Pioneering the Path in Healthcare Enhancement and Advancement!

Healthcare is an industry that is constantly changing and adapting to new advancements in technology, research, and patient needs. With the ongoing changes and the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare, it can be challenging for healthcare professionals to keep up with the latest trends and best practices.

Denise Juliano is a Group Vice President of Life Sciences at Premier Inc., where she is changing the healthcare game with her extensive experience and devotion to improving patient well-being, quality, and cost. Denise’s career in the life sciences industry spans over 30 years, with significant contributions at Merck, a pharmaceutical powerhouse. She brings her vast knowledge and expertise to Premier, where she heads the PINC AI^™ Applied Sciences team.

As a Group Vice President, Denise is instrumental in developing strategic business relationships with life sciences companies. She is a visionary who creates innovative solutions that enhance quality, reduce costs, and promote healthier lifestyles. Biotech Week Boston has recognized the PINC AI^™ Applied Sciences team under her leadership for their pioneering use of technology-enabled healthcare solutions in digital medicine.

Denise is not only an asset to Premier but also to the Strategic Account Management Association and Cancer Care, where she serves on the board of trustees. She has been named one of the Top 25 Women Leaders in North Carolina and one of the Top 50 Women Leaders in Biotechnology in 2022.

Apart from her professional achievements, she is a passionate mentor who dedicates her time and expertise to shaping the next generation of women leaders in the healthcare industry. Her commitment to fostering diversity and empowering future professionals is unwavering, making her a role model for aspiring leaders everywhere.

Her unwavering dedication to healthcare improvement and her groundbreaking contributions to the life sciences industry make her an exceptional leader. With her visionary mindset and commitment to innovation, Denise continues to redefine the future of healthcare, one solution at a time, without a doubt.

Let us delve deeper into her journey!

Could you please briefly describe yourself and your motivation to embark on this sector?

I’m the Group Vice President of Life Sciences at Premier Inc. I’m responsible for leading the PINC AI^™ Applied Sciences (PAS) team, the data research and analytics division of Premier, which includes retrospective, prospective, implementation, and improvement science. Recently, the PAS team expanded our capabilities to include clinical trials to help close gaps in care, accelerate evidence into practice, and implement workflow solutions.

My professional North Star is helping hospitals, health systems, and life sciences organizations achieve smart, provider-led care that focuses on the patient’s needs. This kind of patient-centered care needs seamless data that can be analyzed effectively and leveraged to guide decision-making.

Kindly brief us about Premier Inc. and how you have contributed to the success of the firm.

Premier is a leading healthcare improvement company, uniting an alliance of more than 4,400 U.S. hospitals and health systems and approximately 250,000 other providers and organizations to transform healthcare. Premier has integrated data and analytics, collaboratives, supply chain solutions, consulting, and other services available to healthcare organizations, enabling better care and outcomes at a lower cost.

In July 2022, Premier launched PINC AI^™ to highlight the development and expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) and other cutting-edge technologies to help hospitals, healthcare systems, and life sciences organizations improve clinical intelligence, margins, and value-based care.

During my tenure at Premier, I’ve had the privilege of leading the transformation of the PAS team to position it as a partner for life sciences organizations, government organizations, payers, and health systems to spur innovation and determine evidence-based treatment approaches that can impact communities, improve outcomes and help lower costs.

Can you tell us about your role as Group Vice President of Life Sciences at Premier and how you lead the PINC AI^™ Applied Sciences team in developing strategic business relationships with life sciences companies?

I’m responsible for developing strategic business relationships with life sciences companies and expanding opportunities for entities to leverage PAS solutions and PINC AI^™ data. My team leads the development and implementation of innovative, real-world evidence solutions with life sciences organizations and health systems to accelerate care alignment with evidence-based guidelines and best practices.

Prior to joining Premier, I worked at Merck, where I spent time as part of an executive leadership initiative designed to transform the company into a customer-centric organization. Working in healthcare has given me firsthand experience with the rapidly shifting ecosystem and has allowed me to collaborate with the PAS team as we work directly with stakeholders to implement change.

With over 30 years of industry experience, what do you think sets you apart as an innovator and relationship builder in the pharmaceutical industry?

Some of my key strengths are my drive, determination, and vast network. Working in healthcare requires a network of potential collaborators and innovators.

While working with Merck, I had the chance to interact with the commercial business in the U.S. and overseas, as well as the research divisions, laboratories, and the Merck Innovation Center. This vast network of contacts gives me a group of individuals that I can connect with and innovate with, as well as establish my credibility as a leader in this industry.

My robust network sets me apart from others, as I continuously mine my contacts for connections and opportunities to help the PAS team stay at the forefront of innovation and lead the industry charge. As a team, we must be willing to take risks, fail fast, and fail forward.

How has the healthcare industry evolved during your career, and how do you anticipate it will continue to evolve in the future?

The healthcare industry has changed in many ways over the last three decades. From moving from fee-for-service to value-based care to the role that data and technology-enabled tools play in virtual healthcare as well as real-world evidence generation to support drug, device, or therapy development.

Virtual care and virtual tools are here to stay, and I believe we will continue to see shifts as we increase the use of AI and in-home care and rely more and more on real-world data to generate actionable insights to help change healthcare for all.

What qualities do you look for in potential team members when building your team and working towards achieving Premier’s goals?

I seek out individuals who are curious about exploring ways they can impact patient care. It’s a blue-sky kind of mentality that I’m looking for. We also need to see a strong desire to collaborate with others on our team to hardwire sustainable change.

Currently, our team of more than 100 includes physicians, research scientists, research analysts, biostatisticians, and medical writers. Each possesses a wide variety of experience, including in medicine, epidemiology, psychology, health economics, statistics, and biology.

Together, the PAS team has more than 1,000 peer-reviewed publications, 196 Premier-authored articles, and more than 400 years of combined experience.

What advice would you give to professionals looking to venture into this sector?

The best advice I could give to other professionals would be to stay open to learning something new every day, stay nimble and willing to change course as needed, and finally, take calculated risks while not being afraid to fail.

Please feel free to add or highlight any other interesting insights that we might have missed in our questionnaire.

In May 2022, I was appointed to the CancerCare^® Board of Trustees, and during my first year, I utilized my vast network to play a role in fundraising and in several programs, including the Pet Assistance & Wellness Program (PAW), which is designed to assist people who are undergoing cancer treatment care for their pets at home. The program offers educational resources, counseling, support groups, and limited financial assistance that can help offset expenses associated with pet care.

In addition, I have a strong focus on giving back to the community and lifting others up as a mentor and a coach. I’ve been involved in community service for more than 25 years and have extensive experience in mentoring young women in professional development.

A few of my recent noteworthy accomplishments include:

• Recognized as one of the Top 50 Women Leaders of North Carolina in 2022 by Women We Admire.
• Served on the Strategic Account Management Board since 2016.
• Serves as an executive sponsor of the LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group (ERG) at Premier.
• Served on the Board of Directors for the North Penn Senior Center for five years.
• Served as an advisor to The Women’s Place in Bucks County.
• Served as a mentor for Women Unlimited, Inc.
• Member of the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA).
• The first recipient of the Linda A. Rooney Award for Executive Women’s Leadership at Merck.