Recognizing and Celebrating Women of Color STEM 2022 Conference Award Winner Maxine Liu

This October, four remarkable women of color from Health Catalyst have been nationally recognized for their excellence and contributions as women of color pursuing STEM. They have made outstanding contributions through their hard work, persistence, and commitment to success.

We sat down with award recipient Maxine Liu to learn more about her background, role, inspirations, and experiences as a woman in STEM. She was awarded with a Women of Color STEM Outstanding Achievement Award (OAA) as a Technology All Star based on an employer recommendation. Maxine Liu’s entrepreneur qualities has platformed her abilities in being an excelling strategy executive who has most notably leads M&A strategy and integration, operation, partnership, and product/technology strategy and development. She brings her extensive global experiences from the United States, Asia, and Europe as she applies appropriate strategic approaches in ensuring healthcare improvement is consistently being addressed.

Will you share some of your background? What are some interests that have motivated where you are today?
I attended college in China and studied biomedical engineering, and then right after school I went to Texas A&M initially for a PhD program. After the first year, I decided to start a company myself and converted to a master’s degree. I love how involving myself in different areas of study such as radiology and biomedical engineering has allowed me to get a fuller perspective of what healthcare entails. I love healthcare because I want to make a difference in this world. If the world was a little bit different because of my existence, I feel that my days are well worth it.

How did you end up in your role here at Health Catalyst?
I enjoy visualizing and applying technology to the real world in the large scale. Building something big and having a driven entrepreneurial spirit has always been something that has motivated me. In 2017, I attended the HAS conference and felt particularly inspired by the conference’s discussion of how healthcare workers can transform the healthcare ecosystem through digitizing healthcare. Being able to have a direct impact in the world of healthcare inspired me to make a jump, and in January of 2019, I decided to apply to Health Catalyst.

Tell us about your role at Health Catalyst? What about this position are you most passionate about?
I am currently the Senior Vice President of the Partnership Program and M&A Integration. From the partnership perspective, I work collaboratively with our partners and vendors to bolster each other’s position in the market and bring in their technology and offerings to fulfill customer’s needs altogether. When we close a deal, we begin strategy integration and think through synergies and what long-term goals look like for the acquisition. With implementing these types of strategies, we are able to map out the entire operation and action steps needing to be taken in making the company as sustainable as possible in the long run. Overall, I am most passionate about bringing innovation to Health Catalyst and driving the whole company to be better by helping the acquired company grow and learn.

Would you share a role model or quote you find inspiring? What about this person or quote inspires you?
Mae West says, “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” This quote encapsulates my inspiration as a worker in the healthcare industry along with resonates with me as an individual. It reminds me of how I should live my life to the fullest in ways that are most memorable.

What has your professional experience been like as a woman in STEM? How has the landscape changed? What still needs to improve?
There is no difference between learning capabilities between a man and women within the subject of STEM itself, so I have always believed that hard work and a passionate spirit yields successful outputs. On the other hand, it is not only about skills and knowledge that yield success, but it also is about how the society and a group of people treat women within the workplace so they feel comfortable in sharing a voice. In doing this, you can consider and reflect upon how your company gives you the respect you deserve. If they do not highlight your voice as one that is full of value and recognition, find a place where you can truly shine without limitation.

What advice do you have for those following in your footsteps?
Life is short so focus on what you can do to make it count. You are the one who is writing your own story, nobody else is. Consider every experience, good and bad, as a dot in your life. One day, those dots somehow will connect in your future. Trust that these dots will eventually create a beautiful end product with hard work, perseverance, and humility.

What current projects are you working on that are most exciting for you? How has it challenged you?
Right now, I am working on an integration with our most recent acquisition made at the end of February. I am figuring out how to make them grow and learn and one of the more challenging aspects of M&A integration is how each acquired business has a different culture and way of doing things. Being able to merge different goals together and learn two sides of the story is essential in understanding what other mindsets are and how different ideas have significant value.

What are you most excited for at the WOC STEM Conference?
I am looking forward to what others are pursuing in this field and what challenges they are facing. I am so excited to be a part of such a spectacular event!

Health Catalyst is beyond appreciative of Maxine’s continuous growth and innovative contributions. Join in celebrating Maxine’s achievements by registering now for the WOC STEM Conference.