From Physician to Data-Driven Leader: Applying AI in Public Health Systems
I am Fabricio Salas from Loja, Ecuador. I am a General Physician and Epidemiologist working in public health surveillance for the Ministry of Health. Additionally, I serve as the President of HL7 Ecuador, and I am the founder of Zadorex, a company dedicated to applied health technologies. I am passionate about leveraging technology to improve health outcomes.
I hold a medical degree and a Master’s in Epidemiology, and I have worked in both clinical and administrative roles within the public health sector. While I had deep practical experience with health data and statistics, I lacked a formal foundation in advanced data engineering and modern data science methodologies.
I realized that the future of public health relies on efficient, automated data processing. My core motivation was to bridge the gap between clinical epidemiology and data science. I wanted to learn how to build automated workflows and interactive dashboards (using R and Python) to modernize our disease surveillance systems and improve data interoperability.
I had a challenging but incredibly rewarding experience with the Post Graduate Program in AI & Machine Learning: Business Applications from the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas. The curriculum struck a great balance between theory and practice. I particularly appreciated the case studies, which helped me understand how coding concepts apply to real-world scenarios. The support from mentors was crucial in helping me troubleshoot complex problems, such as database connectivity and data cleaning logic.
I gained proficiency in Python and R for epidemiological analysis and visualization. Key takeaways include mastering SQL for database management and understanding how to structure data pipelines professionally, skills that are essential for my work in health standards.
This program has significantly amplified my impact. The skills I learned allow me to lead technical strategies at HL7 Ecuador with greater authority and have expanded the service capabilities of my company, Zadorex. In the Ministry of Health, I can now deploy automated solutions for surveillance that save time and improve data quality.
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