Jessica Curran, VP of Data Science at Health Catalyst (South Jordan, UT), shares how her work in healthcare data science improves patient care, empowers clinicians, and opens doors for women and remote professionals in tech.
South Jordan, Utah - July 11, 2025
Jessica Curran is VP of Data Science and Analytics at Health Catalyst and finalist for the 2024 Women Tech Council Awards. We interviewed her over Zoom to learn more about how she goes about her job in a leading Utah tech company that is transforming healthcare data. Curran shared how her remote role lets her “wrangle data from many sources to answer questions and drive direction”—all while balancing life as a military spouse.
Founded in 2008 by healthcare veterans, Health Catalyst is a leader in data and analytics solutions for healthcare organizations. Based in South Jordan, Utah (incidentally, in the same building as TechBuzz), the company builds a cloud-based Data Operating System used across more than 100 million patient records to deliver improvements in clinical, financial, and operational areas. With around 1,500 employees and $300 million in annual revenue, Health Catalyst offers products ranging from population health to cost intelligence and patient engagement.
Curran oversees the monumental task of integrating data from over 50 hospital systems—spanning clinical, financial, lab, drug, and patient databases—to make it “usable” for day-to-day operations. From there, her team harnesses analytics and data science to establish best practices, ensuring that organizations can “conduct correct analysis quickly and across lots of different types of organizations.”
At the heart of it all is Healthcare.AI™, a modular analytics suite she helped build. The tools go beyond basic stats, supporting everything from self-service analytics and machine learning to decision support. “These tools answer questions thoroughly and use evidence to decide what to do next,” she says, letting providers offload tedious documentation and data tasks—and focus on patients.
Curran’s mission isn’t just technical—it’s deeply personal. As the parent of a medically fragile son, she witnessed caregivers stretched thin, unable to spend enough time bedside. These real-world frustrations fueled her desire to create tools that allow clinicians to focus on patient care, not paperwork.
A self‑described math lover, Curran began college at the University of Georgia studying biochemistry and microbiology. She eventually switched to genetics and earned her B.S. in that field. But research at the bench didn’t call to her—she was drawn to healthcare software.
That path led to a Master's in Biostatistics from the University of Virginia. “Data science and analytics were one of the most important parts of doing medical research and making healthcare work,” she says, noting a lack of statisticians at the time and an ever-growing trove of data.
Curran’s philosophy: complex healthcare problems demand multidisciplinary input. “Every project includes people from the clinical, financial, statistics, engineering, and project management fields,” she explains. By bringing all those voices together, they can evaluate real-world impact—like how a care management program affects patients, staff, and the bottom line.
Empowering young people who may be interested in STEM, Curran urges them to stay curious and embrace non-linear paths. She says it’s okay—expected, even—to pivot. “Allow yourself to try things out and learn from them,” she advises. Mentorship is key too: “Talking to a person about their firsthand experience is invaluable.”
And to those who don’t yet see role models who look like them? “Don’t ever doubt that you can make it work…someone always has to be the first.”
Jessica Curran combines a passion for healthcare, data, and human-centered tech to lead Health Catalyst’s mission of improving patient outcomes. Her story—from a military spouse and math devotee to a trailblazing analytics leader—demonstrates how curiosity, courage, and collaboration can shape healthcare’s future.
To learn more about Health Catalyst, visit the company's website here.
Over the past year Isabelle Wolchek and Lexaide (Lexi) Araujo have been SheTech Student Board members and SheTech Media Interns with the Women Tech Council and TechBuzz News.
Isabelle graduated from DaVinci Academy of Science and the Arts in Ogden, Utah, where she started a SheTech Chapter and conducts university-level research in molecular medicine. She will continue her education at Yale University later this year.
Lexi is is a senior at American Preparatory Academy, where she participates in the yearbook committee, volunteers with N.M.D.P, plays violin, and performs with her Mariachi band.