IJPDS International Journal of Population Data Science IJPDS 2399-4908 Swansea University 10.23889/ijpds.v9i5.2813 9:5:322 The CanPath-HDRN Canada Collaboration: Enabling Multi-jurisdictional Research in Canada Brooks Jennifer 1 2 Hayes Anne 3 Alvi Riaz 4 Azimaee Mahmoud 5 Bhatti Parveen 6 Cheema Sheraz 1 Choi Tim 7 ElKhair Nouar 1 Fleming Megan 1 Frank Noah 1 Frizzell Katelyn 8 Gatley Jodi 3 Gilbert Lindsey 9 Gravel Simon 10 Harman Shandra 11 Hicks Jason 12 Ho Vikki 10 Hunt Jordan 13 Jovanovska Stefana 5 Kirsh Victoria 1 14 2 Kydd Robyn 15 La Carmen 3 Lester Kendra 16 Lettre Guillaume 10 Nunes De Melo Magda 5 Standing Mary-Ann 15 Stewart Lindsay 8 Turner Donna 17 Urquhart Robin 12 Vena Jennifer 11 Youngson Eric 18 Awadalla Philip 1 2 14 CanPath University of Toronto Health Data Research Network Canada Healthy Future Sask ICES BC Generations Project Population Data BC Health Data Nova Scotia New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training (NB-IRDT) CARTaGENE Alberta’s Tomorrow Project Atlantic PATH CIHI Ontario Health Study Secure Island Data Repository (SIDR) NL Health Serv5 Manitoba Tomorrow Project Alberta Health Serv5 18 09 2024 2024 9 5 2811 This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. This article is available from the IJPDS website at: https://ijpds.org/article/view/2811 Objective

To highlight the partnership between the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (CanPath) and Health Data Research Network (HDRN Canada), which enables researchers to link CanPath’s health and lifestyle survey data to health records and related data across multiple regions.

 Background

CanPath is a population health study of over 350,000 Canadians from seven regional cohorts across all ten provinces, making it one of the world's largest population cohorts. HDRN Canada is a network of member organizations, including provincial, territorial, and pan-Canadian data centres.

 Approach

This partnership leveraged collective expertise and resources to facilitate the linkage of CanPath’s harmonized data to multi-regional health and health-related administrative data held at HDRN Canada’ s data centres. Researchers can access these data for multi-regional projects through HDRN Canada’s Data Access Support Hub, which provides a single access portal.

 Results

Researchers were able to successfully link CanPath’s survey data to provincial administrative health data. The collaboration’s streamlined process for data access enhances efficiency and facilitates pan-Canadian population health research.

 Conclusion

This collaboration demonstrates the feasibility and value of linking population health datasets while demonstrating the challenges and opportunities associated with accessing national administrative health data within a federated health data system.

 Implications

The partnership between CanPath and HDRN Canada has significant implications for advancing population health research in Canada. By providing researchers with access to linked data from diverse sources, the partnership enables comprehensive investigations into health determinants, disease patterns, and clinical outcomes. This enhances the scope and depth of population health research in Canada, thereby leading to a better understanding of the most pressing health challenges.