HDRN Canada joins forces to launch OHDSI Canada
HDRN Canada has joined forces with health data scientists and researchers across the country to launch the Canadian chapter of OHDSI (Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics), a global open-science collaboration focused on unlocking the value of health data through large-scale analytics. Pronounced “Odyssey,” OHDSI brings together an interdisciplinary community committed to generating evidence that supports better health decisions and improved care.
OHDSI’s mission—to “improve health by empowering a community to collaboratively generate the evidence that promotes better health decisions and better care”—aligns closely with HDRN Canada’s strategic priorities, particularly its work to harmonize data and strengthen support for multi-regional data access across Canada. At the core of OHDSI’s global data network is the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership (OMOP) Common Data Model (CDM), an open community standard designed to harmonize the structure and content of observational health data. The OMOP CDM standardizes the structure and content of observational data and enables federated analytics to produce reliable and reproducible evidence.
“OHDSI Canada is building a national community to advance the adoption and use of the OMOP Common Data Model across Canadian health research institutions — and we want to contribute to that.” ~ Dr. Kim McGrail
“OHDSI Canada is building a national community to advance the adoption and use of the OMOP Common Data Model across Canadian health research institutions — and we want to contribute to that,” said HDRN Canada’s Scientific Director and CEO Dr. Kim McGrail. HDRN Canada is a leader in data harmonization, she added, and has already implemented OMOP in three of its data centres, with two others observing.
The launch of OHDSI Canada builds on momentum generated through a pan-Canadian meeting convened by HDRN Canada to explore how organizations across the country are leveraging OMOP to transform health data research and infrastructure. More than 100 scientists, analysts and data leaders gathered in Toronto last November to share case studies, lessons learned, and the benefits and challenges of adopting the common data model. The meeting also surfaced a repeating theme, according to OHDSI founder Patrick Ryan. “A lot of important work is happening in silos. By bringing everybody together, we saw a real opportunity for a Canada-wide solution across provinces, with a lot of enthusiasm from multiple stakeholders.” [source]
Following the event, HDRN Canada joined other participants to form the OHDSI Canada Steering Committee with the goal of formalizing a Canadian chapter. After it received approval from OHDSI to launch OHDSI Canada, it began building a pan-Canadian community of practice to accelerate adoption and implementation of the OMOP CDM. “I am excited that HDRN Canada is taking a leadership role in OHDSI Canada, supporting data harmonization initiatives,” said HDRN Canada Executive member Dr. Lisa Lix, who was part of the steering committee. “The OMOP CDM will contribute to accelerating innovations in collaborative health research both nationally and internationally.”
Now officially part of the global OHDSI network, OHDSI Canada invites individuals and organizations from across disciplines interested in advancing real-world evidence through health data standardization, large-scale analytics and open science to join its growing community. Those with experience with OMOP along with those in the early stages of exploring its implementation and use are welcome to join the monthly virtual meetups. To join OHDSI Canada or stay informed, click here. For more information, please contact archbold@ohdsi.org.