What, specifically, is your role at Norstella?
As an Associate Real-World Data (RWD) Solution Architect at Norstella, I serve as the technical lead and strategic advisor on client engagements. On the technical side, I design and implement end-to-end analytics pipelines—spanning data ingestion, normalization, modeling, and visualization—leveraging Norstella’s linked RWD asset. From a consultative perspective, I partner with pharmaceutical and biotech clients to understand their study objectives and translate those business questions into robust analytic frameworks. I bridge the gap between the data science team, our engineering organization (e.g., AWS/Redshift, IHD platform specialists), and client stakeholders (medical affairs, clinical operations, HEOR), ensuring that our solutions not only meet technical specifications but also drive actionable insights for drug development and commercial strategy.
Tell us about your real-world data expertise.
My deep domain expertise covers both sides of the RWD coin. On the structured claims side, I’m highly proficient with adjudicated medical and pharmacy claims datasets—understanding nuances such as plan types, deductible phase-in, provider networks, and coding systems (ICD-10, HCPCS, NDC). I’ve built complex queries in Amazon Redshift and PostgreSQL to identify patient cohorts, calculate treatment durations, and flag comorbidities. On the unstructured EMR side, I’ve developed and refined natural language processing (NLP) pipelines to extract clinical concepts—diagnoses, lab values, procedure notes—from free-text physician and nursing notes. By integrating both structured and unstructured sources, I can construct far richer patient profiles and longitudinal journeys than either dataset alone.
What’s been one of the most rewarding or exciting projects that you’ve been a part of and why?
I partnered with a rare disease biopharmaceutical client who faced a critical challenge: their condition of interest lacked a dedicated ICD-10 code, so claims alone captured virtually no patients. Working closely with the client’s medical and data science teams, I architected a hybrid solution that leveraged Norstella’s NLP-powered EMR ingestion to identify validated “mentions” of the disease in physician notes. By linking those unstructured flags back to recognized claims data, we expanded the identified cohort by nearly 30-fold, from essentially zero to a statistically meaningful sample. This breakthrough not only enabled the client to design a rigorous observational study but ultimately supported regulatory discussions and accelerated time to market—directly impacting patient access to novel therapies. Witnessing how this data synergy moved the needle for a true orphan indication remains one of the highlights of my career.
What does a day in the life of a real-world data analyst look like at Norstella?
The day kicks off with morning discovery/strategy calls, client workshops or internal “discovery” sessions to clarify business questions (e.g., patient flow, HCRU analysis, market share). Next, it’s time for capabilities and proposal development, drafting slide decks and proof-of-concept demonstrations showcasing Norstella’s data links, analytic modules, and visualizations (Tableau/Looker integrations). I also write and optimize SQL queries in Amazon Redshift, building CTEs to standardize disparate source tables, casting and joining with consistent patient identifiers. Then, I’ll deliver live, interactive demos of our Instant Health Data platform—showcasing real-time data ingestion, dynamic querying, and customizable dashboards to illustrate capabilities and drive client engagement. We sync with data engineering to adjust mappings, with NLP specialists on model performance, and with client teams to review interim deliverables. I’ll end the day by updating project timelines and setting objectives for the next sprint.
What types of problems are our real-world data helping pharma solve?
Our RWD helps pharma companies identify rare disease patients, map out longitudinal patient journeys. We also conduct market basket analyses and market share explorations, helping our clients stay aware of changes in the competitive landscape.
When you’re not analyzing data, what do you like to do?
I love playing golf and tennis, cooking Shakshuka, and walking my dog, Zoe.
