Double Vision

Mike and Mark Zamani share everything — from their DNA and intended careers to their love of running and professional boxing.

The twins have always had the same interests, so it’s no surprise that they chose the same field of study. Though at first they declared separate majors — economics and finance, respectively — they are now both seniors in the statistics department at Florida State University.

“It’s funny,” Mike said, “I switched first, then a few weeks later Mark asked me if he should make the change too.”

Among the many other things the twins have shared throughout their lives was an internship this summer at the VA Cooperative Studies Program Coordinating Center in West Haven, Connecticut. Since its founding in 1972, the CSPCC has provided statistical assistance in the design, procedure, and analysis of clinical trials occurring across multiple centers, and the center has been responsible for many recent, progressive changes in medical practices.

Obtaining the internship was considered impossible for Mike and Mark, given that in the past, the program exclusively accepted students from Yale University — an academic affiliate of the program — and never accepted any undergraduate students.

Still, the brothers couldn’t pass up the opportunity to apply for an internship in their home state. They impressed interviewers with their passion for hands-on data work and professionalism, both of which were key to earning the Zamanis slots in the program.

The brothers also credit acceptance to their knowledge of SAS, a statistical software developed for advanced analytics. FSU offers a SAS Programming and Data Analysis certificate, which Mike and Mark completed in Spring 2019. However, the twins possessed little experience with R programming, a software used for statistical computing and graphics.

“It was frustrating,” Mark said, “because we had this huge learning curve and R is not really taught at the undergraduate level.”

“Being the only undergraduates forced us to adapt and think differently,” Mike said.

Rather than feeling discouraged, the Zamanis spent the first few weeks of their internship learning everything they could about R with the support of the staff at the CSPCC, who treated Mike and Mark like credentialed employees.

Of course the pair shared the same cubicle during the internship, but they contributed to two vastly different projects.

Mike conducted a secondary analysis of a study analyzing veterans who are unable to achieve remission from Major Depressive Disorder while taking one standard selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, or SSRI. The study analyzed whether or not prescribing either an additional antipsychotic or antidepressant would increase chances of remission.

His task was to determine why an antipsychotic drug was generating significantly better outcomes for veterans aged 65 and over. Mike drafted a full manuscript documenting his findings that will eventually be submitted to The American Journal of Psychiatry.

Meanwhile, Mark was working on a study related to heart failure treatment. He encountered a paper related to his work published by the Mayo Clinic in Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology.

While reading, Mark discovered multiple errors in the dataset and analysis and formulated his findings into a letter to the editor. His letter was approved for publication and the Mayo Clinic responded with an updated dataset and explanation of its analysis.

The brothers far exceeded the expectations of the program staff and the FSU statistics department, and they continue to demonstrate a passion for hands-on work, said FSU under- graduate statistics advisor Dr. Steven Ramsier.

“We grew so much as people while learning from our mentors, [...] they’ve given us self-confidence; we know that we can do this,” Mark said.

“It was invaluable, their contribution to our personal development,” Mike continued.

Ramsier, who laughingly admits he’s still not quite sure which twin is which, spoke highly of the brothers’ drive. “I don’t get students like them often, the kind who have a vision of where they’re going and ask me how they can get there,” he said.

Dr. Michael Wininger, one of the brothers’ mentors at the CSPCC, made it clear Yale University would fight for Mike and Mark in their pursuit of graduate school. While the experiences working at the CSPCC left a lasting impression, the Zamanis are adamant FSU is still their first choice for continuing their education.

“We’re very comfortable here,” Mark said, “We have a good relationship with the faculty.”

While some siblings might find the idea of sharing almost everything stifling, Mike and Mark wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It makes apartment hunting easy,” Mark joked.

“It’s nice to have someone who can relate to my problems,” Mike said, “and Mark is always there — we’re best friends.”

Casey Taylor is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in Editing, Writing and Media, and Italian, with plans to graduate in May 2020.