Isabelle Lieu: Three Fields, One Vision
Economics. Data Science. Art History. Most people hear the course load Isabelle Lieu has taken and
immediately ask why. It's a fair question. But once she explains how the three connect, the doubt tends
to disappear pretty quickly.
She built this combination deliberately, because each field covers ground the others leave exposed.
There's a logic to it once you see how her mind works. Together, they give her the skills that others in
her field don't usually have — the ability to master data analytics and still understand the humans
behind it.
Building a Foundation in Economic Theory
Economics at Cornell is famously tough. Students there don't just read theories — they prove them,
using math and careful logic. It takes time to get comfortable in that environment, but Isabelle Lieu’s
Cornell experience allowed her to find her footing early.
What pulled her in was healthcare economics specifically. This is the study of how money moves
through medical systems — why prescriptions cost what they cost, how insurance policies change what
families can afford, and what happens when a new law shifts the rules overnight.
These aren't abstract questions for Isabelle. She sees healthcare economics as an industry where
effective analysis can genuinely change lives.
She uses tools such as Stata and JMP to run that analysis. These programs let her sort through large data
sets and find what's actually going on beneath the surface of the healthcare industry.
Expanding her Reach with Data Science
Economics gave her the right questions. Data science gave her better ways to answer them. During her
sophomore year, Isabelle added a data science minor because she noticed something straightforward —
the world runs on information, and those who master data analytics have more to contribute.