The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has signalled its intention to create a new centre for data science to continue its ground-breaking research into heart and circulatory disease, in partnership with Health Data Research UK (HDR UK), the UK Institute for data science in health and key NHS stakeholders across the UK.

The new BHF centre for data science will provide the data science required to propel the UK to become the largest and best learning cardiovascular health system in the world, providing rich data resources required to better understand heart and circulatory disease.

The centre will partner with the NHS, including national data controllers such as NHS Digital and their equivalents in the devolved nations. Through HDR UK, the centre will work collaboratively with research organisations across biology, biomedicine, clinical, social science, data science, analytics and AI, including building on existing partnerships with the Alan Turing Institute and aligning with HDR UK’s recently announced programme of Digital Innovation Hubs across the UK.

To shape proposals for the centre, HDR UK will appoint a Convenor, a significant strategic role, that will ensure the scientific health data research community, key partners and stakeholders, professional bodies, organisations across the UK cardiovascular health system and UK data controllers have the opportunity to drive the centre’s development. The role will be responsible for guiding the scientific and stakeholder discussions, needed to inform a proposal for consideration for funding by the British Heart Foundation early in 2019.

It is anticipated that the Convenor will be a senior, respected and independent member of the community. The convenor will be supported by a senior scientific writer and steering group to bring together key communities and the public over summer and autumn 2018 through a series of workshops. To find out more and express your interest in the roles of convenor and senior scientific writer, please download the relevant pack.

Download the convenor application pack

Download the scientific writer application pack

Professor Andrew Morris, Director of Health Data Research UK, said:

“I am excited that HDR UK has been invited by BHF the to work with outstanding researchers and NHS organisations across the UK to create a proposal for a new data science centre. This centre has the opportunity to revolutionise what we know about heart and cardiovascular disease. Using cutting-edge data science techniques, strong public engagement and some of the best cardiovascular health data sets in the world, it will provide a solid foundation for some of the most formative research for decades to come.”

Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, Medical Director of the BHF, said:

“The UK is blessed with many world-class heart and circulatory disease researchers, spanning a wide range of disciplines. But, as we enter the era of digital medicine, there’s a growing need to foster excellence in data science. At the BHF, we recognise the enormous potential of data science and want to create an environment where we can realise that potential. That’s why we’re working with the health research community, key stakeholders, professional bodies and UK data controllers to support the development of a new BHF centre for data science. We now need someone to bring together the knowledge and expertise of all these partners and help us develop the proposals for this initiative, which is why we’ve created this exciting role of Convener.”

 

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Health Data Research UK
Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) is the national Institute for data science in health. Our UK team of experts develop and apply cutting-edge data science approaches to clinical, biological, genomic and other multi-dimensional health data to address the most pressing health research challenges facing the public. Our mission is to make game-changing improvements in the health of patients and populations through research and innovation.
www.hdruk.ac.uk

Contact
For further details or interview requests please contact Greg Jones, British Heart Foundation, on 02075540188 or jonesg@bhf.org.uk

Amanda White, Health Data Research UK, on 07841 538380 or Amanda.white@hdruk.ac.uk