Dr Sze-Ee Soh
Dr Sze-Ee Soh
Master of Biostatistics
The course gave me really solid foundational skills in algebra and equations which supported my understanding of analytical techniques. It’s improved my ability to critique research, develop robust research projects with sound methodology and statistical analysis plans, and given me confidence when I teach students in the Monash Doctor of Physiotherapy course, which I now oversee.
Sze-Ee Soh was a physiotherapist with almost a decade of clinical experience under her belt when she first dipped a toe in academic waters. She completed her PhD, which focused on the health-related quality of life of people with Parkinson’s disease. The PhD gave Sze-Ee her first real exposure to statistics, but given the subject matter of her PhD, pursuing her burgeoning interest in statistics wasn’t an option at the time.
Fast forward five years after graduation, and Sze-Ee was gradually transitioning from a full-time clinical workload to conducting psychometric analyses and other research tasks with the School’s Health Services Research team. It was during this time she was introduced to our Head of Biostatistics, Professor Andrew Forbes, after expressing an interest in the topic.
Sze-Ee says, “I was fairly confident in using statistical software packages to perform a specific set of functions, and I had enough understanding to hesitantly critique journal articles, but I really wanted to understand the mechanics underpinning complex statistics. This was in part driven by personal interest, but I was also starting to teach, and I wanted to confidently and clearly explain statistical analyses to my students.”
She began considering doing a Master of Biostatistics with our School.
“Andrew gave me some algebraic equations to solve, and I was able to reach back to high school in my mind, and with some thought I reasoned my way through them. I don’t think of myself as an especially numerate person, but I remember doing quite well at probability at School, and I have enough affinity with numbers, and patience, to work things through. Andrew was both encouraging but honest about the course with me, which I look back on now and think was just invaluable.”
The School’s Master of Biostatistics is taught in a unique collaboration with the Biostatical Collaboration of Australia, giving students access to some of the brightest lecturers in the field across the country, and creating a network of students to support one another in what is a relatively small field. It’s a challenging course, but one that opens doors to an in-demand career with diverse and well-remunerated employment opportunities.
Sze-Ee undertook the coursework part-time, balancing it with her full-time workload. In 2022 she graduated, walking away with the School’s annual Student Excellence Award for the course.
“The course gave me really solid foundational skills in algebra and equations which supported my understanding of analytical techniques. It’s improved my ability to critique research, develop robust research projects with sound methodology and statistical analysis plans, and given me confidence when I teach students in the Monash Doctor of Physiotherapy course, which I now oversee.
“The flexibility shown by the unit coordinators was greatly appreciated. The online tutorials and drop-in sessions were really engaging, and they have developed a really useful resource library for students.
“I’m currently at a crossroads. I love physiotherapy, but this course has also opened up a whole new specialty area to me, which can be applied to pretty much any clinical area you can imagine. It’s an exciting possibility.
“To people considering delving into biostatistics further, I would say you need to be really interested in it, and visualise how it applies to your work. But if you do, it’s incredibly rewarding, and opens a lot of doors.”