Hulya Emir-Farinas
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Director of Data Science
FitBit |
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Hulya Emir-Farinas is the director of data science at Fitbit R&D. Her interests lie in the intersection of machine learning, behavior science, and healthcare. Her team at Fitbit creates, prototypes, and helps deploy data driven features to serve tens of millions of active Fitbit users. Prior to joining Fitbit, Hulya had the opportunity to apply algorithmic approaches to complex business problems in various industries at Pivotal and IBM. She holds a PhD in Operations Research from the University of Florida.
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Technical Vision Talk: Role of Machine Learning in Behavior Change
There is no one-size-fits-all solution to health behavior change. Some people respond to gentle nudges, others benefit more from structured programs, some take pride in being a Do-It-Yourselfer, others make more progress with a coach. Some can only change behavior if it is presented in the form of a game, others respond to social interactions. At Fitbit R&D, we are interested in answering some fundamental questions: what motivates a person to lead a healthier life, what is a real or perceived barrier for change, and how Fitbit can increase users' ability to make those changes. Answering these questions requires a multi-disciplinary approach. We take advantage of health science, behavior science, behavioral economics, and machine learning to deliver interventions. In this talk, we will review how machine learning is a key capability in making any solution smart and more personalized.