Advanced Analytic Solutions

Statistical Consultation

Richard D. Pollack, Ph.D.

Professional Background and Interests

  • 20+ years of statistical consulting experience
  • Author of two statistical patents (under review) for analyzing pharmaceutical databases
  • Member of the Decision and System Sciences Advisory Board, Saint Joseph’s University
  • Former Vice President, Advanced Analytics for a market research/IT consulting firm
  • Sole developer of a proprietary statistical model – RPM™ (RONIN Predictive Model) well-suited for analyzing the non-parametric and non-linear complexities of Internet data
  • Former Vice President for Research and Information Technology at a market research firm specializing in educational consulting
  • Former full-time college professor specializing in teaching and applying statistical methods
  • Extensive experience in designing studies, creating databases, conducting analyses, reporting and implementing findings
  • Ten published studies (available upon request) and 16 professional conference presentations involving sophisticated research design and statistical analysis
  • Item writer (1992-1994) for the Educational Testing Service’s GRE Psychology Subject Test
  • Developer of a simplified statistical software package in VisualBasic for research methods and statistics students
  • Proficient (decades of experience) with IBM’s statistical software package SPSS
  • Considerable experience with the following advanced statistics and procedures:
    • Decision trees including Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detector (CHAID), and Exhaustive CHAID, both effective for consumer profiling and market segmentation
    • Non-parametric statistics, with particular emphasis on categorical analysis
    • Numerous types of multiple regression including linear, partial least squares (PLS), non-linear, logistic and multinomial logistic
    • Conjoint (w/simulation) & hybrid designs
    • Tradeoff analyses, including Conjoint and Discrete Choice and related adaptive designs
    • Discriminant Analysis
    • Cluster Analysis
    • Factor Analysis, Principal Components Analysis (PCA)
    • Correspondence Analysis
    • TURF (Total Unduplicated Reach and Frequency) Analysis
    • Trend Analysis
    • Analysis of Variance (ANOVA); Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA)
    • Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA); Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA)
    • Repeated measures applications for each of the above ANOVA procedures
    • Missing data imputation methods
    • Optimization, including resource, pricing and discounting
    • Dynamic pricing
    • Developing proprietary advanced predictive models
    • Building simulators (usually in Excel with a Visual Basic interface) to test different scenarios in the marketplace
    • Rule & algorithm creation for apps
    • Preference/recommendation engine algorithm creation, development and deployment
    • Quantifying social media impact on purchase behavior
    • Creating machine learning algorithms to maximize predictive accuracy
    • Market sizing
    • Marketing mix modeling

Employment History

04/2002 – Present
Advanced Analytic Solutions – Newtown, PA
Owner

  • Independent statistical consultant specializing in helping companies segment, profile, and predict the behavior of their key consumers through a variety of data science techniques, including the development of predictive models to patents.
  • Heavy emphasis in recent years on large-scale quantitative projects for top pharmaceutical and CPG companies:

    →Pharma engagements include doctor and patient data analysis across major therapeutic areas, optimal medical device configuration, and developing a predictive algorithm for a pharmaceutical mobile application
    →CPG projects include sophisticated simulators to optimize product features for a variety of goods & services and developing predictive analytics to maximize the uptake of those goods & services

01/2001 – 04/2002
IMS HEALTH (now IQVIA) (www.IQVIA.com)
A Fortune 1000 data vendor and consultancy for the pharmaceutical industry in over 90 countries
Director, Advanced Analytics, Statistical Services Department

  • Lead the statistical development of advanced analytics supporting sales force effectiveness and market research applications for pharmaceutical clients.
  • Developed two patents (under review) in the areas of predictive modeling and targeting analytics, respectively, on prescription databases.
  • Developed and implemented IMS HEALTH’s psychographics practice for major pharmaceutical clients resulting in significant revenue for IMS’ Consulting division.

05/1999 – 11/2000
RONIN Corporation (www.ronin.com)
A market research/IT consulting firm in Princeton, NJ and London, UK
Vice President, Advanced Analytics

  • Consulted with project teams based in the US and the UK on sampling, design, and higher-order analysis for a wide range of global and domestic research engagements for clients including IBM, Microsoft, Dell, Xerox, HP, Verizon, and major .coms.
  • Developed a proprietary statistical model called RPM™ (RONIN Predictive Model) to help account for the non-parametric and non-linear complexities of IT and Web data.
  • Key participant in corporate sales presentations and results presentations to clients.
  • Provided statistical training to the research staff and kept the sales force abreast of new developments and tools from RONIN Research Services.
  • Participated with CEO and Executive VP in strategic planning for RONIN Research Services.

09/1997 – 05/1999
Statistical Analysis and Design Services – Andover, MA
Principal

  • Independent statistical consultant who specialized in helping companies turn data into business results through consumer profiling and predictive modeling.
  • Clients included market research, e-commerce, and other Web-based companies.

01/1996 – 08/1997
Maguire Associates
An educational consulting firm in Bedford, MA
Vice President for Research and Information Technology

  • Directed the research operations of the company.
  • Supervised four project managers in research design, instrument development, and analysis.
  • Constructed, maintained, and analyzed large databases.
  • Ensured the appropriate selection and use of statistical analyses and procedures across all company projects.
  • Created a financial aid leveraging product to predict a student’s probability of enrolling at a particular college or university, based on numerous financial, demographic, and student-related variables.
  • Oversaw the purchasing, implementation, and maintenance of company-wide technologies.

09/1991 – 12/1995
Merrimack College – North Andover, MA
Assistant Professor of Psychology

  • Taught a variety of quantitative courses, including Statistics and Research Methods
  • Taught Introduction to Psychology and Developmental Psychology courses
  • Conducted research while remaining actively involved in statistical consulting
  • Published six studies (available upon request) across a variety of psychology journals

01/1989 – 08/1991
Data Integrity – Philadelphia, PA
Business Partner

  • One of two partners specializing in personal computer and network consulting on IBM-based systems.
  • Built and installed numerous PCs for single users and created multi-user environments for small applications.

Education

  • Temple University: 1985 – 1991, Ph.D. in Psychology
  • University of Oklahoma: 1983 – 1985, MS in Psychology
  • Syracuse University: 1979 – 1983, BA in Psychology & Economics (double major)

Relevant Honors and Awards

  • 1996: Selected for inclusion in the fourth edition of WHO’S WHO AMONG AMERICA’S TEACHERS
  • 1991: Marianthi Georgoudi Award presented annually for the outstanding doctoral dissertation among Temple University’s five psychology divisions
  • Through various scholarships and fellowships, all tuition and living expenses were covered during graduate school.

Recent Presentations of Interest

  • Open-source Statistical Packages: The True Cost of “Free” Software, Richard D. Pollack, Ronald K. Klimberg and Susan H. Boklage, paper presentation at INFORMS Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, November 3, 2015.
  • Clinical Characteristics of Patients with Siadh Who Respond to Fluid Restriction in the Management of Hyponatremia from a Global Registry (Poster Presentation), 4th author with Joseph Verbalis, MD, Susan Boklage and Joseph Chiodo III, at the joint meeting of the International Society of Endocrinology and The Endocrine Society: ICE/ENDO, Chicago, IL, June 22, 2014.
  • Data Mining Challenges and Solutions (invited address), Saint Joseph’s University Semiannual Business Intelligence Speaker Event, Philadelphia, PA, March 7, 2011.
  • Dramatically Enhancing the ROI of Patient Level Data: Employing Under-Utilized Data Sources, CBI’s 4th Annual Forum on Anonymous Patient-Level Data and Analysis, Philadelphia, PA, June 12, 2006.
  • Future Directions of Data Mining in the Classroom and in the Real-World (Panel Discussion), The 34th Annual Meeting of the Decision Sciences Institute, Washington, D.C., November 24, 2003.
  • Psychographics and Data Mining, The 34th Annual Meeting of the Decision Sciences Institute, Washington, D.C., November 23, 2003.
  • Data Mining-Statistical Modeling Techniques that Work, CBI’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) for the Pharmaceutical Industry Conference, Philadelphia, PA, October 29, 2001.
  • Developing Advanced Predictive Forecasting Methodologies To Evaluate Which Customers Are Most Profitable And Those That Are Likely To Churn, Vision in Business Limited Conference on Market Forecasting & Revenue Modeling in Telecoms, London, England, July 12, 2000.
  • Turning Your Web Site Into A Sophisticated Sales Agent, IIR Optimizing Online & Offline Campaign Implementation Conference, NYC, NY, February 29, 2000.
  • Adaptive Predictive Technology On The Web, presented as part of The Next Twenty Years Conference Series at Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, England, September 29, 1999.
  • Turning Data Into Strategic Marketing Tools Through Consumer Profiling & Predictive Modeling, IIR Market Forecasting for Telecoms Operators & Manufacturers Conference, London, England, September 28, 1999.

Recent Publications of Interest

  • Klimberg, R., Pollack, R. and Herschel, R. (2017). Why We Need Analytics Grand Rounds. In K. Lawrence  and R. Klimberg (Eds). Contemporary Perspectives in Data Mining: Volume 3. Information Age Publishing, Inc., Charlotte, NC.
  • Pollack, Richard D., Klimberg, Ronald K. and Boklage, Susan H. (October, 2015). The True Cost of “Free” Statistical Software. In ORMS Today, Lionheart Publishing, Inc., Marietta, GA.
  • Pollack, R. D. (2008). Data Mining: Common Definitions, Applications, and Misunderstandings. In K. Lawrence, S. Kudyba, and R. Klimberg (Eds). Data Mining Methods and Applications. Auerbach Publications, Boston, MA.
  • Pollack, Rick (April/May 2007). Enhancing Web Analytics with Techniques that Actually Work. In PDMA Direct Views: An Official Publication of the Philadelphia Direct Marketing Association.

Pending Patents