Collaborator Spotlight: Julio Oliveira

Julio Oliveira is a physician, physicist, and entrepreneur dedicated to advancing the use of real-world data to improve research and decision-making in Latin America. With academic training in Physics from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) and Medicine from the Santa Casa de São Paulo School of Medical Sciences, he has built a career grounded in both scientific rigor and practical healthcare impact.

As Founder and CEO of Precision Data, Julio works to transform complex, heterogeneous healthcare data into reliable, analysis-ready resources for scientific research. He is also a regional leader in the OHDSI community, where he supports the growth of the OMOP Common Data Model and collaborative observational research across LATAM. His broader mission is to strengthen data quality, interoperability, and research ecosystems that can generate meaningful evidence for patients, providers, researchers, and health systems. Julio is also the proud father of two children, Alice and Vicente, whose curiosity and energy continually remind him why building better healthcare systems matters.

In the latest collaborator spotlight, Julio reflects on his path to OHDSI, its growth in Latin America, why now is the right time for the first LATAM Symposium, and more.

 

Can you discuss your background and career journey?
 
I began my academic journey studying Physics at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil, which provided me with a strong foundation in analytical thinking and a principles-based approach to understanding complex systems. During this time, a personal life event significantly reshaped my perspective and motivated me to pursue a career in Medicine.
 
After completing medical school, I started a residency in Pathology, but soon realized that my interests were more aligned with leveraging data to improve healthcare at scale. This led me to transition into data science, focusing on healthcare applications. Over the years, I gained experience working with both Brazilian and multinational organizations, before founding Precision Data, where I now dedicate my full time to advancing real-world evidence (RWE) initiatives across Latin America.
 
Can you tell us about your current projects and how OHDSI helps address LATAM healthcare challenges?
 
At Precision Data, I lead a multidisciplinary team working on multiple real-world evidence projects across Latin America, including Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and emerging efforts in countries like Peru and Argentina.
 
These projects involve highly heterogeneous data sources — from administrative claims to electronic health records and molecular data — all of which require significant effort in structuring, validation, and enrichment. The OHDSI framework has been fundamental in guiding this work. The OMOP Common Data Model, along with the open-source tool ecosystem and established best practices, provides a clear and scalable pathway to generate high-quality evidence.
 
Beyond the technical framework, OHDSI also offers a strong foundation for stakeholder alignment. Its global use cases, publications, and collaborative model help us engage effectively with public institutions, private organizations, policymakers, and researchers, creating a shared language across diverse stakeholders in the region.
 
How did you first discover OHDSI, and what convinced you of its potential in LATAM?
 
I was first introduced to OHDSI during my early career at a health startup in Brazil, where we were searching for a global standard to structure healthcare data. Discovering OMOP was a pivotal moment — it provided not only a data model, but also a comprehensive framework with tools, guidelines, and a strong community.  At that time (around 2019–2021), implementing these standards was challenging due to limited regional maturity and lack of alignment among stakeholders. However, this experience reinforced my belief that a common data language was essential for scaling research and collaboration.
 
Today, the landscape in Latin America has evolved significantly. Regulatory agencies such as ANVISA and the Brazilian Ministry of Health are actively discussing best practices for real-world data, often referencing OMOP and international initiatives like DARWIN EU and EHDEN. This broader institutional support has created the conditions for OHDSI to become a unifying framework across the region.
 
Why is now the right time for the OHDSI LATAM Symposium?
 
For several years, I have advocated for bringing an OHDSI symposium to Latin America, but it was difficult to align key institutions and leadership around this vision. A major turning point came when we engaged Fiocruz, one of Brazil’s leading research institutions linked to the Ministry of Health.
 
This partnership enabled us to mobilize regional leadership and expand engagement across countries. At the same time, regulatory momentum — particularly with agencies like ANVISA referencing OMOP and global RWE initiatives — created a strong foundation for adoption.
 
What do you hope attendees will take away from the event?
 
I hope participants leave the symposium with a clear understanding of the transformative potential of data harmonization and the OMOP Common Data Model. More importantly, I hope they begin to see their local data assets as part of a larger ecosystem — where institutional data can contribute to regional and global insights, ultimately impacting millions of patients.
 
From a growth perspective, I see the symposium as a catalyst for talent development and investment. Latin America has a strong need for skilled professionals in data engineering, data quality, and observational research. By increasing visibility and creating real opportunities — through research projects, grants, and institutional adoption — we can accelerate the development of this talent base and support sustainable growth of the network.
 
Looking ahead, what are your priorities for OHDSI LATAM?
 
One of the key priorities is increasing the number of OMOP-converted databases in the region, particularly those derived from electronic medical records. While Latin America has strong administrative datasets, there is still a gap in high-resolution clinical data that limits deeper research.  Equally important is embedding data quality and governance principles early in the data lifecycle, ensuring that OMOP transformations are more efficient and reliable.
 
Another major focus is geographic expansion. While current efforts are concentrated in a few countries, there is significant untapped potential across the region. Expanding engagement to more countries and institutions will be critical to building a truly representative and scalable network.
 
What are your hobbies, and something people might not know about you?
 
Music has always been an important part of my life. Over the years, I’ve played in bands as both a guitarist and a bassist. More recently, I bought a piano for my daughter to start taking lessons — and as a way to encourage her, I decided to learn as well. It has been a very rewarding experience, and I’ve really enjoyed exploring this new instrument.
 
Outside of music, I love spending time with my children playing board games, especially those inspired by worlds like Harry Potter and the Avengers. It’s a fun way to connect, and I appreciate how these games combine strategy, storytelling, and imagination.
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