Sufia Khatun

About Sufia Khatun

I’m a data science leader passionate about turning complex data into meaningful business impact — while building teams and future leaders along the way.Currently serving as a Senior Data Science Manager, I lead a multidisciplinary team developing Generative AI, machine learning, and advanced analytics solutions that solve real business problems at scale. My work sits at the intersection of strategy, technology, and people: aligning data science initiatives with organizational priorities, guiding teams through innovation, and ensuring solutions translate into measurable outcomes.Over the past several years, I’ve helped productionize AI solutions that transform unstructured healthcare data into actionable insights, enabling smarter decision-making, operational efficiency, and improved business performance. I partner closely with executives, clinical stakeholders, and cross-functional teams to identify high-value opportunities and design scalable AI strategies grounded in responsible data practices.Beyond delivery, leadership development is central to my mission. I founded and lead a mentorship program focused on growing data science talent through structured learning, hands-on experience, and personalized coaching — because strong organizations are built by empowering people, not just deploying models.In 2026, I will also be speaking at the EMLA Conference, sharing practical insights on applied AI leadership and real-world implementation of advanced analytics in enterprise environments.My leadership philosophy is simple:1. Build people first2. Solve meaningful problems3. Deliver measurable impact responsibly

Experience

1. Data Science Senior Manager, Ds Coe

   Cigna Healthcare

   Jan 2020 — Present · New York City, NY, US

   Lead a team of data scientists and analysts in developing Generative AI, machine learning, and advanced analytics solutions to solve complex business problems. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify opportunities for data-driven initiatives and provide strategic guidance on leveraging data assets to drive business growth. Engage with business stakeholders to identify and define key use cases for data science solutions that drive measurable business value. Plan and design AI solutions for identified business use cases in partnership with various business units. Oversee the development and implementation of data governance policies and procedures to ensure data quality, integrity, and compliance with regulatory requirements. Drive innovation by staying abreast of the latest developments in data science, artificial intelligence, and machine learning technologies.Projects:An advanced information extraction model leveraging Large Language Models (LLMs) to extract key information from medical records. A Generative AI model for generating comprehensive patient health risk scores with explanations. A machine learning solution to identify customers with a high likelihood of enrolling in a specific product or plan. A time series model for forecasting trends in specific service utilizations. An unsupervised ML models for market and customer segmentations. An explainable ML model for identifying high-cost claimants with clinical insights. An ML model to predict outreach probability of a customer for certain business program. An ML model to predict risk levels of patients with specific chronic conditions.

Education

• The City College of New York

  Master of Arts (M.A.), Physics

  2005 — 2006

• The Graduate Center, City University of New York

  Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.), Physics

  2006 — 2011

• The Graduate Center, City University of New York

  Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Physics

  2006 — 2012