HealthVerity partners with Gilead Sciences to support Women in Data Science 7th Annual Datathon Challenge

WiDS Datathon uses authentic oncology data to teach data science skills and address equity in healthcare for women with breast cancer

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- HealthVerity, the leader in synchronizing transformational technologies and real-world data (RWD) to advance the science, is honored to partner with Gilead Sciences to support Women in Data Science (WiDS) for their 7th Annual Datathon Challenge. This year's challenge, running from September 2023 through June 2024, will address the critical issue of equity in healthcare, specifically for women with metastatic triple negative breast cancer (metastatic TNBC), using RWD.

WiDS, launched at Stanford University in 2015, is an international initiative with a mission of increasing participation of women in all areas of data science. The Datathon is open to the public, giving students and practitioners the opportunity to discover and hone data science skills while solving interesting and critical social impact challenges using well-curated, real-world datasets. The advanced version of the Datathon may also be integrated into college and university courses.

During this year's challenge, students across the country will use data science and machine learning to predict the time to treatment for women diagnosed with metastatic TNBC, an aggressive cancer that requires urgent and timely treatment. The students will develop models that predict timely treatment based on certain demographic characteristics. The lag time in receiving treatment is a good indicator of disparities in healthcare access. The students are also encouraged to generate additional insights to understand the real-world implications of their predictions.

The Datathon is sponsored by Gilead Sciences who partnered with HealthVerity to secure the curated RWD that the students will be using for the challenge. HealthVerity was able to provide a de-identified dataset of women diagnosed with metastatic TNBC between 2015 and 2018 that included the demographic characteristics needed to understand health equity, including insurance status and geo-demographic data that provides insight into socio-economic factors. 

"Gilead worked closely with the Women in Data Science team to select HealthVerity's dataset for the health equity Datathon due to our ongoing collaboration in using real-world data to ensure diverse representation in clinical trials," explained Kelly Hoang Ph.D., data scientist and WiDS ambassador at Gilead Sciences. "Making the dataset available is globally part of Gilead's commitment to diversity and inclusion of stakeholders in our ecosystem, including the data scientists in our industry."

"HealthVerity is honored to partner with Gilead to use our vast RWD ecosystem and privacy-preserving technologies to support WiDS, help educate our nation's future data scientists, and increase understanding of the critical issue of health equity and its impact on society," said Andrew Kress, HealthVerity CEO.

About HealthVerity

HealthVerity synchronizes transformational technologies with the nation's largest healthcare and consumer data ecosystem to power previously unattainable outcomes and fundamentally advance the science. We offer a comprehensive, yet flexible approach, based on the foundational elements of Identity, Privacy, Governance and Exchange (IPGE), that synchronizes unparalleled Identity management with built-in Privacy compliance and Governance, providing the ability to discover and Exchange a near limitless combination of data at a record pace. Together with our partners in life sciences, government and insurance, we are Synchronizing the Science. To learn more about HealthVerity, visit healthverity.com.

About Gilead Sciences

Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company that has pursued and achieved breakthroughs in medicine for more than three decades, with the goal of creating a healthier world for all people. The company is committed to advancing innovative medicines to prevent and treat life-threatening diseases, including HIV, viral hepatitis, COVID-19, and cancer. Gilead operates in more than 35 countries worldwide, with headquarters in Foster City, California.

HealthVerity Contact:
Colleen Stoker
614-738-0592
[email protected]

SOURCE HealthVerity