You must be able to work in multidisciplinary groups. ◦Teamwork, cooperation and communication are essential for this.

When applying to grad school, what should my letter of intent include? -In general go straight to the point. -Your first sentence should say that it is your career goal to be a epi/biostat and this grad program can help me achieve that. -Follow it up with explaining how XYZ has given you the experience to succeed in this program. -Make a genuine effort to show that you’re interested in the field and that this is something you’ve been planning for a long time coming. -Do not…. ◦Include an emotional/sob/childhood story (i.e. my grandma got sick when I was little and it inspired me to go into healthcare). ◦Say that you became interested in the field after taking some upper level course (seems last minute). ◦Submit a letter that comes across as passive or generic.