Profile: Madhusree Singh, health economist

Madhus, as she prefers to be called, is a global outcomes fellow at a major pharmaceutical company. Responding to questions in the precise and mellifluous tone characteristic of those who grew up and were educated in India, she describes her work in outcomes research. It’s mainly in health service, she says, and disease related and product related.

What prompted her to get into this field? It was a conscious choice, she says. After completing her residency in internal medicine, she wanted to use her medical skills but to diversify into an area that, as a mother of one child and with another expected in February, she could combine professional with family life. She wanted what many young physicians are looking for – rewarding work plus a ‘lifestyle.’

What she enjoys most about her chosen field is the broad view she can take on health issues, the shift to different perspectives, and the opportunity to look at end results “not just the here and now.” She’s also intrigued by the intersection of policy and science and sociology. Is there a down side? Well, Madhus admits, “I’m not especially numerate; I have trouble with dense statistics and computer programs.”

Would she recommend her line of work to her children? Probably, she says, if that’s what they want to do. The important thing about any type of work, she believes, is to enjoy it. For her, exploring how to deliver optimum patient care is especially fulfilling.

Soon, she’ll be taking up a new challenge: moving to California with her husband, a researcher into Alzheimer’s disease.

Oh, and what about HOC? It’s concise and helpful, she says.