Data linkage is an invaluable tool for population health research. It provides a completely unbiased picture of the entire population, is cost-effective and enables studies to be done that could not otherwise be performed.
The inaugural meeting of the International Health Data Linkage Network was held over the 2 days of 4th & 5th December 2008 at the Congress Centre, London, United Kingdom. It was hosted by the Research and Development Directorate of the National Health Service.
The aims of the network are:
- To establish and maintain an effective and useful network of health data linkage centres
- To foster collaboration and exchange programs between data linkage centres
- To produce a compendium of measurements based on linkage of health data across Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom
- To record the outputs from health data linkage activities and programs across the globe
Over 30 participants from Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand attended the inaugural meeting. The IHDLN now boasts over 130 members. A core group has been involved with the establishment of the IHDLN, who have been negotiating the arrangements for the last three years and who have all signed up to an initial MOU, stating their intentions to form an international network. However, all are welcomed who wish to become a part of the network. 
For further information about this initiative, please email A/Professor Rachael Moorin
Directorship of the IHDLN
As stated in the consensus statement of the network, the responsibility for hosting the role of director is to rotate among the members who are participants in the network for a term of two years. Current directorship is held jointly by Professor James Semmens and Associate Professor Rachael Moorin from the Centre for Population Health Research at Curtin University.
Professor Semmens is the inaugural Chair of Population Health Research at Curtin University. He has established a reputation as a research leader for his contribution to use of record linked data to support health research. He established the Centre for Population Health Research (CPHR) in 2006 which supports eight programs of research: health informatics; patient care; health services research; injury research (interpersonal violence including sexual assault, burns and road safety); Indigenous health; ageing; genomics; and ‘information system development’. In addition to his Chair position, Professor Semmens holds many roles in data linkage at a national level. He has over 443 scientific works and has contributed to provision of research grants totalling around $33million. The significance of his work has been recognised in four prestigious awards: WA New Independent Medical Researcher Award (2002), Inaugural WA Safety and Quality in Health Care Award (2003), The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Medal (2008), WA Spatial Excellence Award (2010) and the Asia-Pacific Spatial Excellence Award (October 2010).
Email contact: James.Semmens@curtin.edu.au
Associate Professor Moorin is the Programme Leader of Health Services Research it the Centre for Population Health Research at Curtin University and is an adjunct Professor in the School of Population Health at the University of Western Australia (UWA). Rachael has been awarded competitive research grants as a chief investigator totalling > $5 million from State and national funding agencies in projects associated with health policy, population health, epidemiology and utilisation and outcomes of health services. Rachael has been responsible for many novel research initiatives using linked administrative health data to describe the epidemiology of health service use in various population groups; measure equity in and access to health care services and study the effect of policy on equity and access to health care services Rachael has 38 scientific publications (the majority as first author) consisting of international and national peer-reviewed journal articles and commissioned reports. Rachael is considered one of the leading authorities on using linked administrative health data in applied health and economic research and is currently supervising seven PhD students in this area.
Email contact: R.Moorin@curtin.edu.au
