Markus Dumke - Data Science Consultant at STAT-UP

Markus studied statistics at the LMU in Munich and started working for STAT-UP directly afterwards. Today he works as a Data Science Consultant.

What does your day-to-day work consist of?

Mostly I program in #R or #Python. #DataEngineering and #DataAnalysis are part of my everyday life.?As a member of the IT team, I am also responsible for setting up accounts for new employees and helping colleagues with IT problems.?I regularly have meetings with customers to clarify requirements, present results, and exchange ideas with #DataScience colleagues. And, because I like board games, I always look forward to the game nights at STAT-UP, which I help organize.

What projects are you currently working on at STAT-UP?

The project "Cystic Fibrosis Benchmarking and Registry Evaluations" is about analyzing data from the German cystic fibrosis patient registry to compare data between different treatment centers. I am responsible for the statistical analysis of the data, including #datapreparation, #visualization and #modeling. I regularly present the results to the medical directors of the clinics.?We use SQL to retrieve the data from the database and R for data analysis, #markdown reports, and #ggplot visualization features.

Figure 1: Chronic lung infections in cystic fibrosis patients with microbiological examination 2020. (Source: Mukoviszidose e.V. – Bundesverband Cystische Fibrose (CF) – Gemeinnütziger Verein https://www.muko.info/fileadmin/user_upload/angebote/qualitaetsmanagement/register/berichtsbaende/Berichtsband_2020.pdf)

Typical methods I use are hypothesis testing, linear mixed models (#LMM), and survival models (e.g., Kaplan-Meier, Cox regression), as well as #quantileregression and #GAM.

What are the challenges and interesting aspects of the project?

Cystic fibrosis is a severe, hereditary, incurable metabolic disease. Researchers are working hard on new therapies, and we want to find out which ones work best in "real life" for which patients. So, the most interesting question is "How do you measure and evaluate the impact of changes in treatment?"?To do that, we need to consider the complete context, because some centers treat particularly severe cases, for example, after a transplant, while others treat only children, etc. So, if we want to find out how well or successful a center is, we need to understand and consider its specifics in detail.

The two biggest challenges were bringing together the different concepts and approaches developed by team members, as well as the relatively short time frame in which the project had to be completed. This only works with open communication and a weekly meeting, where we discuss progress and adjust next steps in an agile manner. Our "one for all, all for one" teamwork is key to the project's success.

What makes STAT-UP special?

I like the varied work environment, both in terms of team members and projects. This gives me insights into different cultures and interesting conversations during my lunch break and I can benefit from the different skills of my colleagues. Since statistics is a universal discipline, STAT-UP's projects are not limited to a specific industry, which in turn gives us the opportunity to gain insights into many different areas of business. I also appreciate the encouraging atmosphere at STAT-UP. It promotes my personal and professional development because everyone gets the chance to take responsibility and learn new things.