The Pheno-Type: Kevin Ha
Kevin Ha, Head of Data Science, Genomics, has been with BioSymetrics since 2019. Read below about how a life-changing event set him on a journey to his current role at BioSymetrics.
“I get to work with a super talented team trying to leverage machine learning and data science to further precision medicine.”
Tell us more about your journey leading up to BioSymetrics.
My journey started back in undergrad at the University of Waterloo. It was 2003 and I was in the Bioinformatics co-op program. To be honest, at the time, I didn’t really understand what bioinformatics meant other than I got to take courses in two of my favourite subjects: computer science and biology. The first human genome reference sequence had just been published and it would take several years for me to truly appreciate the impact that bioinformatics would have in the field.
There were two key experiences during my undergrad that set my journey on a path towards becoming a Computational Biologist and eventually Data Scientist. First, during my second year, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer (thankfully healthy 20 years later!). It was an unbelievable and life-changing moment that convinced me that pursuing a career in life sciences was my calling. Second, I was lucky to get offered a rare co-op opportunity to work in a bioinformatics research lab in Toronto. This would lead to more opportunities and eventually pave the way towards grad school.
My grad school journey had a few stops. I completed my Master’s in Human Genetics at McGill University, where I worked with high-throughput sequencing data and its application to breast cancer. I then had a short stint a research intern at Microsoft Research working on open-source bioinformatics projects, which gave me a greater appreciation for software development. Next, it was on to my PhD in Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto. It was during this period in time that I got to learn about machine learning and its applications to biology.
Upon graduation, I joined BioSymetrics as a Data Scientist and currently as Head of Data Science, Genomics, where I get to work with a super talented team trying to leverage machine learning and data science to further precision medicine.
“[Software development] skills have proved to be essential in order for our team to work together effectively to develop products.”
There is definitely some degree of overlap between bioinformatics and data science as applied to the life sciences. On the other hand, there must have been some large jumps in making that leap to data science. What were some of these large jumps you experienced?
I found that my training in computational biology helped develop a lot of key skills to transition to data science. One large jump I experienced was learning to become a better programmer. Often, data science doesn’t emphasize the importance of writing clean, reproducible code. This became evident to me during my internship at Microsoft Research, where multiple teams were collaborating together and reviewing each other’s code. I started thinking more like a software developer and spent a lot of time learning best practices by studying other projects. Now at BioSymetrics, these skills have proved to be essential in order for our team to work together effectively to develop products.
We definitely are living in a world where data scientists are no longer sandboxed into their own little technological niche. As far as the biomedical space is concerned, what excites you most about the future of artificial intelligence (AI) there?
We are starting to see real-world use cases of AI in the biomedical space that are impacting areas such as research & development (R&D) and clinical. This is very exciting as it takes us one step closer to tailored, personalized medicine. That said, there still is more work to be done. AI technology is rapidly evolving and we must continue to be thoughtful in how it is developed and applied.
Now for something light-hearted! What's something interesting or unique about you that not many people might know about?
As I mentioned earlier, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at a young age. I underwent a few surgeries and radiation therapy sessions to treat it. While it’s not quite a light-hearted fact, that moment shaped my life in a positive way. I’m proud to be a cancer survivor and now that I’m a parent, it has become more important for me to inspire the younger generation to persevere and overcome whatever challenges they may be dealing with.
By Simon Eng – October 8, 2024