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Q&A

When did you realize you wanted to be a scientist working in public health?

My first job out of college was as a research assistant on a drug safety study—a challenging one where serious adverse events were discovered after females exposed in utero reached puberty. Lots of challenges creating a retrospective cohort of mothers, and contacting them to find out about any daughters, who then were in their late teens and twenties.

Where do you see your field going? What is your vision of the field in 2030?

I expect we will see much greater use of real world evidence for label expansions. Recognizing the need for benchmark data to assure regulators and clinicians about comparative benefits and risks, the push for personalized medicine will demand more use of external comparators (aka historical controls) as patients and clinicians become less willing to risk randomization to placebos to determine their changes of receiving a cure.

What book are you currently reading and why?

Just finishing Dreyer’s English. I want to see how my cousin got his book on the New York Times Best Sellers List.

What advice would you give your younger self about to enter the “real world?”

It’s not just about what work you do; who you work with and company culture are equally important.

How has DIA helped you?

DIA has been a phenomenal way to meet intelligent, creative people who are driven to excel. I have met some wonderful people who inspire me to do more and try harder.

BIOGRAPHY

Nancy Dreyer, MPH, PhD, is Chief Scientific Officer and Senior Vice President at IQVIA, focusing on generating real world evidence for regulators, clinicians, patients and payers through pragmatic trials and non-interventional approaches. She is a Fellow of DIA and the International Society of Pharmacoepidemiology, a member of the PCORI Clinical Trials Methods Advisory Panel, and a Standing Consultant to the National Football League Health & Safety Executive Committee. She holds an appointment as Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina and has twice been named to PharmaVOICE magazine's annual list of 100 most influential and inspiring individuals in life sciences.