Raja Shankar

Raja Shankar is a visionary leader focused on transforming life sciences with Applied AI. He currently serves as the Vice President of Machine Learning at IQVIA.12 With a background in strategy consulting and AI in healthcare, Raja brings a unique perspective to the challenges and opportunities AI presents for the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries.3

Raja's journey to his current position is described as unusual. He attempted to pursue a PhD twice but did not succeed. His first attempt was in India in the late 1990s, where he aimed to use AI for building design after graduating from architecture.1 Despite these setbacks, Raja has established himself as a key figure in the application of AI in healthcare.

At IQVIA, Raja is involved in various aspects of AI implementation in healthcare, including:

1. Exploring AI's role in drug discovery and clinical decision support
2. Addressing challenges in data integration and prompt engineering
3. Examining how AI can transform workflows and enhance productivity in healthcare
4. Working on automating triage processes to reduce waiting times and improve patient experiences13

Raja is also a thought leader in the industry, having published on topics such as the potential for exponential change in life sciences through data science methods, and the challenges of providing access to medicines in emerging markets.2