Member Spotlight: John Qu
This month's spotlight focuses on PMSA Research Committee member John Qu, AD Product Analytics, Neuroscience, Strategic Insights & Analytics, at Novartis.
PMSA: How many years have you been in the industry?
John Qu: I have been in the healthcare industry for over 6 years, and prior to that I spent 6 years in academic research developing novel bio-engineered materials.
PMSA: What attracted you to the field?
JQ: The dream of developing novel therapies to save patient lives has always fueled my passion for research. After having conducted basic biomedical research in a laboratory, I realized the path to bring a new therapy to the bedside involves more than just scientific rigor alone. By making a career move to commercial analytics and data science, I have been able to apply my research and engineering mindset to solve complex business problems, and at the same time gain a greater understanding of the complex dynamics involved in bringing a therapy to market.
PMSA: How did you first hear about PMSA?
JQ: A PMSA board member and mentor first introduced me to PMSA years ago and encouraged me to attend and become an active participant.
PMSA: Please describe any current projects you are excited about.
JQ: Currently, there is no standardization in diagnosing secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) patients, which is a rare condition. We are developing a data-driven prediction engine based on machine learning algorithms to identify medical characteristics and lifestyle behaviors that will enable us to develop the right assets to engage the right patient, in the right office, and at the right time.
PMSA: Do you have any predictions for the future?
JQ: The healthcare industry will continue to evolve from blockbusters to personalized medicine intended to be most effective in smaller patient sub-populations, and eventually, tailored for the individual patient. Successful integration of massive patient datasets and implementation of machine learning to mine these data to augment human decision making will undoubtedly become a key competitive advantage in the development and commercialization of new therapies.
PMSA: What are your hobbies?
JQ: I enjoy spending time with family, traveling, running, and movies.