Puja Aggarwal

About Puja Aggarwal

I am a Real-World Evidence (RWE), Health Economics & Outcomes Research (HEOR), & Epidemiology leader with 12+ years of experience designing & delivering oncology-focused evidence strategies that inform regulatory, payer, clinical, & life-science decision-making.I bring a clinical background in dental surgery with deep expertise in oncology RWE, epidemiology, & patient-centered outcomes research, enabling me to translate complex clinical & real-world data into actionable insights that influence strategy, evidence generation, & patient care across pharma & CRO environments.Leadership & Strategic Expertise• Lead end-to-end RWE & HEOR programs across oncology, including study conception, protocol development, execution, analysis, & dissemination• Provide strategic oversight of observational studies, registries, & outcomes research supporting post-marketing evidence, payer value narratives, & life-cycle management• Partner cross-functionally with clinical development, biostatistics, data science, medical affairs, market access, & external stakeholdersMethodological & Technical Strengths• Epidemiologic study design & execution (retrospective & prospective observational studies)• Real-world data sources including EHR/EMR, patient registries, clinical databases, & genomics-linked datasets• Clinical outcomes assessments, patient-reported outcomes, & clinician-rated outcomes• Advanced data analysis & interpretation with a strong understanding of bias, confounding, & real-world data limitations• Integration of AI & automation to improve research efficiency & scientific outputOncology & Clinical Focus• Deep experience in clinical oncology research, including solid tumors & oncologic therapies• Expertise spanning clinical trials, real-world oncology evidence, patient outcomes, and translational research• Hands-on experience with patient interviews, EMR abstraction, & outcomes data managementScientific Communication & Influence• Published author in high-impact, peer-reviewed journals• Frequent presenter at national and international scientific meetings, including ASTRO, AHNS, ASH, ISPOR, & others• Work led to several national, state, & institutional awards.• Lead author & contributor to protocols, study reports, manuscripts, & grant submissions, translating data into compelling scientific & value narrativesI am passionate about building robust, credible real-world evidence programs that bridge clinical science & real-world practice, strengthen life-science strategy, & ultimately improve outcomes for patients with cancer.Views are my own.

Experience

1. Senior Scientist

   Cardinal Health

   Nov 2023 — Present

   Lead end-to-end design and execution of RWE and observational studies for pharmaceutical & biotech clients, delivering regulatory outputs including study protocols, statistical analysis plans (SAPs), table/listing/figure (TLF) shells, & clinical study reports (CSRs).• Serve as client-facing scientific lead RWE/HEOR consultant, advising on evidence strategy, study design, analytic methodology, & interpretation to support medical affairs & health technology assessment (HTA) objectives.• Design, implement, & validate COAs & PROs to generate patient-centered evidence supporting product value, differentiation, & real-world effectiveness.• Apply advanced epidemiologic & biostatistical methods—including inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW), propensity score matching (PSM), Kaplan–Meier survival analysis, Cox proportional hazards models, & multivariable regression—to generate comparative effectiveness, safety, & outcomes insights from RWD.• Provide scientific oversight of RWE data collection & management, including CRF design, data quality assessment, & validation of RWD to ensure methodological rigor and audit-ready deliverables.• Author & deliver high-impact scientific deliverables, including abstracts, posters, manuscripts, & executive-level presentations, supporting dissemination of RWE findings to internal & external stakeholders.• Drive external visibility and thought leadership, contributing 11+ abstracts & presentations at major international conferences (ASH, ASCO, ISPOR, ISPOR-EU, SOHO), showcasing innovative real-world oncology methodologies & outcomes research.• Act as oncology subject matter expert (SME) for business development, supporting proposal development, evidence strategy, and client engagement • Collaborate cross-functionally with biostatistics, data science, clinical development, & medical affairs, teams to deliver decision-grade, stakeholder-relevant real-world evidence aligned with regulatory & payer expectations.

Education

• UT MD Anderson Cancer Center

  Oncology Postdoctoral Fellowship, Oncology, Epidemiology, HEOR, RWE, Genetics, Biostatistics

• UTHealth Houston School of Public Health

  Master of Public Health - MPH, Epidemiology

• Buddha Institute of Dental Sciences and Hospital, Patna, India

  Bachelors of Dental Surgery (BDS), Dentistry

• UTHealth Houston School of Public Health

  Doctor of Philosophy - PhD, Major:Epidemiology, Minor: Biostatistics, Breadth: Cancer & Genetics

  2013 — 2019