JagNation’s Angela Allen says COVID-19 crisis demands faster, more meaningful health care data

In this new series, Jagwire will be featuring people from around Augusta University and AU Health who keep JagNation running. Email the media relations team to share your story. This week we talk to Angela Allen, who focuses on data and analytics for the health care system.

Where is your spot in the JagNation?

Director of health care analytics (newly promoted, formerly a data scientist).

How long have you been part of JagNation?

Since 2012 (more than eight years).

Most interesting thing about your job?

Data-driven quality improvement is at the heart of health care transformation, and learning how to best leverage data to drive change in our health system has been a fascinating journey for me. Most analytic roles are considered “behind the scenes;” however, my role has afforded me the opportunity to both run the complex analysis behind the scenes to detect opportunity, while also directly engaging with our clinicians and health system leaders to support strategic decision making. Most people don’t realize this, but analytics requires a balance of technical and communication skills, critical thinking, and creativity.  I’ve learned that I really enjoy exploring my communication skills, creativity and out-of-the-box thinking just as much as I enjoy the more traditional analytic characteristics. I also enjoy that my work continues to evolve daily, while it also remains rewarding.

Favorite thing about JagNation?

I’m always impressed by the talent we recruit. I have had the pleasure of meeting remarkable clinicians, mentors, leaders, and lifelong friends. I am proud to work here.

Family:

Nephew, Ronnie Allen.

Hobbies:

One of my favorite activities is volunteering/community service.  I am engaged with several service organizations and always find time to donate my time to worthy causes. I enjoy adrenaline-pumping activities and gaming with my nephew. I really enjoy good food — I am a bit of a foodie. Also, when time permits, I play several instruments (clarinet, flute, saxophone, trombone, piano).

Something the JagNation does not know about you:

In 2015, I led a group of student volunteers on an international volunteer experience in Australia. The trip lasted four weeks.

How has COVID-19 changed/affected your job?

COVID-19 has created a new normal for analytics. The need for timely, accurate and meaningful data during this crisis requires better coordination across analytic resources, re-engineering of workflows to accommodate the demand, and the development of system-level strategy so that our team can accelerate the time-to-insight on requests, especially for those that concern patient care or those that are regulatory in nature.