the MQ DATAMIND Assembly 2023

In April 2023, the DATAMIND Knowledge Science occasion included workshops and convention for researchers to share talks and displays. Dr Amy Ronaldson, an MQ Analysis Fellow and pictured above, shares her highlights of attending the expertise.

In direction of the top of April (2023), researchers, knowledge scientists, clinicians, and specialists by expertise got here from throughout the UK to attend the two-day occasion held within the London HQ of Deutsche Financial institution. On Day One, we attended an interactive roundtable workshop which targeted on utilizing medical knowledge for psychological well being analysis. The Knowledge Science Assembly came about on Day Two with displays, panel discussions, and Q&A classes from researchers in any respect profession levels, in addition to from specialists by expertise.

It’s clear we’re coming into a form of ‘golden age’ for knowledge science in psychological well being and MQ’s Knowledge Science occasion held in collaboration with DATAMIND is actual proof of this.

Somewhat bit about me – I’m an MQ Analysis Fellow making an attempt to know why folks with extreme psychological sickness (SMI) are at an elevated threat of dying from infectious illnesses. My work depends closely on large knowledge from digital well being data, so assembly researchers utilizing comparable at occasions like these is invaluable.

Do Not Let Excellent Be The Enemy Of Good – and different classes

MQ and DATAMIND’s workshop kicked off with an introduction to medical knowledge the place we explored the advantages and challenges of utilizing this form of knowledge for analysis. Matthew Broadbent and Amelia Jewell from the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Analysis Centre (BRC)’s Medical Informatic Service defined that though such a knowledge shouldn’t be collected particularly for analysis, it may be made to be “research-friendly”. Despite the fact that there are inherent points round knowledge high quality and validation, the take-home message right here was don’t let excellent be the enemy of excellent (mainly…though medical knowledge shouldn’t be completely fitted to analysis, it nonetheless has big potential so long as we method it in the best approach).

Utilizing medical knowledge for analysis is an iterative course of the place you be taught as you go, usually tweaking analysis questions and hypotheses primarily based on the form of knowledge that’s accessible. This was made clear for all of us by Dr Risha Govind (NIHR Maudsley BRC) who led us via an interactive activity the place we needed to design a research assessing the impression of clozapine on COVID-19 incidence utilizing digital well being data.

This hands-on activity actually demonstrated how medical data will be leveraged to reply necessary analysis questions, so long as these questions are framed appropriately. Dr Katrina Davis (King’s Faculty London (KCL)) then used the UK Biobank to showcase how knowledge linkages can be utilized for the validation of necessary medical ideas equivalent to diagnoses and medicine utilization. A hanging instance of analysis from Scandinavia illustrated that each one is probably not what it appears when utilizing medical knowledge.

Measures of Psychological Well being and Transparency

Within the afternoon, Professor Louise Arsenault (KCL) and her staff showcased The Catalogue of Psychological Well being Measures – a listing they’ve developed of British cohort and longitudinal research which comprise measures of psychological well being and wellbeing. A useful demonstration confirmed how the superior search perform means that you can filter for detailed traits like pattern measurement, age at recruitment, and research design.

The day was delivered to a detailed by Professors Ann John (Swansea College) and Rob Stewart (KCL) who co-direct DATAMIND. Collectively, they facilitated a very energetic dialogue about how DATAMIND may help early profession researchers in psychological well being knowledge science.

The Knowledge Science Assembly started the next day with Johnny Downs (KCL) and Pauline Whelan (College of Manchester) discussing embedding knowledge science and digital psychological well being inside medical providers. Pouria Hadjibagheri then delivered an enchanting keynote. Pouria was the Tech Lead for the UK Authorities COVID-19 dashboard and described how a lot knowledge, time, and work went into sustaining the dashboard we relied upon so closely at the moment. The largest take house message for me from Pouria’s speak, nonetheless, was the significance of open knowledge and transparency.

Spotlight of the Day

My private spotlight of the assembly came about after a brief break for espresso – a panel dialogue with the DATAMIND Tremendous Analysis Advisory Group. This group is made up of service customers and carers from varied backgrounds who’ve an curiosity in knowledge. They offered invaluable perception into methods to incorporate lived expertise into ‘large knowledge’ analysis, stressing the significance of the person perspective and co-production.

Later within the afternoon, Professor Sonia Johnson and Dr Nafiso Ahmed (College Faculty London) offered the outcomes of their systematic assessment psychological well being in Europe in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. What actually stood out to me was the inclusion of a ‘lived expertise commentary’ part within the assessment the place specialists by expertise offered their interpretation of the findings.

Bringing the voice of lived expertise to tutorial publications struck me as such a wonderful concept and shall be one thing I incorporate into papers and evaluations going ahead.

Lunch offered a while for networking (and sandwiches…) in addition to the analysis poster session. Early profession researchers then gave thrilling three-minute thesis competitors type displays on subjects.

After lunch, meals for thought

Within the afternoon, Professor Cathie Sudlow showcased the British Coronary heart Basis Knowledge Science Centre which hyperlinks cardiovascular well being knowledge with different largescale knowledge sources (e.g. psychological well being providers), to be able to enhance the nations cardiovascular well being.

Professor David Osborn (UCL) then gave an enchanting whistle-stop tour of his work on the bodily well being of individuals with SMI (this was of specific curiosity to me, seeing as I wish to perceive why demise from an infection is greater in folks with SMI…).

Prof Osborn talked to us in regards to the damaging impact of diagnostic overshadowing (when a well being skilled attributes a affected person’s symptom to a psychiatric downside, when they might even have a comorbid situation) within the well being of individuals with SMI, and the significance of lived expertise in large knowledge medical analysis.

The assembly then got here to an finish with a ‘gentle launch’ of the DATAMIND web site which went stay that week.

I realized a lot at this knowledge science occasion and left with quite a lot of food-for-thought. I’m now actually excited to get my MQ Fellowship off the bottom and hope I’ve some thrilling ‘large knowledge’ findings to share with you all on the subsequent assembly within the Autumn.

And MQ can’t wait to listen to what Amy has to share! Our due to Amy for sharing their expertise with us. You may be taught extra about future occasions like this by signing as much as our analysis spherical up publication and in addition by visiting our occasions web page.