Open to opportunities

Drew Thompson

@drewthompson

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Data scientist with 8+ years of experience in complex data analysis.

United States

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What I'm looking for

I am looking for a role that fosters innovation, collaboration, and growth in data science.

I am a data scientist with over eight years of experience in managing projects that extract value from complex and messy data sets. My strong background in machine learning, data visualization, and database management allows me to communicate key insights effectively to both scientific and non-scientific stakeholders. I thrive in fast-paced environments and have a proven track record of delivering impactful results.

As the Associate Director of Data Science at Cohen Veterans Bioscience, I led the flagship PTSD biomarker discovery program, RAPID-Dx. I set strategic goals and drove research progress using multi-modal, high-dimensional datasets. My work involved curating and analyzing large patient cohorts, reporting to C-suite executives, and authoring statistical analysis plans that identified biomarkers through advanced techniques. I also created an end-to-end unsupervised learning pipeline for subtyping patient populations, showcasing my ability to innovate and lead in the field.

In my previous role at PatientsLikeMe, I developed scalable data extraction and supervised-learning workflows, serving as the lead scientist on multiple client projects. My experience includes mentoring junior data scientists and introducing best practices in statistical inference and model interpretation. I am passionate about leveraging data science to drive meaningful change and improve outcomes in healthcare.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Founder & Architect

Current

IAmADatapoint.org

Aug 2024 - Present (11 months)

Engineered an adaptive platform to gamify behavioral health data collection, engaging users with interactive data explorer and mission transparency. Implemented A/B testing and multi-arm bandits to optimize site design, reaching organic growth of 300 users per month.

AWS EC2 A B Testing Data Collection Platform Engineering

Associate Director of Data Science

Cohen Veterans Bioscience

Jun 2019 - Present (6 years 1 month)

Led the company’s flagship PTSD biomarker discovery program, RAPID-Dx, setting strategic goals and driving research progress with multi-modal, high-dimensional datasets. Curated and analyzed five large patient cohorts, reporting to C-suite on their value as research assets.

Statistical Analysis Machine Learning Data Governance Proteomics FMRI

Data Scientist / Senior Data Scientist

PatientsLikeMe

May 2017 - Present (8 years 2 months)

Analyzed patient-reported health data and multi-omic biological data for pharma partners and internal stakeholders, regularly interfacing with various company groups. Developed scalable data extraction and supervised-learning workflows to support biomarker discovery in an agile framework.

SQL Jira NLP Data Extraction Supervised Learning

Health Data Science Fellow

Insight Data Science

Jan 2017 - Present (8 years 6 months)

Applied statistical modeling and machine learning techniques to real-world data in an accelerated, industry-focused setting. Collected and structured NHANES data for model training; built a web-app to assess user risk for common chronic diseases.

Statistical Modeling Machine Learning Data Collection Web Application Development Risk Assessment

Doctoral Researcher

Harvard University / Boston Children’s Hospital

Aug 2009 - Present (15 years 11 months)

Pioneered new techniques to investigate experience-dependent plasticity in mice via electrophysiological recordings, publishing findings in top-tier journals. As a post-doctoral fellow, engineered a spiking neural network to model biological back-propagation.

Electro Physiology Neural Networks Research

Associate Scientist

Vanda Pharmaceuticals

Jun 2007 - Present (18 years 1 month)

Analyzed genetics data to support clinical trials and microarray data in a systems-biology based drug repurposing effort. Published one first-author paper and co-authored two additional papers on pharmacogenetics in schizophrenia.

Microarray Clinical Trials Drug Repurposing Pharmacogenetics

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

Harvard University

Ph.D. in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Activities and societies: Trained students and post-docs in a wide range of protocols and analysis techniques

Pioneered new techniques to investigate experience-dependent plasticity in mice via electrophysiological recordings. Published findings in top-tier journals; presented regularly at conferences and inter-departmental seminars. As a post-doctoral fellow (Mar-Nov 2016), engineered a spiking neural network to model biological back-propagation; ran large-scale simulations on HPC cluster to test whether

University of Maryland

B.S. in Biological Sciences, Biological Sciences

Grade: Magna Cum Laude

Completed a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences, graduating Magna Cum Laude. This program provided a strong foundation in biological principles and research methodologies.