International Health Data Linkage Network Update 30 August 2011
Handover of IHDLN Directorship to Curtin University, Western Australia
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. Expressions of interest for the role were sought in late 2010. Since inception and to this day, the network remains unfunded. As of this week, the hosting of the Directorship of the IHDLN will be handed to Professor James Semmens and Associate Professor Rachael Moorin of the Centre of Population Health Research, 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 36 scientific publications (the majority as first author) consisting of international and national peer-reviewed journal articles and commissioned reports. Rachael has been awarded prizes at international and national level for her research including two prestigious competitive awards at the Australian and New Zealand Society of Nuclear Medicine Annual Scientific Conference in 2002. In the same year she was also awarded second place for the best published journal article by the American Society of Nuclear Medicine. 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
I would like to thank both James and Rachael for taking on directorship of the network and dedicating their time to a worthwhile initiative. I am sure that you will hear from them in the very near future.
Having taken on the part-time role of Director of the IHDLN since December 2008, I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing the development of the network from a theoretical concept to an active network with 170+ members from around the globe. I encourage you to look at the Member Directory on the web to see who is involved and what their research interests are. The primary purpose of the IHDLN is to maintain a useful international network of linkage centres and users committed to the systematic application of data linkage to produce community benefit in the health and health-related domains. I believe this purpose has and continues to be fulfilled. The IHDLN website www.ihdln.org is a testament to this. I am currently completing a journal paper about the development of the IHDLN and I look forward to letting you know of its publication in the very near future.
I have taken on a new role as Coordinator of the Population Health Research Network, a network which is aiming to provide researchers with access to information from administrative health data sources across all jurisdictions and sectors of Australia. Effectively the network will complete data linkage on a national level to support population-based research. For more information please have a look at http://www.phrn.org.au/
My email contact will remain the same: Emma.Fuller@health.wa.gov.au I do hope you will keep in touch. I will continue to be involved with activities of the IHDLN, including the first proof of concept project of the IHDLN, looking at the protective effect vasectomy reversal may have for prostate cancer and of course I hope to see many of you at the International Data Linkage Conference in Perth, WA in May 2012. Blatant plug if you have not yet registered: please go to http://www.datalinkage2012.com.au/
Bear with us as contact detail changes are made to the IHDLN website in the coming weeks. However if you have any queries in the meantime, I am more than happy to answer by email or phone.
And in exciting personal news, my husband and I are expecting our second child in February 2012.
Other IHDLN News:
Reminder: Informal meeting of the IHDLN at ‘Exploiting Existing Data for Research’ conference at St Andrews University, Friday evening, September 2011
An informal gathering of IHDLN members attending the Exploiting Existing Data For Health Research 2011 conference will be held on Friday evening of the conference. Professor James Semmens will be chairing the meeting. More details will follow soon by email to members and will be posted on www.ihdln.org
Registry of International Data Linkage Projects
So far during the existence of the IHDLN, we have embarked on two international projects:
1. The first proof of concept study is being undertaken by researchers from The University of Western Australia, Curtin University, The University of British Columbia, The Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, Oxford University and the NHS Scotland. The overall aim of the study is to perform an international meta-analysis of vasovasostomy (vasectomy reversal) and prostate cancer in vasectomised men using linked hospital morbidity, cancer registration and death records to determine if vasectomy reversal protects against prostate cancer. Data access and analysis is being self-funded by each of the participating groups.
2. An application in 2009 was put to the Economic Social Research Council to assess & document the comparability of core data sets used in data linkage research across countries & develop a data dictionary. This grant was unsuccessful and a rebid looking at national comparative statistics with a focus on AMI by socio-economic deprivation is currently being led by researchers at St Andrews University
We would like to know of any other projects that you may be involved in that have come about due to connections you have made through the IHDLN. In no way does the IHDLN want to claim ownership, however we believe it would be beneficial to keep a registry of international data linkage projects that are in operation. Please send the Title of the Project, a small paragraph about the study and a contact name and email address to Emma.Fuller@health.wa.gov.au
Best wishes,
Emma Fuller
