Blogs

11365

The hope of the world is pinned on the pharmaceutical industry probably more than ever before in the COVID pandemic times. With new viruses surfacing every year, data plays a crucial role in drug and vaccine development. The data collected from COVID-19 hit countries like the recovery rates, intensive care requirement, number of deaths, and the total number of cases generate valuable insight into spread, recovery, affected demographic, and aided in administration. There are multiple ways in which data science can contribute to the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry; hence it becomes essential for every individual to understand its importance. Some of the prominent examples are discussed below. Use of data in clinical trials It has been observed that the healthcare industry doesn’t work on size fits all. During the clinical trials of medicine, data collected can be processed to generate insights on its outcome on individuals as per medical history, gender, age, and others. The medical practitioners need to look at the existing ailments and history of the patient before recommending any drug. Having a system in place to track actual and existent ailments, and earlier prescribed drugs can generate a method to differentiate on individual treatment. Using big data analytics, the pharma companies can advise the physicians how a particular medicine would fit within an individual’s treatment plan. Use of Data Across Pharma value chain Image source Accelerate drug discovery and development Companies and institutions, namely AstraZeneca, Celgene, Bayer, Janssen Research and development, Sanofi, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, started a data sharing under the name Project Data Sphere to share historical research on cancer to help researchers in finding better treatments against the disease. Importance of data in COVID-19 treatment With vaccines still in development phases, the shared knowledge and existing research on similar types of protein jacketed viruses proved to be instrumental in treating COVID-19 patients. The knowledge generated from processing the data on a series of related viruses like SARS, MERS, etc. helped in finding the medicine remdesivir, which saved the lives of thousands of chronic patients of COVID-19. Other evolving treatments like plasma therapy helped in severe cases of the virus. The data collected on daily bases for active cases and death rates helped gauge India’s administrative response against the spread of the virus. The pro-active response in some states by collecting information on every incoming citizen and their immediate contacts kept the number of deaths incredibly low than other states. Data became a useful tool to identify hotspot zones, most affected communities, aiding in narrowing down to check the spread of the deadly virus. Location analytics proved to be one of the best tools; the government urged citizens to use an app to collect data of positive and unhealthy citizens and put a check in the spread of the virus, especially in countries like South Korea. The government collected the data on the mobility of quarantined patients and found the virus’s primary source of spread. The app developed by the Indian government lets the user conduct a symptom-based check and make them aware of the active cases in their radius up to 2 km. About the upGrad Program The program is targeted at closing the skill gap in your enterprise and ensure a data-driven culture. The 6-week (48 hrs) blended program, designed for professionals from any background, will help your enterprise gain the necessary skills and knowledge to make data your lingua franca or second language. The program is also curated for different industries and helps in: Building a Data Culture. It enables them to seek the right information and collaborate. Empowers your employees with tools, models, and techniques to make informed decisions. Generate more value by increasing productivity, efficiency, and ultimately the profitability. Industry leaders will deliver the program via live sessions, recorded sessions, self-learning lessons, and assessments explained with Illustrations. The program can be split into five key areas: Program Orientation Covers the overview of the program, platform walkthrough, and objectives of the program. Data Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence: Genesis, Value and Future – Live The industry leaders take the course beneficiaries on a journey towards data culture. They will briefly explain the existing technologies like Machine learning and AI. This will help your employees get an overview of the data lifecycle, data strategy, and design thinking with data. Data Science and the Industry: e-Learning In this, your workforce will understand the application and scope of data related technologies in your industry, be it BFSI, ITES, Manufacturing, Telecommunication, Oil, and Gas, and so on. Data Analytics- Hands-on: e-Learning and Live The most extended module of the course enriches the learning with tools and techniques by covering – Data analysis in Excel, Statistics and Hypothesis Testing, Exploratory Data Analysis, and Data Visualization. Data-Driven Decision Making: Live Workshop The capstone to the program is application based. Using a case-based approach, specific to the industry, the beneficiaries will be part of problem-solving in a real-world scenario. Trials, patents, manufacturing, precision medicine, containing the spread, and many more- data collected throughout the pharma industry’s value chain can generate valuable insights and improve efficiency, time to market and prove to be lifesaving.   If you are curious to learn about Python, data science, check out IIIT-B & upGrad’s Executive PG Programme in Data Science which is created for working professionals and offers 10+ case studies & projects, practical hands-on workshops, mentorship with industry experts, 1-on-1 with industry mentors, 400+ hours of learning and job assistance with top firms.

by upGrad Enterprise

06 Oct 2020

Blogs

5184

Who would’ve thought the pandemic could make us rethink our way of life! Staying home and being connected is the new normal. People all over the world want to move forward together while being socially distant. The exponentially changing technology landscape has made this transition smoother. And to keep abreast with this disruptive technology, companies and jobs have to adapt to newer ways of learning without further ado. Many companies believe that reskilling and upskilling the existing staff is the way forward and have already put together a robust learning program. But Often, talent development is linked to ROI. And when you have to achieve agile results at scale, it often proves challenging. It’s time we recognise that learning on the go is expected as flexibility becomes the new normal.   Online Learning: Temporary or Permanent? COVID-19 crisis has forced us to take the learning experience online. The EdTech space has witnessed a phenomenal spike in the past few months. And this is reflected in google trends report as well. Everyone is grappling to find answers on how to keep the workforce updated in times like these and most of them have found solace in online learning.  But will this continue even after the crisis? Or is this just a temporary phase? Zoom and other digital communication tools are seeing a spike in both usage and stock price. According to some experts, this is a radical shift and could outlast the COVID-19 outbreak. We can learn from this and start implementing smart, agile, collaborative learning experiences. Companies will embrace this digital switch to achieve high-impact learning at scale for years to come.  Learn with upGrad Live As technology evolves, online learning will evolve too. Today we are building them as an active learning experience, where one goes through a series of modules, does certain tasks/exercises to move ahead in the course.   In the near future, AR and VR could have a massive impact on the online learning experience. Educators would be able to optimize their lessons by recreating places or transforming objects they are talking about. This approach would essentially amplify our current reality and create opportunities to communicate complex concepts in a manner that can be easily understood. But the fact remains that to keep up with the rapidly changing technology landscape, we will need a permanent (tried and tested) solution to transform the workforce at scale.  Adoption and learning curve  Sure, the adoption is slow and it’s a learning curve for all of us. Although some companies had already embraced digital learning, our survey (High-Impact Learning at Scale) suggests that the pandemic has forced many more to consider the option. Here’s why and how online learning can really help you keep up with the changing times.  1. It’s in line with the online generation and business models To be honest, technology is ruling our lives. The fact that this learning model is technology-based makes it universally accepted. Cell phones, tabs, computers and much more, people have made technological devices a part of their everyday lives. Rather, they are highly dependent on it whether personal life or work life. So it makes sense to leverage technology in their training.  2. It gives quantifiable results and reporting To keep abreast with the changing business landscape many companies offer training to their employees. Rigorous training, life coaching courses, self-development programs, skill improvement and much more is offered to employees to increase effectiveness. But all this training is futile if it’s not reflected in attaining business goals. With an online training model, measuring and evaluating the program effectiveness is faster and easier. Online platform gives you data like rates of course completion, forum commitment, examination grades, and course completion timeframe can be collected as reports right from the Learning Management System (LMS). This can give you a clear picture of the employee commitment, their upskilling needs and their development path within the company. 3. Instant feedback and recognition helps employees stay committed to the learning experience  Digital learning enhances the learning experience while not losing the conventional interactive experience. In fact, it’s a step ahead as it offers instant grades, performance assessment and feedback. This allows learners to measure how well they are performing, and what parts of the learning resource they should revise before moving on. Digital platform makes is more graphical with badges, leaderboards, gamification features and certificates offer employees a sense of recognition and accomplishment that inspires them to learn. 4. An outcome-oriented learning experience that gives the best ROI Digital learning is focused and result-oriented. The recollection rate is higher in concept-based learning since its more structured and defines the relationship between topics, establishing a solid network of knowledge instead of disconnected pieces of information. Online learning offers the flexibility and autonomy to select what to learn next, when to learn and where to learn from. This helps learners to focus on the outcome.  5. Up-to-date skills on demand Online platforms are constantly monitoring the latest trends, emerging technologies. This helps them realign their courses and deliver best-in-class programs on-demand, often before that particular skillset is in-demand.  Cultural change inside out  Though many companies are shifting focus to digital learning, there are still some rooted deeply in the traditional ways of training. The bigger the organisation, the bigger the roadblock. To consider the vertical hierarchy, horizontally spread branches and departments, it is a hard task to bring everyone on the same page. It’s a top-down strategy and will need a complete inside out cultural change in terms of how you look at talent development. However, the pandemic has forced companies to speed up this process. As #WFM becomes a new normal, companies have come to realise that the only way to keep abreast of the change is to remain prepared and ready to adapt culturally to this new normal.  Our own survey for the whitepaper ‘High-Impact Learning at Scale’ suggests that the L&D budget commitments moved from 40% to 80% post COVIOD-19, within a span of just one month. A promising growth of EdTech worldwide suggests that online learning is already getting a nod from many companies and they’ve already begun the journey of this inside out cultural change.  Together we can create a new online learning paradigm  At upGrad, we look forward to charting your business graph. We start with you, understand your problems and create solutions that are bespoke to your needs. We understand the changing market landscape, your business mission that changes with it and we revolutionise learning to build new capabilities and help you stay relevant. We work with enterprises to shape world-class professionals by creating an immersive experience using the latest technology, pedagogy, and services.  To date, over 500,000 learners have successfully upskilled and reskilled themselves via upGrad at industry-defying rates of over 85%. Our cutting edge curricula and collaboration with the leading global faculty and industry experts makes us the pioneers in helping enterprises create a workforce that is ready to conquer tomorrow, today.  Still need convincing? Download our whitepaper. Or Reach out to us on enterprise@upgrad.com

by upGrad Enterprise

06 May 2020