Cris graduated in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Auckland in 1989. He worked as a house surgeon and undertook asthma research before researching the use of genomic data and other 'big data' in various pathologies in Melbourne and Cambridge, UK. He co-founded a public genomics and data company in Japan before returning to New Zealand in 2005 where he has been using genomics and big data to better understand human pathology, with special focus on cancer. Cris is a Professor in the University of Auckland's Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology.

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Using Big Data to Make a Difference

"Big data", including data contained in electronic medical records, imaging and genome data, are transforming medical research and clinical medicine. However, as this transformation occurs, we are discovering that it is easier to use big data to understand population-level trends, than it is to use big data to improve the health of individual patients! Following on from the previous presentations, Cris will raise several challenges and possible solutions for the patient-focused use of big data. He will use genomic data linked to clinical and pathological patient information as an example. These challenges include: Has big data technology outpaced the understanding of the public and of clinicians? How do we most constructively address the ethical issues associated with human big data in NZ? How can we better use the synergy between different types of big data such as clinical notes, genome sequences, pathology and imaging? NZ has a major capability gap in big data expertise - how do we develop a big-data savvy workforce for both healthcare and research? It is a truly exciting time for big data in medicine, however our future success may depend on much deeper engagement between technology experts and scientists/clinicians.