Health Data Science Insights - Cambridge

Insights from Prof John Danesh, Dr Emmanuela Bonglack, Nick Hirschmuller, Dr Anne Forde

🎙️ The CEU Away Day is an annual event that brings together researchers, students, and staff from the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit (CEU) at the University of Cambridge to share science, reflect on career journeys, and strengthen our community. Today last year, this episode was recorded live at the 2024 CEU Away Day, where hosts Dr Alexia Sampri and Dr Elena Raffetti moderated a special career panel featuring: * Prof John Danesh – Head of Department of Public Health, Director of the CEU, British Heart Foundation Professor of Epidemiology and Medicine, and Faculty Member at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute * Dr Emmanuela Bonglack – Schmidt Science Fellow and Research Associate, whose work integrates multi-omics and advanced statistical methods to study cardiometabolic diseases. * Nick Hirschmüller – PhD student jointly with the University of Cambridge and AstraZeneca, researching genetic risk factors for cardiovascular disease. * Dr Anne Forde – Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Manager at CEU, with a background in life science research and science communication. Together, they discuss mentorship, leadership, professional development, and the value of taking calculated risks in research. The panel also reflects on how to balance technical expertise with openness to new perspectives, and the essential skills needed to thrive in a world where AI, machine learning, and health data science play an ever-growing role in cardiovascular research. Whether you’re an early-career researcher or interested in the diverse paths within health data science, this episode offers inspiration, practical advice, and insights from some of the leaders and rising voices in the field.

Insights from Dr Sam Lambert

Polygenic Scores, Open Science, and the Future of Precision Medicine In this episode, we sit down with Dr Sam Lambert, Assistant Professor of Health Data Science at the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Fellow at Churchill College, and visiting researcher at the European Bioinformatics Institute. Sam shares his journey into health data science and his dual focus on multimorbidity in cardiometabolic disease and the development of open science tools. We discuss the Polygenic Score Catalog (https://www.pgscatalog.org/), a global database he helped establish that now houses thousands of genetic risk scores for traits and diseases, and explore the opportunities and challenges of using polygenic risk in healthcare. The conversation touches on pressing ethical questions in genetic prediction, the challenges of applying risk models across diverse populations, and the potential role of polygenic scores in both primary and secondary care. Beyond research, Sam reflects on his teaching role in Cambridge, his experiences as Dean of Churchill College, and the advice he would give his younger self. 🎙️ Whether you’re curious about the future of genetics in healthcare, or interested in open science and data-sharing, this episode offers a thoughtful look at how health data science is shaping precision medicine. #HealthDataScience #PrecisionMedicine #PolygenicScores #GeneticRisk #OpenScience #DataSharing #Cambridge #Podcast

Insights from Carole Morris

Episode title: Building Scotland’s Health Data Infrastructure: A Conversation with Carole Morris (https://www.hdruk.ac.uk/people/carole-morris/) In this episode of Health Data Science Insights – Cambridge, Alexia Sampri and Elena Raffetti speak with Carole Morris, Head of Data and Modelling Services at Public Health Scotland. Carole reflects on her 25-year journey, from her early days as an information analyst working with Excel, SAS, and SPSS in NHS Lothian, to leading national teams overseeing Scotland’s Trusted Research Environment (the National Safe Haven) and linked health datasets. The conversation explores: * How Scotland’s Community Health Index (CHI) enables data linkage * The evolution from manual spreadsheets to R, Python, SQL, and modern data science tools * Challenges in handling missing data, infrastructure, and data governance * Critical skills for the next generation of health data scientists, from coding to ethics and communication * The role of AI and automation in data curation, cleaning, and future healthcare innovation * Balancing leadership, team wellbeing, and work–life with passions like playing hockey A fascinating look into how Scotland built one of the world’s strongest health data infrastructures, and what’s next for the future of public health.

Insights from Dr Anne Forde

Bridging Science and Society: A Conversation with Dr Anne Forde In this episode Alexia speaks with Dr Anne Forde, Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Manager at the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge. Anne shares her career journey from immunology research to science communication and now public engagement, reflecting on how her own experience as a patient shaped her passion for making research more inclusive. The conversation explores: * The value of patient and public involvement (PPI) in health data science * Translating complex research into accessible language * Building relationships between researchers and patient groups * Expanding transparency and diversity in data-driven research An inspiring discussion on why meaningful public involvement is essential for the future of health data science.

Insights from Professor Tim Chico

From Vascular Biology to Wearable Data: A Conversation with Professor Tim Chico Description: In this episode of Health Data Science Insights – Cambridge, Dr Elena Raffetti speaks with Professor Tim Chico, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Sheffield, Consultant Cardiologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, and Associate Director of the British Heart Foundation Data Science Centre. Tim shares the unexpected beginnings of his research career in vascular development, how a chance project turned into 20 years of discovery biology, and what inspired his current vision: using smartphone and wearable data to improve cardiovascular care. The conversation explores: * The “accidental” nature of career paths in research * The challenges and opportunities of integrating wearable and routine health data * Building effective partnerships between academia and industry * Why interpersonal and leadership skills are crucial in team science * Work–life balance, hobbies, and lessons learned along the way * Advice for young researchers on risk-taking, training, and self-worth * The broader challenges of achieving equal access to healthcare in the UK A thoughtful and inspiring discussion on careers, collaboration, and the future of health data science.