Episode 05: Dipak Kalra on Effective Data and Knowledge Sharing Through Research Data Networks

Real-world data certainly plays a substantial role in understanding human health and disease. However, scientists find it increasingly difficult to extract research-specific data from massive unstructured and uncoded data sets. “What we are seeing now is a more proactive anticipatory mission to connect multiple repositories of health data and to enable a strongly de-identified, but fully anonymized, data set to be available for research questions,” Dipak Kalra, President of The European Institute for Innovation through Health Data, tells host Deborah Borfitz. 

In this episode, Kalra speaks about the rise of research data networks and the facilitation of more effective and affordable research. He provides details about the growing challenges facing research teams and the new regulations imposed by the European Commission. Finally, Kalra shares his thoughts on how COVID changed the public’s perception of health data and encouraged quick and innovative knowledge sharing. “The pandemic is a situation from which we can learn and on which we must build because we would be negligent if we don’t,” warns Kalra. “The pandemic has shown how important it is to learn from big data in near to real-time in a way that absolutely transcends country boundaries.” 

Links from this episode:  
Clinical Research News
The European Institute for Innovation through Health Data
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
European Health Data Space

The Scope of Things podcast explores clinical research and its possibilities, promise, and pitfalls. Clinical Research News senior writer, Deborah Borfitz, welcomes guests who are visionaries closest to the topics, but who can still see past their piece of the puzzle. Focusing on game-changing trends and out-of-the-box operational approaches in the clinical research field, the Scope of Things podcast is your no-nonsense, insider’s look at clinical research today.