Data science and analytics are all about using data to make better decisions. Any decisions: Big decisions, small decisions, fast decisions, repeatable decisions, informed decisions, automated decisions, personal decisions, corporate decisions, life and death.

A lot of us end up in data science because we love the thrill of solving problems in clever ways – sometimes simply the art of using mathematics is satisfying enough, but most of us are in analytics because we want our work to mean something. For some, being paid to do interesting work is enough, but I think the data scientists I know are disproportionately motivated to see their skills used for good, not just to earn a living.

Is this possible? Can you improve peoples’ lives and achieve commercial success at the same time, or are you better off making your money in a hedge fund and then turning to the more satisfying pursuit of philanthropic work?

Data Scientists in Health

At Precision Driven Health, we are a public-private-partnership, and we recognize that it is not only possible to do both, it is necessary. In health, if your ideas and products make people healthier, then people use them, and commercial opportunities will follow. If you don’t sustain the commercial model, you cannot sustain the health gains. That is why we link our data scientists with health providers and commercial parties – to ensure that all our work will lead to better health for New Zealanders, and sustainable commercial success for our companies.

There are hundreds of new devices coming onto the market every week that could improve our health – from medication dispensing, to blood pressure monitoring, to fitness trackers.  Precision Driven Health are working with researchers at the University of Auckland and AUT, to capture the data from these devices, and make it useful for both clinicians and consumers. When we achieve this, people are empowered to manage their own health better, and the gains flow to the device manufacturers, healthcare providers, and solution developers.

To hear more about the latest data driven innovations join us in Auckland in November for the inaugural Chief Data & Analytics Officer New Zealand. Kevin will be joining us there for a talk revealing the latest cutting-edge insights at Precision Driven Health. Hear from Kevin and many more data analytics leaders.

For more information about the event and how to register visit: chiefdataanalyticsofficernz.com/

Author

Kevin Ross is General Manager for Precision Driven Health, winner of the 2017 MinterEllisonRuddWatts Research & Business Partnership Award recognizing a deeply embedded working relationship between a research organisation and business that delivers significant commercial value for New Zealand. In 2013, Kevin founded the New Zealand Analytics Forum, a group of over 1200 professionals committed to learning and sharing best practice analytics.  Prior to joining Orion, Kevin was Chief Scientist of Optimisation Modelling at Fonterra.