The RSS
Professional Affairs Committee (PAC) oversees all professional aspects of the Society's work. This includes conferring Graduate and Chartered Statistician status to qualified members, accrediting university courses as well as continuing professional development for statisticians. PAC also oversees the Society’s
Code of Conduct for RSS fellows.
We’d like to hear from any CStat members interested in helping to continue the important work of the PAC, which is currently rolling out the new Data Analyst grade of membership. The Committee consists of a chair and eight elected members, all of whom must be CStats. An election is held each year in which all professionally qualified members of the Society can participate.
It is an exciting time to be involved as we look for new ways to support all our professional members and
continue to roll out changes to help them professionalise. Here’s what current members of PAC say they’ve gained from it:
As a member of PAC I’ve discovered the astonishing variety of work that professional statisticians do, the very different routes they’ve taken to get there, as well as the new challenges and opportunities coming our way with the rise of data science. It has helped me enormously to think strategically about my everyday work, and it has been genuinely fun to work with a great bunch of colleagues.
John MacInnes FAcSS CStat, Emeritus Professor of Sociology and Statistics, University of Edinburgh
I enjoy being a member of PAC (since Feb 2019) as it brings together statisticians from industry and academia working together to ensure that the skills and benefits that statisticians bring to organisations and research is recognised and supported. I learn a lot from being part of a collaborative forum focussed on serving the current and future needs of our members and potential members.
Claire Bhogal CStat, R&D Director, Abbott Diabetes Care
I have worked as a statistician for 25 years – first in the pharma industry and now running my own small statistical consultancy firm. Being part of PAC is a key step in ensuring I stay up to date with what’s happening in the wider world of statistics, and focused on keeping CPD and accreditation at the forefront of everyone’s minds.
Gemma Hodgson CStat, Director, QI Statistics
PAC has enabled me to establish networks outside my usual civil service circles to understand how statistics are used in a wider context. I have also found it really helpful in managing and supporting early career statisticians, giving me a different perspective on their learning and development.
John Bates OBE CStat, Deputy director, PPE Analysis, Department of Health and Social Care
Please send expressions of interest to Ricky McGowan, email
r.mcgowan@rss.org.uk by the closing date of 28 May 2021.