An innovative new Data Lab developed by the National Centre for Population Health & Wellbeing Research is at the forefront of developing population health research. The Data Lab creates easily accessible linked datasets which researchers can use for data discovery enabling researchers to develop their research questions and pilot analysis methods and see if data is missing, not collected, or not as expected before starting a project.
The Data Lab team have experience working in a number of Trusted Research Environments (TREs), including but not exclusively SAIL Databank, Open Safely, CPRD, ONS and eDRIS.
Quicker and easier to do rapid research
The Data Lab helps to make access to data quicker and easier and has been used to do rapid research, for example, in looking at the impact of COVID.
The Data Lab aims to:
- Train health care professionals and researchers to better understand and use data.
- The Lab aims to bring in new sources of health and non-health data, adding to and enriching the anonymised data sets currently held in Wales, enabling researchers in Wales and further afield to gain deeper insights into the wider social determinants of health and wellbeing.
Dr Jon Kennedy, Data Lab Programme Lead, said: “The Data Lab is a fantastic resource available to researchers across the UK. Our team can help health care professionals and researchers better understand and gain deeper insights into the wider social determinants of health and wellbeing.”
Dr Rosemary Hollick, The Institute of Applied Health Sciences, The University of Aberdeen, said: “The shortage of data science skills means being able to employ a member of the Data lab to undertake the analysis of our data has enabled us to keep our study on track and deliver key outputs. The Data Lab team have provided findings in a clear, open, and professional way and have also provided support other members of our team. The opportunity to share learning has been fantastic.”
Professor Krish Nirantharakumar, Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, said: “It has been a pleasure working with Jon’s team in the Data Lab, they are highly skilled, professional and deliver reliable, transparent and repeatable analysis.”
Prof Sinead Brophy, Director at the Centre for Population Health, added: “As a Centre, we are committed to ensuring that Wales is at the forefront of developing population health. To help achieve this, the Centre provides an infrastructure that supports, enriches, and increases capacity and capabilities in population data science research – and the new Data Lab is part of this commitment.”
If you want to find out more or if you want to work with the Data Lab team, contact Dr Jon Kennedy, Data Lab Programme Lead j.i.kennedy@swansea.ac.uk
The National Centre for Population Health and Well-Being Research (NCPHWR). The National Centre for Population Health and Wellbeing Research is funded by the Welsh Government through Health and Care Research Wales.