Watch the Video
Watch 5 Tips for Working with a Cancer Data Science Team (approx. 6 minutes long).
Test Your Knowledge
Which of these specialists does not work with data?
A. Bioinformaticians
B. Oncologists
C. Cancer Researchers
D. Statisticians
E. All of these specialists work with data
The correct answer is E. Each of these professionals is a vital member of the cancer data science team, contributing their unique skill sets to improve our understanding of how to prevent, detect, diagnose, and treat cancer.
The incorrect answers are:
A. Bioinformaticians help process, analyze, package, and visualize data.
B. Oncologists help generate and collect data. This includes gathering clinical data and monitoring patient outcomes from many sources, such as clinical trials, patient records, and treatment results. Oncologists not involved in research also use data analysis techniques to inform their diagnostic and treatment decisions.
C. Cancer researchers are essential members of the cancer data science team, helping to generate and collect data from a variety of studies.
D. Statisticians help design studies, analyze data, and visualize results. They apply statistical methods to interpret data trends and support evidence-based conclusions.
Related Materials
- Leadership for Cancer Informatics Research: Find out how you can create an environment for your informatics research team.
- Job Interview Questions for Cancer Data Scientists and How to Answer Them: Find out what questions you may receive if you are applying for a cancer data science position or what you may ask a potential data science collaborator in the hiring process.
- Hone Your Communication Skills: “Weird” Cancer and
Data Science Terms to Know: See how using the right word can help make collaborating easier. - Cancer Researchers: Do You ‘Speak
Data Science ’? Test Your Knowledge!: Test yourself to see if you’re collaborating with yourdata science colleagues in a way that’s most effective. - Value of Collaboration Among Multi-domain Experts in Analysis of High-throughput Genomics Data. Cancer Research, 2019. | Learn about fostering collaboration among multidisciplinary experts so you can create a comprehensive genomic “pipeline” from lab to patient.
Don't Stop Now
Continue your learning through these other NCI-funded resources.
- Informatics Technology for Cancer Research Training Network
- Do you work at NCI? Check out the Bioinformatics Training and Education Program website for classes, courses, events, and more.
Instructor
Subhashini Jagu, Ph.D., NCI Center for Biomedical Informatics and Information Technology (CBIIT)
Dr. Jagu is a scientific policy and program branch chief as well as supervisory health scientist administrator in the Office of Data Sharing. Her role encompasses the provision of scientific programmatic oversight and expertise, particularly in the realm of NCI data sharing initiatives, with a dedicated emphasis on the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative (CCDI). She takes the lead in formulating policies and guidelines pertaining to data depositions.
For questions and feedback about this chapter, email our team at ncicbiit@mail.nih.gov.