From student to staff to student
June 2022 – Tanner Euston C’19, G’23 keeps finding ways to continue his relationship with Drew University.
Shortly after graduating from Drew with a degree in neuroscience, Euston returned to campus—this time as an employee—to work as a lab manager in the biology department.
Euston discovered an interest in working with data within the healthcare and biomedical research fields, leading him to enroll in Drew’s Caspersen School of Graduate Studies Master of Science in Data Analytics program.
Read on to learn more about Euston’s continuing journey at Drew, his passion for data analytics, and his goal to land in the world of biostatistics.
Why Drew’s Caspersen School of Graduate Studies?
I loved every minute of my undergraduate and work experience on campus. From these experiences, I know first-hand now that the professors at Drew are both amazing teachers and also amazing co-workers! If I planned on attending graduate school, I knew it had to be here. So when I started working at Drew, I applied to the Master of Science in Data Analytics program part-time to take full advantage of being on campus all the time.
Why data analytics?
I knew from my prior work experience as a lab technician in a psychiatry lab immediately after college that I had an interest in working with data in a healthcare/biomedical research field. I even completed my undergraduate honors thesis focusing heavily on biostatistics and addiction. I love the field of data analytics because technology and programming is evolving at such a rapid pace that researchers, companies, governments, and nonprofits can fully leverage the data that is available to them. This rapid growth also requires me to adopt a ‘continuous learning mindset’ where I need to always learn more, and that’s exciting!
Tell us about your internship.
I currently have an internship as a data scientist at a non-profit health insurance company in New York City. I am building machine learning models to help predict the likelihood of adverse health events for insured members in order to better serve them as well as improve the insurance process for doctors, nurses, and hospitals.
What are your post-graduation goals?
After graduation, I would love to pursue a full-time job in biostatistics at a research hospital, pharmaceutical company, or biotech company. I still have a deep passion for biology and neuroscience, and the skills I have learned so far from Drew’s data analytics program will help me get there. No matter what, I have a much deeper love and understanding for data analytics thanks to this master’s program, and I would be happy in any position where I can work with data!
Update: We’re pleased to report that Euston’s goals have come to fruition—he has accepted a full-time data scientist position at Healthfirst. Way to go!
