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When studying any kind of population — people or cells — averaging is a useful, if flawed, form of measurement. According to the US Census Bureau, the average American household size in 2010 was 2.59. Of course, there are no homes with exactly 2.59 people. By inspecting each house individually, one would see some homes occupied by a single individual, and others by large families. These extremes get lost when values are averaged over a population.

Listening to data isn’t easy. Massive amounts of data are often messy and complicated. But somewhere within the cacophony, information can harmonize and produce the sweet sound of discovery – if you have the right tools with which to hear it.

ӳý physician-scientist series

Rameen Beroukhim realized early in his medical training that he wanted to be an oncologist.

“In medical school, I had the opportunity to work with patients who had cancer,” he explains. “I was struck by how vibrant – and how essentially healthy – many of these patients were, despite the fact that they were contending with such a challenging disease.”

Imagine you’re visiting the Acropolis. You tour the ruins, taking snapshots as you go. Later, at home, you tell your family and friends about your visit and someone, noticing the building’s advanced deterioration, asks: well, how did it get that way? Now, say you knew nothing about the Acropolis, and could only rely on your photos and memory to describe the place. What would you say? Without the rich archeological history of the Acropolis, you’d be missing a huge part of the story.

Ben Neale photo

You could say it’s in his genes: when it comes to his professional proclivities, Ben Neale takes after his parents.

The trio share an interest in statistical analysis and behavioral research: Neale, an associated researcher at in the ӳý’s Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research and the ӳý’s Program in Medical and Population Genetics, is a statistical geneticist who studies neurological disorders such as autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and schizophrenia.