Welcome to Evidence in the Wild

I'm Maggie Qian. I spent nearly a decade as a biostatistician at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and the SWOG Cancer Research Network, where I designed and analyzed multi-site oncology trials—Phase II adaptive designs, biomarker validation studies, early detection protocols.

I saw the same failure modes repeat: protocols locked in before anyone stress-tested the assumptions, interim decisions made on gut instead of simulation, sample sizes calculated once and never revisited. Smart teams running what I started calling "Zombie Trials"—studies that kept enrolling long after the math said to stop.

That experience is why I started Evidence in the Wild—to write honestly about trial design, experimental methods, and the statistical decisions that actually matter. It's also why I built Zetyra, a set of tools for protocol simulation and sample size planning that I wished I'd had earlier in my career.

I now do independent consulting on trial design: protocol review, sample size justification, adaptive design feasibility, interim analysis planning. If you're working on something where getting the statistics right matters, get in touch.

When I'm not reviewing protocols, I'm usually training for an Ironman or a marathon. Pacing is everything—in racing and in trials.