This is a space for thoughtful pause and meaningful conversation—where ideas, experiences, and perspectives come together piece by piece. Here, I share musings, reflections, and dialogs on leadership, professional growth, and everyday life, with the intent of bringing clarity to complexity. Pull up a chair, stay awhile, and join the conversation.
Author: Hongmei
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Coach is my passion
Lately, I’ve had the privilege of working with several leaders navigating major career transitions. It brings me so much joy to see them land their dream roles and step confidently into new possibilities.
Coaching is my passion. Helping others find clarity and achieve success in their careers and in life gives me deep fulfillment.
I was especially touched by the following kind words from a recent client, a senior pharma leader. Moments like this inspire me to keep doing what I love.
“At a pivotal crossroads in my career, Hongmei provided the kind of expert guidance that was both transformative and empowering. Her incisive insights, deep industry knowledge, and sharp business acumen helped me navigate uncertainty with clarity and confidence. What sets Hongmei apart is her ability to probe beneath the surface—she gently encouraged my inner voice to emerge naturally, without ever imposing her own views.
Rather than making decisions for me, Hongmei guided me to examine situations through multiple lenses, allowing clarity to arise organically. Her leadership qualities shine through in every interaction, and she has a rare gift for breaking down complex issues into bite-sized, manageable pieces. With her support, I was able to make thoughtful, well-informed decisions that aligned with my values and aspirations.
I’m deeply grateful for her wisdom, patience, and unwavering support. Hongmei is not just a coach—she’s a catalyst for meaningful growth.”
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Let’s not forget the importance of data
I was captivated reading Lawrence Ingrassia’s A Fatal Inheritance, which narrates a deeply personal account of families plagued by early-onset cancers, as well the scientific history behind the discovery of the P53 gene mutation that explains cancer clusters like Li-Fraumeni Syndrome.
Among many reflections, one stood out: the critical role of data in revealing patterns and connectivities that lead to groundbreaking scientific discoveries.
I was in awe of the tenacity of the researchers, and even more moved by the selfless generosity of countless patients and families who contributed samples and information, knowing it likely would not help themselves, but hoping it would bring understanding, prevention and treatments for future generations.
As we marvel at what AI can do in today’s world, let’s stay grounded in why we pursue research: for the patients. Let’s not forget the importance of data, or lose sight of where it comes from.
Years ago, when I was in the hospital, nurses asked if I would consider donating the tissue samples from my surgery. I signed without hesitation – it would have been hypocritical not to, given how passionate I’ve been about building data ecosystems for research.
So I ask you, friends in my professional network: when you’re given the opportunity to contribute samples and information, please say yes.
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Using informatics to connect the dots for the greater good
Published on June 22, 2022. As part of the #SummerOfScience campaign, Association of Women in Science (AWIS) features a woman scientist each week, to show the impact different fields of science have on society – and how these fields are impacted by women.Introduce yourself, your current role, and what led you here.
I am Hongmei Huang, the Vice President of Development Sciences Informatics at Genentech. Informatics is the science of capturing, processing, and utilizing data. It’s about being able to connect the dots. We need people who understand both the science and the technology to look at these challenges in a very pragmatic and applicable way.
I studied chemistry as an undergrad at Beijing University, then bio-analytical chemistry at the University of Michigan. As I studied proteins and peptides, I grew curious about the larger context of my work. I started thinking about what was behind the experiments, what we were trying to accomplish and how it fit into broader research. So, I pursued a PhD in bio-organic chemistry at the Scripps Research Institute.
After graduate school, I became a research investigator and oncology project leader. For the first time, I had a holistic view of all the data my colleagues and I worked with. And there was a lot of it. The data that we had was beyond what our Excel spreadsheets could handle. I knew that we needed to organize our data in a systematic way before things got out of control. I started taking classes in computer science so I could get the most out of the data that was coming from preclinical and clinical studies.
What do you love about this field?
In my role, I am able to pair my scientific knowledge with my data analytics knowledge to make a greater impact on the organization and society as a whole. Achieving such goals on the scale of a research enterprise like Genentech’s is a monumental task requiring years of work and a significant amount of investment. I was awed by the volume, diversity, and quality of scientific data my colleagues produce. I believe that Genentech’s vision for improving healthcare will succeed. It’s really not only a technology solution, it’s also about the culture. It’s a movement. You have to have the whole organization making a commitment. And I feel that commitment here.
How does this work benefit people and society in general?
When scientific or clinical data is FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable), it can be used many times over to generate insights by researchers throughout an organization – not just once for the purposes that led to its collection. Data from past clinical trials can shed new light on the discovery and development of the next generation of medicines, as well as better inform the design of future trials; machine learning and other computational methods can be applied to petabytes of data to find patterns no human could ever hope to detect.
In fact, Genentech envisions creating a Human-Machine Partnership that combines the analytical brains of scientists with the digital brawn of computers to find new and more personalized ways to treat cancer and other diseases.
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Data Driven
As published on Feb 10, 2021 by Genentech: https://www.gene.com/stories/data-driven
Hongmei Huang was born curious. She remembers receiving a set of books from her parents called 100,000 Whys when she was a child that explained things like why people get fevers, why the moon appears to follow us and why newsprint turns yellow over time. Turning the pages, Hongmei was fascinated that science could answer almost any question under the sun.
By college, Hongmei felt especially drawn to math and life sciences, so an admissions officer at Beijing University suggested she satisfy both passions by studying chemistry. She flourished, and then pursued graduate work in bio-analytical chemistry at the University of Michigan. As she studied proteins and peptides, she grew curious about the larger context of her work.
“I started thinking about what was behind the experiments, what we were trying to accomplish and how it fit into broader research,” she says. Hongmei began asking people how she could get into the biomedical field, and soon found herself pursuing a Ph.D. in bio-organic chemistry at the Scripps Research Institute near San Diego.
After graduate school, Hongmei landed her first biopharma industry job as a research investigator in medicinal chemistry, quickly rising through the ranks to become an oncology project leader. For the first time, she had a holistic view of all the data she and her colleagues worked with. And there was a lot of it. Developing a new medicine creates a mountain of data, from new insights into how a disease affects our cells to clinical trial data examining how effective and safe a new molecule is for patients.
“The data that we had was beyond what our Excel spreadsheets could handle. I knew that we needed to organize our data in a systematic way before things got out of control.”
SCIENCE MEETS TECHNOLOGY
Hongmei threw herself into the challenge, remembering a traditional proverb her father sometimes quoted: “When you look at a mountain range from far away, it might seem impassable. But take the journey and you will find a path.”
Hongmei found her path. She began taking classes in computer science, and ended up leading efforts in both oncology and informatics, which concerns capturing, organizing and analyzing scientific and clinical data. She soon realized that her scientific background was a valuable asset in the burgeoning field of research and development informatics.
“It’s not just about technology. It’s about being able to connect the dots. We need people who understand both the science and the technology to look at these challenges in a very pragmatic and applicable way.”
Hongmei continued to hone her skills as she went on to lead both research and informatics teams, eventually becoming the global head of research informatics for a large pharmaceutical company. A few years later she got to know Sara Kenkare-Mitra, Genentech’s Senior Vice President, Development Sciences, and Jeff Helterbrand, Senior Vice President, Global Head of Biometrics. The trio began a general conversation about the challenges and opportunities of managing data in R&D. Hongmei began to appreciate her colleagues’ urgent desire to get the most out of the vast amount of scientific data becoming available in the preclinical and clinical realms.
Impressed by the growing data-driven culture at Genentech, and with a desire to lead the industry’s transformation of the data and informatics landscape for drug development, Hongmei joined Genentech in 2017 to build the informatics capabilities for the Development Sciences department.
“I felt like all the experience and background that I had gave me an opportunity to have an impact on the way our entire industry utilizes its data. This was an opportunity to do something really, really meaningful.”
Three years later, when Hongmei was promoted to Vice President, Development Sciences Informatics, Sara confirmed that Hongmei had indeed seized that opportunity.
“Hongmei has had a huge impact on the vision of informatics at Genentech and also established herself as an influential voice and a respected partner in the broader Roche efforts around data access and management,” Sara said.
A DATA CULTURE
In her time at Genentech, Hongmei has led the creation of a sophisticated data ecosystem with interoperable components for scientific disciplines that she describes as making our data FAIR – a data science abbreviation that stands for findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable. When scientific or clinical data meet all of these criteria, it can be used many times over to generate insights by researchers throughout an organization – not just once for the purposes that led to its collection. Data from past clinical trials can shed new light on the discovery and development of the next generation of medicines, as well as better inform the design of future trials; machine learning and other computational methods can be applied to petabytes of data to find patterns no human could ever hope to detect. In fact, Genentech envisions creating a Human-Machine Partnership that combines the analytical brains of researchers with the digital brawn of computers to find new and more personalized ways to treat cancer and other diseases.
Achieving such goals on the scale of a research enterprise like Genentech’s is a monumental task requiring years of work and a significant amount of investment. Hongmei has been awed by the volume, diversity and quality of scientific data her colleagues produce, which is a necessary prerequisite for initiatives like the Human-Machine Partnership.
The most important ingredient of Genentech’s data FAIRification success, Hongmei says, is not the expertise she and her colleagues apply but their way of thinking. She believes that Genentech’s vision for improving healthcare will succeed not only because of their efforts or the technology they employ, but also because everyone understands the importance of data and all are willing to exert a little extra effort to ensure their contributions to the company’s vast collection work for the greater good.
“It’s really not only a technology solution, it’s also a culture. It’s a movement. You have to have the whole organization making a commitment. And I feel that commitment here.”
ClarityNexus 