Humanizing Data Science
Daniel P. Smith
When Nicholas Soulakis was appointed director of 黑料门University Chicago鈥檚 Center for Health Outcomes and Informatics Research (CHOIR) in October 2022, he knew he wanted to host a lively event to champion data science among both University stakeholders as well as prospective Chicago area collaborators.
Eight months later, CHOIR and Loyola鈥檚 Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health hosted Salon 2023: Data Science for Social Thinkers at MATTER, a healthcare incubator located in downtown Chicago. 黑料门faculty, staff, and students and community partners packed the day-long event last June, a gathering carefully designed to promote informatics and data-driven research in an accessible way.
鈥淔or us, having a room full of data scientists was a great success, but having a room full of people with no exposure to data science and informatics was even better,鈥� Soulakis says.
Now, Soulakis and CHOIR are aiming for an even better repeat performance with Salon 2024 on May 16.
鈥楾elling the truth鈥�
Returning to MATTER, an ideal meeting spot given its centralized location and, even more, the innovative energy bubbling throughout its Merchandise Mart headquarters, Salon 2024 looks to empower data-driven decision-making through first-person point of views, impactful narratives, and energized personal conversations.
鈥淲e want to create an opportunity for people to look inside, ask questions, and come out better,鈥� Soulakis says.
While the overall Salon theme of Data Science for Social Thinkers endures, Soulakis says 鈥渢he social part will change each year.鈥� For 2024, the event鈥檚 social theme is 鈥淢oney on My Mind,鈥� prompting attendees to address a 鈥渢hird-rail issue鈥� rarely addressed in public health and social services training. As leaders in public health and community services, however, Soulakis reminds us that finances loom large in decisions, which elevates the importance of data and informatics to help optimize results.
鈥淚f the Salon is about anything, it鈥檚 about telling the truth,鈥� Soulakis says. 鈥淚f you don鈥檛 have the dollars column in your dataset or you do have that column and you treat it just like any other column or even if it鈥檚 the only column in your dataset, then this event will deliver a broader understanding of the dynamics of the dollars in what you do.鈥�
Salon 2024 will feature speakers who make data-driven decisions in their daily lives as well as those who specialize in data science work, such as new Parkinson faculty member Ifeoma Ozodiegwu, an epidemiologist who models malaria interventions for healthcare leaders in Nigeria. Other speakers include the CEO of an insurance company, the chief executive of a leading investment company in independent primary care, and the vice president of analytics for New York City鈥檚 public hospitals.
Accessibility, connections, and creativity
Ditching technical barriers and scholarly jargon, Salon speakers relay who they are, what they do, and how they make challenging decisions in their respective roles, including how data influences action. Thereafter, speakers participate in panel discussions or connect one-on-one with attendees to share additional insight.
鈥淎 speaker鈥檚 Salon talk is just the beginning,鈥� Soulakis says. 鈥淎ttendees and speakers can break into their own conversations and the idea is that the side conversation might prove more powerful than the scheduled talk on stage.鈥�
And true to a salon鈥檚 Parisian roots in the 17th century, where discussion of political and social topics stood alongside artistic discourse and entertainment, Salon 2024 will embrace the arts-meets-science vibe to feed a creative mindset. The Salon鈥檚 mid-day spotlight session, for example, will feature a photojournalist鈥檚 efforts with user-generated content related to financial literacy and local musicians whose work describes the patchwork mosaic of economic realities Chicagoans face every day.
Salon leans heavily into Loyola鈥檚 strengths in areas like social justice, diversity, global health, and community engagement, the latter being a significant point of pride for Loyola, which was one of only 40 U.S. institutions in higher education to receive the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification earlier this year. In fact, Soulakis hopes Salon 2024 ignites collaborations between CHOIR, the 黑料门community, and external partners to advance thoughtful action in communities near and far.
鈥淲e want to bring people together so that we can work on hard problems,鈥� Soulakis says. 鈥淚f six months down the road, we鈥檙e building upon conversations started at Salon and starting new projects, that鈥檚 an amazing win.鈥�
REGISTER
Register now for on May 16.
SALON '23 HIGHLIGHTS