Howard Shang
Senior Director of Informatics,
Center for Learning and Healthcare at
Duke University Health System
Durham, NC
I moved to the Triangle in 1990 from New Jersey to work for GlaxoSmithKline. I liked it so much that I convinced my best friend and my sister to both move here, too. My best advice for people moving to the area is to take advantage of all there is to do here. We have an abundant array of outdoor activities, and the beach and the mountains are just a short car ride away. We get all four seasons and lots of sunshine, so there are a lot of opportunities to be outside during the year.
As the director of informatics at Duke, my team and I work to leverage computer technology to bring analytics into healthcare. We collect a lot of information and let the computer analyze it to allow us to develop a more predictive analysis for our patients. This allows our medical professionals to treat patients from a more proactive and patient specific position. There are countless applications for our research – from client-doctor communication to cancer and pain management. The human body is infinitely complex and we need to be investing more in technological resources to help us solve these complex problems. Our team at Duke collaborates with UNC and many others to make strides in medicine through the application of technology.
My top tips for success are: 1) personal integrity is key – people need to be able to trust you, so make your integrity a priority. 2) Accountability – don’t be afraid to be responsible for your work, no matter the outcome. 3) Find out and understand why the job you do is important. This will let you see your job for the important role it fills. My favorite thing to do in the Triangle is to go biking. This is a very bike friendly area – both roads and trails, especially in Chapel Hill. My favorite restaurant is Nana’s in Durham.
