David Ohlssen

David Ohlssen is currently the Advanced Exploratory Analytics head, within the Novartis Advanced Methodology and Data Science group, based in East Hanover New Jersey. Since joining Novartis in 2007, he has developed a broad range of experience in applying novel quantitative approaches within a drug development setting. His current focus involves driving the appropriate application of data science, machine learning, and advanced modeling in a drug development setting. As part of the Novartis data digital transformation, he is heavily involved in large-scale collaborations with the Oxford Big Data Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, and the Food and Drug Administration. Each of these projects examines databases that comprise a combination of clinical, omics, and imaging data, with the aim of gaining a better understanding of disease progression and a more personalized approach to treatment by using combinations of statistics, machine learning, and causal inference. Previously, after completing his Ph.D. in Biostatistics at the University of Cambridge, he worked as a research fellow at the MRC Biostatistics Unit (Cambridge UK), where his interests included: diagnostics for Bayesian models, novel clinical trial design, and statistical methods for the profiling of healthcare providers. In 2016 he received the Novartis leading scientist award for his contributions to quantitative decision-making in drug development and in 2021 he became a Fellow of the American Statistical Association for advancing the role of statistical and data sciences in the pharmaceutical industry.