MS in Biostatistics Selected Student Profiles

Hello!  My name is Allison Jervis and I am a first year student in Drexel’s MS Biostatistics program.  So far, I love it!  I graduated from the University of Delaware with a B.S. in Animal Science.  I was fascinated with statistics when volunteering on a research project at the Philadelphia Zoo.  It was an observational time-budgeting study of various monkey species.  I was enamored with all the data points we collected and how much information we could deduce from it.  There’s a huge amount of data out there and I want to be able to analyze it.  I chose Biostatistics at Drexel for a couple of reasons.  First, I wanted a Biostatistics program within a school of public health.   Also, I’ve always lived in the Philly suburbs and I figured it was about time I took on the city itself.  I attended an information session and got a great feel from the faculty, staff, and the current students.  I’m very happy with Drexel. Already I’ve learned skills and programs which I know I will use and apply for years.  I feel like the program is very closely tied to real world applications and that was a priority for me.  Specifically, I look forward to next year’s Data Analysis Project.

Hi there! My name is Andrew Ricchezza and I am a second year M.S. student in biostatistics. Originally from Philadelphia, I received a B.S. in Math from Temple University. My interest in biostatistics was sparked by the Summer Institute for Training in Biostatistics at North Carolina State University (a program I recommend checking out!). I was delighted to find that biostatistics is a growing field rooted in my expertise of mathematics and computer science. Witnessing a model that I worked on quantify the link between certain risk factors and serious medical events, such as death or heart attack, gave me a new appreciation for the power of mathematics. However, I was ultimately won over by the field’s worth to society. Both doctors and biostatisticians alike play an essential role in limiting the amount of suffering and death in the population. I chose Drexel because of its quality reputation among employers, small department size, and the experience-based learning provided by the second year practicum. After completing my Master’s degree, I intended to seek employment in the pharmaceutical industry to work on drug development.

Hi! My name is Wei Zhao and I am originally from City of Changsha, China. I received my BS in Pharmacy from China Pharmaceutical University. Currently I am a second year student in the MS in Biostatistics program at Drexel. I chose Drexel because becoming a Drexel student means you have a lot of time to practice in the real world. Also, I like classical music and the Philadelphia Orchestra is located just a few blocks away from the School of Public Health- I do not crunch numbers all day and night! I think that the program in Biostatistics is fascinating. Though you may have a lot of homework to do, you really get the knowledge you want. After I graduate, I am thinking of working in a pharmaceutical company and doing some sort of clinical trials.