Who is this event intended for? This event is intended for people who create data visualizations as well as customers who work with data visualization developers to make their data come to life.
What is the benefit of attending? This is a fun event where the audience will participate and become part of an experiment using polls and quick exposure to images (~250 milliseconds) to validate some of the principles taught in this course. This event will benefit data visualization developers and customers by teaching them how to leverage gestalt principles and pre-attentive processing in selecting aesthetics to maximize the effectiveness of their data visualizations.
Registration
You can now register for this event. This event is free of charge to both Members and Non-Members of PSI.
To register for the session, please click here.
Overview
The visual cortex can recognize certain “targets” and “borders”, based on variations in visual cues such as shape and color, within 250 milliseconds; this is called pre-attentive processing. This is faster than it takes to become conscious of the image. When combining visual cues, conjunctive visual cues, the pre-attentive qualities are generally lost. We will illustrate these concepts through an empirical experiment with the audience. The audience will be expected to participate and identify targets and borders within 250 milliseconds. We will cover what types of visual cues are conducive to pre-attentive processing and how to incorporate these concepts in your data visualizations. Similarly, the study of gestalt principles from psychology, seeing meaning in a purposeful arrangement of design elements, can be leveraged for effective data visualizations. We will also discuss the hierarchies of perception and how this applies to data visualization.
Speaker details
Zachary Skrivanek
Dr. Skrivanek graduated with a Ph.D. in biostatistics from Ohio State University and a B.S. from Cornell University, where he studied exploratory data analysis under Professor Velleman, a protégé of John W. Tukey, who invented a number of statistical graphics including the box plot. He joined Eli Lilly in 2002 where he contributed to the development of endocrine-related medicines and related biomarkers in early clinical phase drug development. He later transitioned to a product team in late phase clinical development as the lead statistician and developed and successfully implemented an innovative Bayesian adaptive, seamless phase 2/3 study which selected the doses for the entire program utilizing a clinical utility index. Dr. Skrivanek heavily leveraged data visualization to communicate the operating characteristics of the design as well as the results of the study.
He is currently leading an effort to make visual analytics and good data visualization practices in general an integral part of drug development at Eli Lilly and the industry in general. He is involved in a number of external collaborations focused on advancing drug development through visual analytics including co-leading a subproject in PHUSE, on “Interactive Data Visualizations for Decision Making in Submissions”, and contributing to an ASA-DIA working group on interactive safety graphics and an organizing member on a PSI (Statistics in the Pharmaceutical Industry) Special Interest Group (SIG) which hosts a monthly event, “Wonderful Wednesdays” where members are given data visualization challenges that they must solve for the following month and the solutions are critiqued by the panel based on good data visualization principles.
Who is this event intended for? This event is intended for people who create data visualizations as well as customers who work with data visualization developers to make their data come to life.
What is the benefit of attending? This is a fun event where the audience will participate and become part of an experiment using polls and quick exposure to images (~250 milliseconds) to validate some of the principles taught in this course. This event will benefit data visualization developers and customers by teaching them how to leverage gestalt principles and pre-attentive processing in selecting aesthetics to maximize the effectiveness of their data visualizations.
Registration
You can now register for this event. This event is free of charge to both Members and Non-Members of PSI.
To register for the session, please click here.
Overview
The visual cortex can recognize certain “targets” and “borders”, based on variations in visual cues such as shape and color, within 250 milliseconds; this is called pre-attentive processing. This is faster than it takes to become conscious of the image. When combining visual cues, conjunctive visual cues, the pre-attentive qualities are generally lost. We will illustrate these concepts through an empirical experiment with the audience. The audience will be expected to participate and identify targets and borders within 250 milliseconds. We will cover what types of visual cues are conducive to pre-attentive processing and how to incorporate these concepts in your data visualizations. Similarly, the study of gestalt principles from psychology, seeing meaning in a purposeful arrangement of design elements, can be leveraged for effective data visualizations. We will also discuss the hierarchies of perception and how this applies to data visualization.
Speaker details
Zachary Skrivanek
Dr. Skrivanek graduated with a Ph.D. in biostatistics from Ohio State University and a B.S. from Cornell University, where he studied exploratory data analysis under Professor Velleman, a protégé of John W. Tukey, who invented a number of statistical graphics including the box plot. He joined Eli Lilly in 2002 where he contributed to the development of endocrine-related medicines and related biomarkers in early clinical phase drug development. He later transitioned to a product team in late phase clinical development as the lead statistician and developed and successfully implemented an innovative Bayesian adaptive, seamless phase 2/3 study which selected the doses for the entire program utilizing a clinical utility index. Dr. Skrivanek heavily leveraged data visualization to communicate the operating characteristics of the design as well as the results of the study.
He is currently leading an effort to make visual analytics and good data visualization practices in general an integral part of drug development at Eli Lilly and the industry in general. He is involved in a number of external collaborations focused on advancing drug development through visual analytics including co-leading a subproject in PHUSE, on “Interactive Data Visualizations for Decision Making in Submissions”, and contributing to an ASA-DIA working group on interactive safety graphics and an organizing member on a PSI (Statistics in the Pharmaceutical Industry) Special Interest Group (SIG) which hosts a monthly event, “Wonderful Wednesdays” where members are given data visualization challenges that they must solve for the following month and the solutions are critiqued by the panel based on good data visualization principles.
Who is this event intended for? This event is intended for people who create data visualizations as well as customers who work with data visualization developers to make their data come to life.
What is the benefit of attending? This is a fun event where the audience will participate and become part of an experiment using polls and quick exposure to images (~250 milliseconds) to validate some of the principles taught in this course. This event will benefit data visualization developers and customers by teaching them how to leverage gestalt principles and pre-attentive processing in selecting aesthetics to maximize the effectiveness of their data visualizations.
Registration
You can now register for this event. This event is free of charge to both Members and Non-Members of PSI.
To register for the session, please click here.
Overview
The visual cortex can recognize certain “targets” and “borders”, based on variations in visual cues such as shape and color, within 250 milliseconds; this is called pre-attentive processing. This is faster than it takes to become conscious of the image. When combining visual cues, conjunctive visual cues, the pre-attentive qualities are generally lost. We will illustrate these concepts through an empirical experiment with the audience. The audience will be expected to participate and identify targets and borders within 250 milliseconds. We will cover what types of visual cues are conducive to pre-attentive processing and how to incorporate these concepts in your data visualizations. Similarly, the study of gestalt principles from psychology, seeing meaning in a purposeful arrangement of design elements, can be leveraged for effective data visualizations. We will also discuss the hierarchies of perception and how this applies to data visualization.
Speaker details
Zachary Skrivanek
Dr. Skrivanek graduated with a Ph.D. in biostatistics from Ohio State University and a B.S. from Cornell University, where he studied exploratory data analysis under Professor Velleman, a protégé of John W. Tukey, who invented a number of statistical graphics including the box plot. He joined Eli Lilly in 2002 where he contributed to the development of endocrine-related medicines and related biomarkers in early clinical phase drug development. He later transitioned to a product team in late phase clinical development as the lead statistician and developed and successfully implemented an innovative Bayesian adaptive, seamless phase 2/3 study which selected the doses for the entire program utilizing a clinical utility index. Dr. Skrivanek heavily leveraged data visualization to communicate the operating characteristics of the design as well as the results of the study.
He is currently leading an effort to make visual analytics and good data visualization practices in general an integral part of drug development at Eli Lilly and the industry in general. He is involved in a number of external collaborations focused on advancing drug development through visual analytics including co-leading a subproject in PHUSE, on “Interactive Data Visualizations for Decision Making in Submissions”, and contributing to an ASA-DIA working group on interactive safety graphics and an organizing member on a PSI (Statistics in the Pharmaceutical Industry) Special Interest Group (SIG) which hosts a monthly event, “Wonderful Wednesdays” where members are given data visualization challenges that they must solve for the following month and the solutions are critiqued by the panel based on good data visualization principles.
Who is this event intended for? This event is intended for people who create data visualizations as well as customers who work with data visualization developers to make their data come to life.
What is the benefit of attending? This is a fun event where the audience will participate and become part of an experiment using polls and quick exposure to images (~250 milliseconds) to validate some of the principles taught in this course. This event will benefit data visualization developers and customers by teaching them how to leverage gestalt principles and pre-attentive processing in selecting aesthetics to maximize the effectiveness of their data visualizations.
Registration
You can now register for this event. This event is free of charge to both Members and Non-Members of PSI.
To register for the session, please click here.
Overview
The visual cortex can recognize certain “targets” and “borders”, based on variations in visual cues such as shape and color, within 250 milliseconds; this is called pre-attentive processing. This is faster than it takes to become conscious of the image. When combining visual cues, conjunctive visual cues, the pre-attentive qualities are generally lost. We will illustrate these concepts through an empirical experiment with the audience. The audience will be expected to participate and identify targets and borders within 250 milliseconds. We will cover what types of visual cues are conducive to pre-attentive processing and how to incorporate these concepts in your data visualizations. Similarly, the study of gestalt principles from psychology, seeing meaning in a purposeful arrangement of design elements, can be leveraged for effective data visualizations. We will also discuss the hierarchies of perception and how this applies to data visualization.
Speaker details
Zachary Skrivanek
Dr. Skrivanek graduated with a Ph.D. in biostatistics from Ohio State University and a B.S. from Cornell University, where he studied exploratory data analysis under Professor Velleman, a protégé of John W. Tukey, who invented a number of statistical graphics including the box plot. He joined Eli Lilly in 2002 where he contributed to the development of endocrine-related medicines and related biomarkers in early clinical phase drug development. He later transitioned to a product team in late phase clinical development as the lead statistician and developed and successfully implemented an innovative Bayesian adaptive, seamless phase 2/3 study which selected the doses for the entire program utilizing a clinical utility index. Dr. Skrivanek heavily leveraged data visualization to communicate the operating characteristics of the design as well as the results of the study.
He is currently leading an effort to make visual analytics and good data visualization practices in general an integral part of drug development at Eli Lilly and the industry in general. He is involved in a number of external collaborations focused on advancing drug development through visual analytics including co-leading a subproject in PHUSE, on “Interactive Data Visualizations for Decision Making in Submissions”, and contributing to an ASA-DIA working group on interactive safety graphics and an organizing member on a PSI (Statistics in the Pharmaceutical Industry) Special Interest Group (SIG) which hosts a monthly event, “Wonderful Wednesdays” where members are given data visualization challenges that they must solve for the following month and the solutions are critiqued by the panel based on good data visualization principles.
Who is this event intended for? This event is intended for people who create data visualizations as well as customers who work with data visualization developers to make their data come to life.
What is the benefit of attending? This is a fun event where the audience will participate and become part of an experiment using polls and quick exposure to images (~250 milliseconds) to validate some of the principles taught in this course. This event will benefit data visualization developers and customers by teaching them how to leverage gestalt principles and pre-attentive processing in selecting aesthetics to maximize the effectiveness of their data visualizations.
Registration
You can now register for this event. This event is free of charge to both Members and Non-Members of PSI.
To register for the session, please click here.
Overview
The visual cortex can recognize certain “targets” and “borders”, based on variations in visual cues such as shape and color, within 250 milliseconds; this is called pre-attentive processing. This is faster than it takes to become conscious of the image. When combining visual cues, conjunctive visual cues, the pre-attentive qualities are generally lost. We will illustrate these concepts through an empirical experiment with the audience. The audience will be expected to participate and identify targets and borders within 250 milliseconds. We will cover what types of visual cues are conducive to pre-attentive processing and how to incorporate these concepts in your data visualizations. Similarly, the study of gestalt principles from psychology, seeing meaning in a purposeful arrangement of design elements, can be leveraged for effective data visualizations. We will also discuss the hierarchies of perception and how this applies to data visualization.
Speaker details
Zachary Skrivanek
Dr. Skrivanek graduated with a Ph.D. in biostatistics from Ohio State University and a B.S. from Cornell University, where he studied exploratory data analysis under Professor Velleman, a protégé of John W. Tukey, who invented a number of statistical graphics including the box plot. He joined Eli Lilly in 2002 where he contributed to the development of endocrine-related medicines and related biomarkers in early clinical phase drug development. He later transitioned to a product team in late phase clinical development as the lead statistician and developed and successfully implemented an innovative Bayesian adaptive, seamless phase 2/3 study which selected the doses for the entire program utilizing a clinical utility index. Dr. Skrivanek heavily leveraged data visualization to communicate the operating characteristics of the design as well as the results of the study.
He is currently leading an effort to make visual analytics and good data visualization practices in general an integral part of drug development at Eli Lilly and the industry in general. He is involved in a number of external collaborations focused on advancing drug development through visual analytics including co-leading a subproject in PHUSE, on “Interactive Data Visualizations for Decision Making in Submissions”, and contributing to an ASA-DIA working group on interactive safety graphics and an organizing member on a PSI (Statistics in the Pharmaceutical Industry) Special Interest Group (SIG) which hosts a monthly event, “Wonderful Wednesdays” where members are given data visualization challenges that they must solve for the following month and the solutions are critiqued by the panel based on good data visualization principles.
Who is this event intended for? This event is intended for people who create data visualizations as well as customers who work with data visualization developers to make their data come to life.
What is the benefit of attending? This is a fun event where the audience will participate and become part of an experiment using polls and quick exposure to images (~250 milliseconds) to validate some of the principles taught in this course. This event will benefit data visualization developers and customers by teaching them how to leverage gestalt principles and pre-attentive processing in selecting aesthetics to maximize the effectiveness of their data visualizations.
Registration
You can now register for this event. This event is free of charge to both Members and Non-Members of PSI.
To register for the session, please click here.
Overview
The visual cortex can recognize certain “targets” and “borders”, based on variations in visual cues such as shape and color, within 250 milliseconds; this is called pre-attentive processing. This is faster than it takes to become conscious of the image. When combining visual cues, conjunctive visual cues, the pre-attentive qualities are generally lost. We will illustrate these concepts through an empirical experiment with the audience. The audience will be expected to participate and identify targets and borders within 250 milliseconds. We will cover what types of visual cues are conducive to pre-attentive processing and how to incorporate these concepts in your data visualizations. Similarly, the study of gestalt principles from psychology, seeing meaning in a purposeful arrangement of design elements, can be leveraged for effective data visualizations. We will also discuss the hierarchies of perception and how this applies to data visualization.
Speaker details
Zachary Skrivanek
Dr. Skrivanek graduated with a Ph.D. in biostatistics from Ohio State University and a B.S. from Cornell University, where he studied exploratory data analysis under Professor Velleman, a protégé of John W. Tukey, who invented a number of statistical graphics including the box plot. He joined Eli Lilly in 2002 where he contributed to the development of endocrine-related medicines and related biomarkers in early clinical phase drug development. He later transitioned to a product team in late phase clinical development as the lead statistician and developed and successfully implemented an innovative Bayesian adaptive, seamless phase 2/3 study which selected the doses for the entire program utilizing a clinical utility index. Dr. Skrivanek heavily leveraged data visualization to communicate the operating characteristics of the design as well as the results of the study.
He is currently leading an effort to make visual analytics and good data visualization practices in general an integral part of drug development at Eli Lilly and the industry in general. He is involved in a number of external collaborations focused on advancing drug development through visual analytics including co-leading a subproject in PHUSE, on “Interactive Data Visualizations for Decision Making in Submissions”, and contributing to an ASA-DIA working group on interactive safety graphics and an organizing member on a PSI (Statistics in the Pharmaceutical Industry) Special Interest Group (SIG) which hosts a monthly event, “Wonderful Wednesdays” where members are given data visualization challenges that they must solve for the following month and the solutions are critiqued by the panel based on good data visualization principles.
Upcoming Events
Joint PSI/EFSPI Visualisation SIG 'Wonderful Wednesday' Webinars
Our monthly webinar explores examples of innovative data visualisations relevant to our day to day work. Each month a new dataset is provided from a clinical trial or other relevant example, and participants are invited to submit a graphic that communicates interesting and relevant characteristics of the data.
Topic: R Package Basics.
Our monthly webinar series allows attendees to gain practical knowledge and skills in open-source coding and tools, with a focus on applications in the pharmaceutical industry. This month’s session, “R Package Basics,” will introduce the fundamentals of working with R packages—covering how to install, load, and manage them effectively to support data analysis and reproducible research. The session will provide a solid starting point, clarify common misconceptions, and offer valuable resources for continued learning.
Date: Ongoing 6 month cycle beginning late April/early May 2026
Are you a member of PSI looking to further your career or help develop others - why not sign up to the PSI Mentoring scheme? You can expand your network, improve your leadership skills and learn from more senior colleagues in the industry.
PSI Book Club Lunch and Learn: Communicating with Clarity and Confidence
If you have read Ros Atkins’ book The Art of Explanation or want to listen to the BBC’s ‘Communicator in Chief’, you are invited to join the PSI Book Club Lunch and Learn, to discuss the content and application with the author, Ros Atkins. Having written the book within the context of the news industry, Ros is keen to hear how we have applied the ideas as statisticians within drug development and clinical trials. There will be dedicated time during the webinar to ASK THE AUTHOR any questions – don’t miss out on this exclusive PSI Book Club event!
Haven’t read the book yet? Pick up a copy today and join us.
Explanation - identifying and communicating what we want to say - is described as an art, in the title of his book. However, the creativity comes from Ros’ discernment in identifying and describing a clear step-by-step process to follow and practice. Readers can learn Ros’ rules, developed and polished throughout his career as a journalist, to help communicate complex written or spoken information clearly.
PSI Training Course: Effective Leadership – the keys to growing your leadership capabilities
This course will consist of three online half-day workshops. The first will be aimed at building trust, the backbone of leadership and a key to becoming effective. This is key to building a solid foundation.
The second will be on improving communication as a technical leader. This workshop will focus on communication strategies for different stakeholders and will involve tips on effective communication and how to develop the skills of active listening, coaching and what improv can teach us about good communication.
The final workshop will bring these two components together to help leaders become more influential. This will also focus on how to use Steven Covey’s 7-Habits, in particular Habits 4, 5 and 6, which are called the habits of communication.
The workshops will be interactive, allowing you to practice the concepts discussed. There will be plenty of time for questions and discussion. There will also be reflective time where you can think about what you are learning and how you might experiment with it.