Ryan Beams, PhD, Physicist
"FDA provides a unique opportunity to work together with experts across a wide range of specialties with the unifying goal of improving public health.”--Ryan Beams, PhD, Center for Devices and Radiological Health
Q1: What opportunities does FDA offer you that you couldn’t get elsewhere?
Ryan Beams: FDA offers a unique opportunity to learn from the technical and clinical expertise across a wide range of imaging applications with a focused mission on healthcare.
Q2: Why do scientists like you stay at FDA?
RB: From my perspective there are two reasons for scientists to stay at the FDA. The first is the sense of meaning and purpose to the research that comes from connecting it directly to public health and contributing to the regulatory science necessary to make regulatory decisions. The second is the diversity of experiences and technical knowledge of the employees at FDA, which provides unique research opportunities and allows for continual intellectual growth through collaborating with different experts.
Q3: How do you use your science degree at FDA?
RB: I use my science degree in my regulatory science research through the entire research cycle, from initial project design to final publications. In addition, I use my scientific knowledge, data analysis skills, and critical thinking to help review medical device submission to FDA.
Q4: How is science conducted at FDA unique from science conducted at the National Institutes of Health, academia, or industry?
RB: In my opinion, what makes science unique at FDA is the strong connection to the mission of public health and regulatory science that is generally not addressed by other institutions, and yet is critical for both the public and industry. This mission provides a focus and a purpose to the science that helps direct experts across backgrounds to push towards similar goals.