Dr. Saira Haque has compiled an impressive resume in the course of her 20-year career in health IT. She has delivered a TedX talk on “Why We All Should Care About Health Equity.” She has also presented her work on Capitol Hill, developed reports to Congress, provided associated briefings to federal officials and worked with federal agencies on community-based informatics projects.
“I have always been interested in data and analytics and in problem solving,” said Haque, who graduated from Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies with her PhD in information science and technology in 2010.
Haque currently lives in Charlotte, N.C., and works as the Senior Director of Clinical Informatics in the Medical Outcomes and Analytics group at Pfizer. She previously directed the data interoperability and clinical informatics program at RTI International, a research institute headquartered in Research Triangle Park in North Carolina.
Haque is an expert in health informatics and researches and develops population health projects with health care organizations. Recently, she worked with a team to analyze claims and electronic health record data to identify factors for risk stratification of patients at risk of certain conditions to help inform identification, screening and management of patient care.
“My work addresses questions about how technology influences healthcare and organizations,” said Haque, who also focuses on responsible artificial intelligence, health equity and using technology to support evidence-based practices for treatment. “I would like to continue to help advance the field of health informatics both within and outside of the pharmaceutical industry.”
Returning Home to Syracuse
Originally from Syracuse, Haque had always planned on leaving town for her schooling, which she did for her undergraduate and masters work and subsequent jobs. But when it came time for her PhD, she decided to come home.
“I was impressed at the breadth and depth of expertise across the faculty at Syracuse, so I returned home,” Haque said. “I met Professor Jeff Stanton in the course of my role as the compliance officer of an academic medical center and spoke with him as I was considering this step in my career and schooling.”
She enjoyed all of her Syracuse professors and continues to keep in touch with former Syracuse professor Catherine Arnott Smith and her advisor Carsten Østerlund.
Haque encourages current Syracuse students to take advantage of all the opportunities they can, especially in classes, extra-curricular activities, and work programs.
“The iSchool and the greater Syracuse University community have a great deal to offer,” she said. “Also, it’s important to keep an open mind and not have a fixed mindset in what specific areas to study or jobs to pursue after graduation. There might be different areas of interest that you’d never thought of before, so being a student is the perfect time to explore different possibilities.”
