UBJ — Whether you’re looking for that perfect job, trying to make the most of your current job, or building a business all on your own, you must redirect some of your energy to develop your career. Most of us get quickly excited at first, ready to take on the world, but that feeling can be challenging to sustain over time. Successful entrepreneurs will attest to how they seek inspiration from different sources to rejuvenate themselves- to feel alive, mostly during tough times. This theme defines the career journey of Dr. Eun Um.

Dr. Um is the President and CEO of AMSTAT Consulting, a company that provides statistical and biostatistical consulting, academic consulting, biometrics services, qualitative analysis, data management, and analytics services. The business helps its clients to improve the nature and outcome of their research endeavors. For this to be actualized, Dr. Um ensures that all services are tuned to the needs of its customers. She has been a statistical consultant for more than 17 years, and throughout this period, she has experienced several success stories and obstacles that have redefined her career.

Dr. Um says that we can all dream about things we would like to achieve, but everything will remain a dream unless we take action. While growing up, Dr. Um wanted to become a professor, an ambition she realized early on after getting a doctorate from Columbia University and master’s degrees from Stanford and Columbia Universities. She worked as a professor at the University of Texas. In addition, she designed and managed clinical trials at the Harvard Medical School. Her efforts were soon recognized, and she was appointed to serve on the U.S. EPA’s Human Studies Review Board. During her spell as a professor, she perfected her knowledge and skills in data analysis and statistical matters.

An aspect that has characterized Dr. Um’s commendable career is her consistency in building a reliable, professional network. She has previously worked with Dr. Rebecca D. Minehart, a Harvard Medical School professor and a Massachusetts General Hospital director. Through this engagement, she managed to liaise with other people who gave her a reason to venture into the business realm. Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, alumni of Stanford University, also inspired her to start her consultancy firm. The success of these people gave her a reason to develop her self-confidence- to do the things she feared the most and get a record of successful experiences behind her. AMSTAT Consulting was started with the vision of making a difference in the community and many other business industries- to ensure research is used to impact individuals’ lives positively. Dr. Um’s confidence comes from clients’ satisfaction and high-quality services. Her journey to become a data analyst and statistics professional is still ongoing as she has a lot to learn.