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Ethel Aika was four years old when she announced to her parents that she would be a doctor when she grew up.
“Healthcare has always been an obvious goal for me,” Aika says. “From the moment I listened to the heartbeat, I was fascinated by understanding the exact processes behind the amazing machine that is the human body.”
By the time Ayika was a graduate student studying healthcare information systems at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, she had discovered the next frontier in health innovation: analyzing and making sense of patient data.
“After my first class in statistical analysis, one thing became very clear,” she says. “I can enjoy a career in health care without necessarily being a doctor or a laboratory scientist.”
Today, Ayika is the Senior Director of Business Analytics at Medidata Solutions, a health technology company that supports the clinical development of new therapies. In her role, she is part of the team that helps improve ongoing clinical trials.
Here, Ayika talks about why she was introduced to Medidata, the growth opportunities she’s had since joining the company, and how running has changed her life.
What brought you to work at Medidata, and how did you know the company would be a good fit?
I was referred to Medidata by a friend who has worked there for two years. I mentioned that there are a few current job openings that would be a great fit for me.
At the time, I was interviewing other companies and had my doubts about going into clinical trials and the drug development industry. However, seeing my friend thrive in the company, along with her enthusiasm for the work she was doing there, inspired me to apply.
During my interviews, my potential boss asked me what impact I hoped to have at Medidata as well as how I hoped to influence the company. This question really stood out to me, and though I struggled to answer it, it gave me a peek into the company’s culture.
You have recently been promoted to a senior management position. How has Medidata supported your growth?
Even though I joined the company in the middle of a pandemic, without the opportunity to go into the office and build personal relationships with co-workers, I always felt fully supported by my team. I quickly felt empowered to build solutions and make a difference and was even trusted with completing a major data migration project shortly after I joined.
On top of that, I was paid for learning and development to earn additional data analytics and product certifications that would help me grow and take more ownership within my team. Recently, I completed the McKinsey Business Leadership Program with some of my colleagues in Medidata AI, broadening my perspective on how to think more strategically about key problems in our industry.
What is your responsibility as Senior Director of Business Analytics? What do you like most about your role?
I am responsible for market entry operations. I collaborate with different teams, from sales to product development and engineering, to ensure data is streamlined and positioned to meet our customers’ needs. I also take ownership of our trade reports and workflow.
Some of the things I enjoy most are the variety of projects I can work on, the different perspectives and areas of work I’m exposed to, and the ability to keep learning and expand my skill set.
Tell us about the Medidata AI team. What types of projects are you working on and what is their impact on the business?
Our goal at Medidata AI is to leverage our unique data warehouse and expertise to create analytics solutions that address some of the industry’s most challenging problems, from regulatory evidence of a drug’s treatment impact to improving diversity in clinical trials.
We hear that Medidata AI is growing. Why is now a particularly exciting time to join the team? What types of roles are you currently looking to fill?
We’re at a point where our product ecosystem has reached a certain level of maturity, so now it’s all about implementing a very ambitious but equally exciting plan by leveraging our data. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that? The team is recruiting for multiple roles, including Product Managers/Owners, Project Managers, Analysts, and Biostatisticians. (Check out listings for Medidata jobs here.)
What does it take to succeed in business analytics? What do you think are the most important skills to develop?
Curiosity is the key. A lot of the paths I’ve ended up exploring started with a question and trying to understand the outcome or how something was built on the back end. From there the layers of the system unfold and sometimes its breaking is inevitable to understand something inside and out. So don’t be afraid to break things.
It’s also important to be a good listener to really understand the pain points or business problems you’re trying to solve, and what the potential solution looks like to the users or stakeholders you’re helping.
Finally, collaboration and communication is key because it is equally important to be able to share ideas and recommendations after diving into complex information systems. I would also like to add that domain knowledge facilitates all of the above and should not be neglected.
What do you value most about Medidata culture? What resonates most with you and why?
What I appreciate most are the people I work with who help shape culture every day through willful kindness, collaboration, and support for one another. It is a common trait among many of the Medidatians I meet.
This sense of community resonates so much because I joined at a time when belonging was seriously challenged by the global pandemic and social unrest during 2020. However, by one year, I felt at home in the company, as well as empowered to help-make other psychics ( New or old) feel supported and appreciated.
What do you like to do for fun outside of work?
Outside of work, I enjoy playing basketball, whether it’s a casual outdoor game or in a more formal league with ZogSports. I also enjoy reading – one of my favorite books is promises giants By John Amaechi – Traveling, plus spending quality time with family and friends.
And after a health scare in 2018, my surgery inspired me to take up running and I now enjoy it as a way to clear my mind and refocus. I completed my first half marathon last year and was so humbled by the support of my fellow Medidatians in raising money to participate.
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