People of PCC: Sophy Yang, Data Detective

On any given day, colleagues will find Sophy Yang, PCC's Program Data Analyst, poring over data from Montgomery Cares partner health centers. While most people only see billing codes, medical procedure descriptions, and test results, Sophy sees them as clues to a greater story. "I like to think of myself as a data detective," Sophy explains. "Over the years I have come to recognize that the information that I get from Montgomery Cares and from the health centers provides me with details that I can then piece together into an incredible overview of the health and well-being of our community. There are some very interesting insights in all that data, and it’s my job to make sense of them."

In addition to providing all the basic information that appears in the quarterly and annual reports PCC publishes, colleagues regularly ask Sophy for insights to help them administer their programs. “I recognize that what I uncover is consequential. What I deduce from the raw information can be very useful to them. So, the fact that we collaborate so closely helps me find data that could be important to them."

Sophy's passion for becoming an analyst has grown over time, and it became apparent when she was younger. Sophy read mysteries and watched detective shows as a child. "Monk was one of my favorite television shows when I was younger. I connected with the main character, became caught up in the case and clues, and tried to solve the mystery alongside him," Sophy chuckles. "It is hard to turn off the analyst switch in me."

Sophy and her family relocated from Urbana, Illinois, to Howard County when she was 14 years old. She later attended the University of Maryland, where she studied math and met her future husband. “Joseph and I were both math majors, and we first met and got to know each other in the math lounge at College Park.” Sophy went on to earn a Master of Science in analytics online from Georgia Institute of Technology while working at PCC. She and Joseph  currently reside in Howard County with her young son and dog. When time allows, Sophy has added running to her repertoire of recreational pursuits. "One takeaway from my work is that being active in managing one’s own wellness goes a long way to overall health and wellbeing."