Data Science as an Equalizer
With the daily increase in data creation, improvements in technology, and the ever-growing need for informed decision-making, the growth of Data Science and Analytics is only expected to accelerate. As public and private organizations scramble to build their data teams, we focus on two timely issues in this panel discussion.
One, data science, like most STEM fields, has dismaying diversity statistics. Does data science have an image problem? Is it considered impact-driven or vague and nerdy? Are there any unique strengths of the field that can improve diversity in the tech industry?
Two, how can data science inform a more fair and equitable society? What are some recent developments in the public and private sectors that are using data to improve equity? Finally, what is hype vs. reality when we look toward the future of data science and its societal impact?
Join us as we cover a broad range of opinions and perspectives on the role of data science as an equalizer.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this panel discussion are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent.
Session Chair
Dr. Bushra Anum
Director of Data Science & Analytics, Doximity
Bushra Anjum, Ph.D., is a health IT data specialist currently serving as the Director of Data Science & Analytics for a San Francisco based health tech firm Doximity. She leads a team of analysts, scientists, and engineers to create HIPAA secure data-driven tools for over 1.8 million USA clinicians. Prior, she worked for Amazon architecting large-scale distributed services supporting Prime membership in global marketplaces. Dr. Anjum has expertise in statistical analysis, predictive modeling, distributed systems engineering, and distributed data processing.
Formerly a Fulbright scholar from Pakistan, Dr. Anjum served in academia (both in Pakistan and the USA) for many years before joining the tech industry. A keen enthusiast for promoting diversity in the STEM fields, some of her prominent volunteer activities involve being a senior editor for ACM Ubiquity and the Standing Committee’s Chair for ACM-Women. She is a Ph.D. in Computer Science from NC State University and currently resides with her husband in the beautiful valley of Central California.
Speakers
Mark Freeman
Founder of On the Mark Data
Mark is a community health advocate turned data engineer interested in the intersection of social impact, business, and technology. His life’s mission is to improve the well-being of as many people as possible through data—especially among those marginalized.
As the founder of On the Mark Data, Mark uses this platform to help brands connect to data professionals through captivating content.
Mark received his M.S. from the Stanford School of Medicine and is also certified in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. In addition, Mark has worked within numerous startups where he has put machine learning models into production, integrated data analytics into products, and led migrations to improve data infrastructure.
Carly Villareal
Head of Data Science & Analytics Engineering, Nextdoor
Carly Villareal is currently the Head of Data Science & Analytics Engineering at Nextdoor. She has been at Nextdoor since the inception of the Data org in 2015, and has grown her team from 3 to 40. She describes her proudest accomplishments at Nextdoor as building out a team she loves working with, and taking Nextdoor public via SPAC in 2021. Prior to Nextdoor, she worked in natural catastrophe modeling, focusing on earthquake and terrorism risk, and has also spent time working in consulting. She loves learning about complicated systems and using data to tell a story, and she's a firm believer that communicating about your work is just as important as execution. Carly holds a BS degree in Geology and an MS degree in Management Science & Engineering, both from Stanford University, and resides in San Francisco.
Megan Yahya
Senior Product Manager, Google Cloud
Megan Yahya is a product manager at Google Cloud building security products. She joined Google from Meta, where she built ML products to combat integrity problems on Facebook. Before that, she launched different security products at companies such as Palo Alto Networks and Rubrik. She holds an MSc in Computer Science from UCLA and a BSc in Software Engineering from Sharif University in Iran.
She lives in Northern California with her husband and two children. Her dream is that one day we can help students with disabilities thrive at school, using the latest AI technologies.
Elaine Zhou
CTO, Change.org
Elaine Zhou is the Chief Technology Officer for Change.org, the world’s largest nonprofit-owned platform for social change with more than 600 million users worldwide. As Change.org’s technical leader, Elaine leads a global engineering team to drive Change.org to the forefront of Responsible AI to elevate the platform's capability and scalability utilizing distributed cloud infrastructure and to engage repeat users through accessibility and delightful experience.
Prior to joining change. org, Elaine was the CTO at Vidado.ai, an Oakland AI startup dedicated to using Artificial Intelligence to help organizations unlock critical insight trapped in handwritten documents to drive their operations and strategy. Elaine’s 20+ years of experience include technology strategy, AI research and development, software product development, and process improvement. In her free time, Elaine can be found traveling to some far-flung island, paddle boarding Richardson Bay, hiking a local peak, or discussing life in a startup over milk tea with her husband, Ken.