Events

DIA Global Chief Executive talks big data, patient engagement and precision medicine

At the DIA 2017 annual meeting, Global Chief Executive Barbara Lopez Kunz shared her passion for DIA and her thoughts on what the future of healthcare holds.

At the Drug Information Association annual meeting, DIA Global Chief Executive Barbara Lopez Kunz sat down for an exclusive interview, during which she shared her passion for DIA, patient engagement and the future of healthcare.

This exchange has been lightly edited.

What originally brought you to DIA?

Barbara Lopez Kunz, global chief executive of DIA

I was trained as a researcher and my background is in polymer science. I worked for industrial corporations during the early part of my career. I flowed through products like drugs and devices and diagnostics. Through all that, when developing products for healthcare, you realize the problems exist at the system level.

When this opportunity [at DIA] came to me, I liked that DIA was trying to address those broader, system-level issues. I really liked DIA as a place for myself because I have a fundamental drive to do something that matters. We need the best minds to make those changes.

You began your tenure as DIA global chief executive in 2013. What do you consider your biggest accomplishment thus far?

We’ve revitalized DIA, starting from the perspective of “What is DIA and what value does DIA bring?” We are global. Neutrality is our top priority. And we’re focused on the key problem areas and driving those to action.

You have a massive volunteer base that is DIA, and you have a tiny staff. It’s about managing that volunteer spirit in a way that makes people feel they have a way to learn from each other. Then, of course, we’re doing it at a very large scale in many countries around the world.

We’ve revived the infrastructure around DIA. From the basic structure of our website to our social media, we’ve refreshed the inner workings of DIA. We changed the logo to make it look like a modern day organization. We’re trying to get more millennials on board.

I’m very, very lucky. The board of DIA is a remarkable group of people. Their voice has been important to make sure we’re getting it right.

What are the highlights of this year’s DIA conference?

This year we really wanted to send a message that this is about action. Our theme of “driving insights to action” was chosen very intentionally. We put this theme up specifically, and we wanted to create momentum around it.

We also wanted to ensure the content reflected the broad strategy of DIA. We have been very involved in patient engagement, and we have been doing it prior to my arrival for probably 15 years. It’s about ensuring every part of this meeting was put there with patients in mind.

Finally, we’re trying to do some fun things. People come here and their brains are full, so we give them the opportunity to diverge into something else. We had a group called the Soul Children of Chicago perform.

Where do you stand on the future of patient engagement and big data?

The truth is that people who are suffering from conditions … need help. Their voices are important. What you might think is the problem in a certain illness isn’t necessarily what the patient thinks. The patients must be involved. The value of patient engagement is something that needs to be sorted out.

DIA has been investing our time into facilitating research around the value of patient engagement.

Regarding big data, a decade or more ago we were talking about how we need to digitize our patient records. We have all that data now. But how do you use it? How do you analyze it?

It’s not just about having data, but also using digital tools to help provide insights. There’s so much focus on it that it’s inevitable.

What are you most excited about regarding the future of healthcare?

I remember when the whole idea of personalized medicine came out. Who doesn’t like that? The understanding we have of diseases and our ability to prevent and cure is so remarkable. I can’t believe we’ve made so much progress in a short period of time.

We also need to crack the problem around value and access. That’s the valley of death today.

The goal has to be that everybody stays healthier through their life by lifestyle decisions. We all need to be advocates for ourselves and understand the impacts of our own choices.

Photo: Pixtum, Getty Images

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