Career Stories
Health data scientists are growing demand and are changing the world - read some of their career stories.
Health data scientists who are changing our world
New frontiers are being opened up by the UK’s health data scientists. They are from all parts of the UK and from many different backgrounds. Something that makes the field especially exciting is that almost from the start it offers the chance to carry out work that can make a real difference to healthcare.
It is also an area that actively seeks to recruit people from a broad range of different academic, research and professional backgrounds – recognising that they can enrich health data research by bringing new insights and approaches. These are the career stories of some of the people whose careers development has been supported by HDR UK as we seek to nurture the diverse and inclusive health data science workforce of the future.
RESEARCH: Professor Emily Jefferson – pushing boundaries
After cycling from New Zealand to the UK Emily Jefferson found herself in Scotland with a job at the University of Dundee Health Informatics Centre. Professor Emily Jefferson Soon afterwards she...
RESEARCH: Dr Mwenza Blell – fighting for ethics
Arriving in the UK 17 years ago Dr Blell was excited by the huge potential that NHS data offered for research. Dr Mwenza Blell A socialised healthcare system dedicated to delivering care for...
INTERN: Shahriar Kabir Khan – a future researcher
The health data research sector is in search of promising young people with the talent and vision needed to tackle the major challenges facing healthcare. Shahriar Kabir Khan Kabir joined HDR UK...
RESEARCH: Dr Lamiece Hassan – learning from social media
A social scientist by background, Dr Lamiece Hassan has found that learning health data science skills has been transformative for her research. Dr Lamiece Hassan Some years ago she was...
RESEARCH: Dr Joram Posma – tackling high blood pressure
High blood pressure is a major healthcare issue, leading to 10.7 million deaths a year worldwide and severely affecting the lives of many more. Dr Joram Posma Understanding the relationship...
RESEARCH: Dr Gwenetta Curry – race and health inequalities
The journey from North Carolina to the UK has been a long one for Dr Gwenetta Curry – in career terms as much as miles. Dr Gwenetta Curry She started out as a food science student before working...
HDR UK: Dr Susheel Varma – overcoming the data monster
Susheel’s ambition is for his work to be invisible. As Director of Engineering HDR UK his role is all about getting the right data to the right people when they need it, in the shape it’s...
TECHNOLOGIST: Joseph Best – making the data revolution happen
Nowadays Joseph works with researchers to provide them with solutions to solve their tech problems. He is part of the team that built The University of Nottingham’s Computer Vision Lab GPU...
NHS: Dr Dan Schofield – from string theory to NHSX
As an academic researching string theory, Dan’s early career involved exploring some of the farthest reaches of theoretical physics. Nowadays he’s part of the Analytics Unit at NHSX, and...
RESEARCH: Dr Musa Abdulkareem – complex AI-based technologies
Dr Musa Abdulkareem is a Principal Research Scientist at Barts Health NHS Trust working on pioneering research on the use of AI-based technologies to address complex healthcare problems. With...
RESEARCH: Dr Spiros Denaxas – measuring excess deaths
Research by Professor Denaxas and his colleagues from Denaxas Lab, and elsewhere, proved significant in helping the NHS and policymakers learn from the first wave of Covid-19 in readiness for...
RESEARCH: Dr Praveen Surendran – understanding genetic changes
Dr Surendran, a genetic epidemiologist, was awarded a Rutherford fund fellowship in 2018 to research the effect of genetic changes on human metabolism to better understand complex disease....
INTERN: Jake Barrett – internship opportunities
After achieving an MSc in Big Data from Queen Mary University of London, Jake Barrett was selected for a one-year internship with HDR UK. Jake Barrett It was not the direction he originally...
Health Data Science Careers
Health data scientists are in high demand - and it's a career that offers the chance to shape the future of healthcare.
Summer School Moves to Winter
The season may be changing but this popular annual event remains a great chance to meet fellow health data scientists, learn from industry leaders and share ideas.
Continued Professional Development
The world of health data science is constantly changing and our portfolio of CPD courses will provide the skills and insights needed to keep up to date with the latest developments.
Fellowships
Our support for post-doctoral researchers is helping to create tomorrow’s health data science leaders.
HDR UK-Turing Wellcome PhD Programme in Health Data Science
Our PhD programme aims to develop future leaders in health data science. Its underlying philosophy is that health data science requires a combination of expertise spanning three fundamental areas:...
Masters Programmes
Our Masters programmes, delivered in partnership with leading universities across the UK, are designed to provide the best possible foundation for a career in health data science.
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