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PSI Conference 2023: Learning from mistakes

14 June 2023

Sue McKendrick, Mary Oldham, Emma Jones

Experience is the name we give to our mistakes” (Oscar Wilde). Every child falls over before they learn to walk and yet in the workplace there remains fear of making an error. As statisticians, we all understand that even the most stringent processes have a failure rate, but despite this, we often demand perfection from ourselves. Mistakes can range from the trivial through to ones that cost a great deal in time and money. Experienced pharmaceutical statisticians will share some mistakes made and more importantly how to find solutions and share the lessons learnt.  Our careers grow from how we respond to problems and challenges. This growth is only possible if organisations create a culture where employees can openly share mistakes and raise concerns; good managers create a healthy environment for staff to thrive and develop, and understand that fear of failure and stress are barriers to progress.  This will be a light-hearted session, with a serious message, to dig deep and learn from mistakes old and new, from process to communication, and from objectives to drug submissions and approvals.   This session will be chaired by Emma Jones (Executive Vice President, Statistics Veramed) with presentations from Sue McKendrick, (Statistical Science Director, PPD) and Mary Oldham (Statistics Disease Area Head Immunology, GSK).

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