Nigerian data strategist modernizing U.S. clinical trials at Eli Lilly

David Ajayi is shaping the future of global health innovation from Indiana to Lagos

David Ajayi, a Nigerian-born data science leader, is redefining clinical research infrastructure and digital health systems in the United States. Recently appointed Associate Director – Clinical Trial Foundations at Eli Lilly and Company, one of the world’s top pharmaceutical companies, Ajayi leads digital modernisation efforts spanning oncology, diabetes, immunology, and neuroscience trials.

His work at Lilly focuses on scaling enterprise-wide platforms that power electronic clinical outcome assessments (eCOA), AI-driven integration, and automation technologies that significantly reduce clinical trial timelines and enhance global regulatory compliance. This work is especially timely as the pharmaceutical industry confronts widespread challenges in accelerating trial access and improving inclusion of underrepresented populations.

Prior to Lilly, Ajayi served as a Health Policy Analyst and Data Engineer at Indiana University’s Centre for Health Policy, where he led the engineering of secure EHR-based data systems for research funded by the NIH and CDC. His work helped shape Medicaid policy analysis and predictive analytics tools targeting critical equity challenges, including social determinants of health, oral health disparities, and diabetes management across underserved populations. These systems provide actionable insights into how structural inequities drive adverse outcomes—insights applicable not only to U.S. Medicaid reform, but also to global public health settings, including health systems in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Ajayi’s national research on emergency department overuse for dental conditions, based on data from over 2 million U.S. patients, has informed equity-centred public health strategies across multiple states. His study was presented at the 2024 AcademyHealth National Research Meeting, the leading U.S. forum for health services research. The research underscores the urgent need for scalable, data-driven interventions to reduce avoidable care, an issue that parallels global access disparities in oral and chronic care.

“Healthcare innovation must deliver measurable outcomes—especially for marginalised communities,” said Ajayi. “At Lilly and IU, I work at the intersection of data, equity, and operational transformation.”

With degrees from the University of East London and Cranfield University, Ajayi’s career spans global firms like ExxonMobil, safety-net hospitals such as Eskenazi Health, and national research institutes. He has authored peer-reviewed articles, reviewed over 20 scientific manuscripts across JMIR journals, and earned widespread recognition for his role in shaping data-driven healthcare delivery.

Ajayi’s rapid ascent—from Faith Academy College, Lagos to the helm of clinical trial platforms at a $34B pharmaceutical enterprise—demonstrates the global relevance of Nigerian expertise in building smarter, faster, and more equitable health systems. His work reflects a broader commitment to solving pressing health equity challenges not just in the U.S., but across the global South, where AI, data science, and digital infrastructure are vital to advancing universal health access.