Spring forward with the March issue of Data Points

What's Up @ HDRN Canada?

HDRN Canada launches pioneering IDEA strategy

How can we build a data research ecosystem that is inclusive, diverse, equitable and accessible? HDRN Canada has launched our groundbreaking IDEA Strategy, co-created with members across the country, to build a values-driven foundation for transformational data within our network and the broader health data ecosystem.

Public Advisory Council seeks new members

Interested in ensuring that health data are used for public benefit? Want to learn more about current topics in health data and join a network of diverse colleagues from across the country? HDRN Canada is seeking new members for our Public Advisory Council. The deadline to apply is April 30.

Speaker reveal: StatCan Chief Privacy Officer at HD4A

How is Statistics Canada promoting privacy culture, keeping our data safe while supporting access to data for research? Learn more from StatCan Chief Privacy Officer Dr. Pierre Desrochers along with Shelley Jeglic at HDRN Canada's public forum, Health Data for All of Us: Our Health Data Journey, April 21 in Ottawa and online.

Congratulations to Dr. Lisa Lix!

Dr. Lisa Lix, a member of HDRN Canada's Executive and Lead of our Harmonized Data & Tools Team, has been appointed Associate Dean, Research of the College of Community and Global Health within the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba. Congratulations, Dr. Lix - we are so proud!

Upcoming Events

Working with Health Services Data in Research | MARCH 20 | Calgary

This in-person workshop, hosted by Alberta SPOR SUPPORT Unit, offers practical insights into working with health services data for research. Drawing on experienced researchers’ case examples, participants will explore data holdings, access and stewardship considerations, common challenges, and how to design realistic, fundable studies using health services data.

REGISTER

Admin data & substance use disorder MARCH 26 | Virtual

How do social and institutional factors influence the coding of hospital administrative data for populations with substance use disorder? Join our next Big IDEAs About Health Data webinar, featuring Jeffrey Morgan, who will share his doctoral research investigating how power dynamics, institutional priorities and daily "data work" shape the patient record.

REGISTER

How does estrogen shape cognition?
MARCH 26 | Virtual

Menopause and menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) can influence cognition in postmenopausal women, yet findings remain inconsistent. Dr. Liisa Galea and Dr. Laura Gravelsins discuss their research using baseline data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging to examine associations between menopause age and MHT on performance across three cognitive domains.

REGISTER

Canada's Drug Agency Symposium
APRIL 22-24 | Ottawa & Virtual

Canada’s Drug Agency Symposium is one of Canada’s premier events on health care and health policy, convening leading voices from across the health care landscape. Attend this three-day event in person or online for conversations about building future-ready systems amid uncertainty, innovation and change around this year's theme of evidence, engagement and systems.

REGISTER

News from Across the Network

What are the hospitalization trends in Canada?

What are the top reasons people are admitted to hospitals in Canada? What are the most common surgeries across provinces and territories? A new data release from CIHI has those details—and more. Key findings and data tables show hospital activity, plus information on in-hospital births, standardized hospitalization rates and lengths of stay.

Hotıì ts’eeda's 2026 funding call is now open!

Hotıì ts’eeda, the Northwest Territories SPOR Support Unit, is now accepting applications for its 2026 funding call. Projects must consider northern and Indigenous health, with a focus on capacity building for NWT health, research and knowledge translation, as well as gathering and managing NWT health data. Apply by March 20.

Psychosis rates climb among young people in Ontario

A new study using linked health administrative data from ICES found that more Ontarians are being diagnosed with psychosis than those born in earlier decades. According to the retrospective cohort study, the rate of schizophrenia among Ontarians born between 2000-2004 is 70 percent higher than that of those born between 1975-1979.

Which BC children are likely to develop critical illness?

Access to linked administrative data through Population Data BC has been approved for a new study that aims to better understand the health equity factors that influence risk of critical care admission and outcomes among children in British Columbia. Findings will help ensure that all children have the best chance of recovery.

Pragmatic trials: future treatment for osteoarthritis

HDRN Canada's Pragmatic Trials Training Program is educating the next generation of trial leaders, including Dr. Pavlos Bobos, by moving research into real-world care settings. Dr. Bobos has designed a protocol to test exercise interventions to reduce pain intensity and improve physical function in people with knee osteoarthritis.

Are Canadians gaining healthy years later in life?

Population health is not only about how long people live, but how well they live. Quality of life encompasses many factors, including life satisfaction, sense of purpose, environment, good governance and health. New data from Statistics Canada examine health-adjusted life expectancy shedding light on recent changes in longevity.