Health Research Symposium 2024

Data to power health research.

New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training (NB-IRDT)

University of New Brunswick NB-IRDT Logo

New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training (NB-IRDT) is a research data center and the only provincial research data centre data custodian. They receive, host, and manage data for research purposes while protecting privacy to support evidence-based decision-making.

NB-IRDT’s ability to link information from multiple sources has revolutionized data availability for research in the province. The organization strives to use data responsibly to enhance the well-being of New Brunswickers while ensuring their privacy is protected.

As an integral part of the province’s research infrastructure, the institute conducts evaluations for community and government projects, develops research and analytical capacity through training, guides researchers in practical knowledge transfer activities, and promotes research to support evidence-informed decision-making.

 

Linked Data Can be Used to Tackle Complex Issues

NB-IRDT manages individually-linkable data securely without receiving any direct identifiers. This enables researchers to analyze a multitude of factors within their extensive data holdings, yielding valuable insights into complex issues and informing policy decisions in key priority areas.

Connecting Private Sector and Administrative Data for Decision-Making

NB-IRDT can securely link administrative data to external data resources, expanding research possibilities. For instance, linkage of clinical trial data to health and socioeconomic data enables evaluation of long-term outcomes in trial participants.

Harnessing the New Brunswick Experience for National Impact

New Brunswick is a microcosm of Canada with Anglophone, Francophone and Indigenous populations, a matching urban-rural divide, an aging population, and high rates of chronic illness and rare diseases. Datasets enable researchers to study challenges and opportunities at a provincial level and design solutions to be scaled nationally.

A Dataset Snapshot

NB-IRDT hosts and provides access to over 100 person-level data sets and deidentified information. Examples of available data include prescription drug dispensing records, physician service billing records, students diagnosed with ADHD, IV oncology, cardiac surgery data, COVID-19 case data, and more.

Scientist conducting vaccine research in a lab
Research

Platform data equips researchers to address questions impacting New Brunswickers’ health, well- being, and prosperity, while safeguarding citizens’ privacy.

Training

Data-related training programs for students, government employees, researchers, and practitioners cover data literacy, knowledge translation, privacy, ethics, statistics, epidemiology, program evaluation, and cost-benefit analyses.

Program Evaluation

Customized program and policy evaluations help organizations understand the impact of their decisions on outcomes of citizens. Services range from designing of evaluation framework to developing a final report.

Knowledge Translation

Utilizing various methods and channels, research findings are shared with diverse audiences to increase understanding and turn research into results faster.

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