Portland’s active Tech scene is well represented with many Meetup.com events. Dynamic Talks Portland recently hosted Peter Graven, Head Data Scientist at OHSU. His low-key approachable style was noted. Also, his explanation of his successes were based on soft skills.

My paraphrasing a few of his points:
– Expect the business question addressed by the model to change dramatically
– Carefully introduce customers to the model
– Watch a few early adopters use the model – likely in unexpected ways
– Help the customers incorporate the model into their efforts and processes

– Yes, the usual intense data prep and modeling efforts are the foundation
– One needs to work with people at all levels of the organization

His presentation was excellent!