Get to Know Our Quantitative Sciences Team: The Brains Behind Our Data (Derek Lee)

Verana Health has a team of more than 30 quantitative scientists who work toward the goal of producing high-quality, data-driven insights that can help inform research and improve patient outcomes. 

In this blog series, we invite you to “Get to Know Our Quantitative Sciences Team: The Brains Behind Our Data.” Read more about Derek Lee, quantitative analyst.

Q: How would you explain your role? 

A: I utilize my analytical skills to spot irregularities in data and update scripts we use to perform calculations of Merit-based Incentive Payment System measures. I also enjoy finding ways to automate repetitive processes and free up members in the organization to tackle more challenging problems. Occasionally, I like taking on innovative projects that go beyond typical data structures to extract meaning from our processes.

Q: What attracted you to the quantitative sciences field? 

A: I wanted to leverage my biostatistics background to work on improving healthcare data at the patient level. I also felt that the Quantitative Sciences team at Verana Health has people from so many different backgrounds such as those who are focused more on epidemiology, biostatistics, engineering, or applying statistical methods on research in other fields.

Q: What attracted you to Verana Health? 

A: In my previous roles, I focused on operations data in the pharmaceutical industry. I wanted to challenge myself and learn how to work with patient-level data. In addition to Verana Health having one of the best sources of patient-level data for ophthalmology, neurology, and urology, I find the employees to be talented and great to work alongside. These qualities make working at Verana Health attractive.

Q: What inspires you to do this work? 

A: It’s difficult enough to get patients the care they need, and having a fragmented healthcare system in this country further exacerbates the challenge. Any way we can try to unify patient data from multiple electronic health record sources, and provide an accurate data source to clients who use our data for research, is a step in the right direction to improve patients’ lives.

Q: What is the most rewarding part of your job? 

A: I love working together to solve problems, particularly ones that result in a solution that makes it faster and more reliable to get what we need in the future.

Q: What advancements do you see in your field in the next 5 years? 

A: In the near-term, I believe strongly that our work with healthcare data will continue to require automation of data cleaning and validation efforts. I also believe that advancements in computer vision and natural language processing will help pave the way for us to make our offerings more robust – covering data imaging and extracting meaning from clinical notes.

When not perfecting data, Derek enjoys auto racing during his free time.