Alumni Spotlight: Doing the math and making it count

Alumna, Karrie Liu, a mathematics guru, turned her passion for numbers into a career in real world healthcare data and analytics.

For alumna, Karrie Liu, it was the sudden loss of her grandmother and struggling to understand the circumstances of her passing that piqued her interest in the healthcare sector.

After graduating with a bachelor's degree in mathematics, she joined the Department of Health in the United Kingdom, an opportunity that merge her passion for mathematics with her desire to contribute to healthcare.

“I realized that numbers really speak to me, and I was able to translate data into insights that healthcare professionals could use to make more informed decisions for their patients.”

A perfect addition

In the 10 years that followed, Karrie began a long career with the National Health Service (NHS), working her way up from a junior analyst to a department head. When an offer to move to London to join IQVIA in a new division - using real world data to support the NHS in making more informed decisions - Karrie stepped right up.

Over the next three years, Karrie used her analytic techniques and technology to build artificial intelligence models and applied machine learning to deliver actionable insights, such as the prediction of treatment pathways for patients.

“One of the techniques is known as "Difference-in-Differences" analysis, a sophisticated approach that enables the discernment of distinguishing characteristics between two distinct groups,” shared Karrie. “It’s used to improve decision making and enhance outcomes across various fields.”

One notable achievement was the development of a mobile application for breast cancer patients on outpatient treatments, for which Karrie and her team received the IQVIA CEO Team Award in 2018. This innovative app enables patients to record their symptoms, and the insights are later used by healthcare professionals to provide more tailored and effective care.

The sum of us

Karrie believes IQVIA has an impressive go-for-it culture.

“It encouraged me to be curious, ask questions, and push the boundaries. No one’s going to tell you not to try something simply because it’s never been done before.”