Shuran Yao worked for three years as a credentialed health actuary in Singapore when she decided she wanted to be more proficient in statistical techniques. Now a second-year student in the Master of Science program in Biostatistics, she has supplemented her course work with an array of projects that have furthered her exposure and expertise, including work with the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication as a social data scientist and with Professor Henry Dove on health claims data analytics. In addition, Shuran has contributed to her first publication with Professor Robert Makuch. That work focuses on issues and recommendations for multi-regional clinical trials. As a summer intern with McKinsey & Company, she developed algorithms for segmenting the population of the United States in geographic and demographic groups that can be used as a basis for client models in addition to contributing to client projects. She plans to return to health actuarial consulting upon completion of her degree.
Shuran has been a core member on Table Tennis Team at Yale. She enjoys the weekly practices with teammates as well as the seasonal tournaments with other schools. The team just missed a slot in the National College Table Tennis Championship last spring, but Shuran is confident they’ll make there this year.