Catey Bunce, Medical Section committee member and Statistical Ambassador
Catey Bunce is an applied medical statistician working at the NHS.
What is your volunteer role at the RSS?
I am a committee member of the Medical Section and a Statistical Ambassador.
What does the role involve?
The Medical Section committee meets three or four times a year. When I first joined the RSS I was able to attend meetings in person at Errol Street but videoconferencing was available for committee members based further away. More recently, our meetings have been virtual for obvious reasons.
The aim of our section is to develop and support issues of importance in medical and healthcare statistics. We do this by organising high quality meetings and organising and encouraging members to contribute sessions at the RSS annual conference.
As Ambassador for the RSS, I help the public understand statistical issues. This may mean speaking to a reporter in relation to a query they have when writing an article or contributing to a document produced by the RSS for the public such as the one recently produced assisting people understand the Covid pandemic.
Why did you choose this role?
I want to play a part in making the world better in some way. I have chosen medical statistics because I want to try to answer questions in healthcare and medicine. The medical section focuses on issues of importance and being part of the committee allows me to raise awareness of issues that I encounter. As an ambassador for the RSS I am trying to champion the message that better data = better research = better healthcare.
Has the experience been valuable for your professional development?
This experience has been very valuable to my professional development. I have met statisticians working in areas outside of medicine and those working in my area but with far more experience and expertise. As an Ambassador I received training that has helped me to better communicate statistical concepts to those without formal statistical training.
What have you enjoyed most about volunteering with the RSS?
The people that I have met.
What advice would you give to anyone interested in volunteering with the RSS?
I would give it a go as I am sure you will find the experience valuable and enjoyable.