NEWS - Directorship of the International Population Data Linkage Network for 2021-22

The International Population Data Linkage Network (IPDLN) facilitates international communication between centres specialising in data linkage and the use of linked data for public benefit. It was founded in 2008 and now has around 1,100 members in 55 countries, drawn from academia, government and industry.

Directing this Network will connect ADR UK to a mutually beneficial international community of best practice and position the partnership at the forefront of global efforts to harness the power of linked population data.

Over the 2021-22 period, Chris and Emma, as new IPDLN Co-Directors will maintain and expand the Network’s membership, promote and support the International Journal of Population Data Science, and run the next IPDLN Conference in September 2022.

IPDLN’s current Director, Dr Merran Smith, Chief Executive of the Population Health Research Network (PHRN), said: “On behalf of the IPDLN Executive Committee, I am very pleased to announce Dr Emma Gordon and Professor Chris Dibben from ADR UK as the Network’s Co-Directors for 2021-22. The close alignment of ADR UK’s mission with that of the IPDLN, as well as their experience developing their own UK partnership between government and academia, makes them an excellent fit for the role and I wish them every success as the incoming Co-Directors."

Professor Chris Dibben, Co-Director of ADR Scotland and incoming Co-Director of IPDLN, said: “Many thanks to Dr Merran Smith for her Directorship of the IPDLN for 2019-20. I very much look forward to becoming a Co-Director, and continuing to develop partnerships with centres across the globe, from industry, academia or government that use data for public benefit. I am confident that membership of the network will continue to increase, as more researchers discover the value in data linkage, resulting in all centres benefiting from learning best practice from each other.”

Dr Emma Gordon, Director of the ADR UK Strategic Hub and incoming Co-Director of IPDLN, said: “I am hugely excited for ADR UK to be taking forward leadership of the IPDLN for 2021-22, and the opportunities this provides.”

“Since ADR UK’s inception in 2018, it has made great strides in developing partnerships between government and academia across our four nations, transforming data linkage and research access to inform policy and practice. However, exciting developments are also being made in many other countries, and taking on the IPDLN will connect us directly with this pre-eminent international community of best practice in this field, opening up countless opportunities for shared learning.”

This year's International Population Data Linkage Virtual Conference, Data Linkage: Information to Impact, will be held online from 1-13 November, 2020.