Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) has appointed Trudie Lang, Professor of Global Health Research at the University of Oxford and Head of The Global Health Network, as its new Global Research Director.

Professor Lang is responsible for leading a new programme, with the objective of improving health data science practices globally, using the learnings acquired from HDR UK and the International COVID-19 Data Alliance (ICODA).

She brings over 20 years of experience in building research capacity and capability globally, running clinical trials, including trials in the developing world; working across academia, the pharmaceutical industry and for the World Health Organisation.

Starting on 1 September 2021 on a part-time basis, Professor Lang joins the Executive Committee at Health Data Research UK. She retains her role leading The Global Health Network (TGHN) and will seek to develop the obvious synergy between the two initiatives.

The combination of the health data science expertise from HDR UK and ICODA, alongside the capability building and global reach of TGHN will provide a strong platform for the new HDR Global programme to make a substantial positive impact to health data science on a worldwide stage.

Trudie Lang, Research Director, Health Data Research (HDR) Global:

“COVID-19 has demonstrated the substantial health inequalities that continue to exist across the world. It has also demonstrated the incredible opportunity for health data science to contribute to addressing these inequalities. I am looking forward to working with the team at HDR UK and ICODA in this exciting new role.”

Andrew Morris, Director, Health Data Research UK (HDR UK):

“The UK has been at the forefront of the scientific response to COVID-19, with the secure use of largescale datasets a core component to enable the discoveries that have led to effective treatments and vaccines.

 

The next stage of our development as a global health community must be to scale this for all conditions – building expertise to securely share, link, access and analyse data sets across countries that will improve healthcare worldwide. Trudie Lang brings the leadership skills and immense global health expertise to drive the HDR Global initiative.”