You are here: Home / For staff / Research / Funding opportunities / Health data linkage

Funding for Health Data Linkage projects

Background information

The Centre for Health Record Linkage, hosted by the Cancer Institute NSW, is a collaborative venture funded by eight member organisations (ACT Health, the NSW Clinical Excellence Commission, the Cancer Institute NSW, NSW Department of Health, the Sax Institute, the University of Newcastle, the University of NSW and the University of Sydney).

The University’s annual membership to this collaborative venture has been met by contributions of various amounts from the University’s Cancer Research Fund (through the University of Sydney Cancer Research Network), and the Faculties of Medicine, Health Sciences, Nursing and Midwifery, Pharmacy and Dentistry.

The University of Sydney receives back a proportion of its membership fee in free services.

Guide to health record linkage services

For more detailed information regarding CHeReL and information relating to its use, please refer to the CHeReL website for their latest version of the Guide to CHeReL services.

For information about the linked datasets available and the types of linkage services offered by CHeReL please refer to the CHeReL website.

Back to Top

CHeReL services available to the University of Sydney

CHeReL services to the value of $60,000 will be available to University of Sydney researchers in 2006/07, $80,000 in 2007/08 and $100,000 in 2008/09.

Policies for allocating these free services to researchers have been developed by the University of Sydney Health Data Linkage committee, a cross-faculty subcommittee of the Health Research Strategy Committee.

Investigators seeking access to the University of Sydney free services will be expected to themselves contribute to the cost of the services they require using research funds from other sources.

For further details regarding eligibility criteria, selection criteria and process, and project applications please download Information for Applicants and the Project Application Form.

Back to Top

Step-by-step guide for researchers

The Centre for Health Record Linkage Data Linkage Service FLOWCHART AND CHECKLIST

This document provides information about when to make initial contact with CHeReL, when to request a quotation from CHeReL for the provision of the data linkage services you require, when to apply to the NSW Population & Health Service Research Ethics Committee (and your host institution) for ethics approval for your project. It also provides an estimate of the time required to complete the application process and obtain ethics approval.

You can apply to The University of Sydney for Health Data Linkage project funding once you have obtained a quotation from CHeReL.

Back to Top

Downloads

As noted in the 'Information for applicants' a quotation (issued by the CHeReL) must accompany all applications for project funding. Researchers should contact the CHeReL directly to request a quotation for their proposed project. The CHeReL process a number of requests for quotations at any one time so researchers are advised to contact the CHeReL to discuss the feasibility of their projects at least 3-6 weeks prior to needing a quotation.

Contacting the Centre for Health Record Linkage

Level 1, Suite 9, Bay 9, Locomotive Street
Australian Technology Park, EVELEIGH NSW 2015
Tel: + 61 2 8374 3515
Fax: + 61 2 8374 3500



Mailing address
Centre for Health Record Linkage
Cancer Institute NSW
PO Box 41, ALEXANDRIA NSW 1435
Australia

Back to Top

2009 funding rounds

The University's membership is currently being reviewed. Future funding arrangements will be advised in due course.

Please note: Applicants are not required to submit proof of ethics approval from their host institution to the Health Data Linkage committee when applying to use University of Sydney free services in this funding round. However, researchers will be required to forward evidence of ethics approval when it is obtained.

Back to Top

Outcomes of previous funding rounds

Health Data Linkage applications that were successful in previous funding rounds:

Round 8 – 29 May 2009

  • Comprehensive linkage of perinatal laboratory and health data for monitoring health outcomes and evaluating antenatal biomarkers for the detection of adverse pregnancy outcomes.
    C Roberts, N Nassar, JM Morris
  • Pap test screening rates, high grade cervical abnormalities and cervical cancer among women with an alcohol-related hospital admission in NSW
    BK Armstrong, A Kricker, L Burns

Round 6 – 30 November 2008

  • The long term prevalence of hospitalisation in frail older people (the Hospitalisation Study)
    ID Cameron and NM Monaghan
  • Cancer and chronic kidney disease – interaction or two chronic diseases
    AC Webster, G Wong and JC Craig

Round 5 – 29 August 2008

  • Pap test screening rates, high grade cervical abnormalities and cervical cancer among women with a substance use hospital admission in NSW
    A Kricker and L Burns

Round 3 – 29 February 2008

  • Incidence and prognosis of metastatic breast cancer in NSW
    SJ Lord and N Houssami
  • Cervical cancer screening behaviour in women born in Asian and Middle Eastern countries compared to Australian-born women: A linkage study in NSW
    K Canfell, B Armstrong, N Aminisani and F Sitas

Round 2 – 1 December 2007

  • Studies on endometriosis and the subsequent risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes.
    GM Hadfield, CL Roberts, SJ Lain and CH Raynes-Greenow
  • The health and health seeking behaviours of opiate dependent people in NSW 2002-2006
    G Rubin, J Bell, L Trinh and A Ryan

Round 1 - 31 October 2007

  • An examination of the quality and validity of mothers and babies coded data found in administrative datasets - through linking NSW Inpatient Statistics Collection (ISC) with Midwives Data Collection (MDC) and Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (RBDM)
    M Lam
  • Improving birth statistics in Australia through use of record linkage
    R Madden and H Mannan
  • A pilot study investigating the ability of maternal levels of Angiopoietin 2(Ang-2) in early pregnancy to predict adverse outcomes
    CL Roberts, V Tasevski, JM Morris, LK Taylor
  • The serious and continuing illness policy and practice study
    S Leeder, R Colagiuri, J Gillespie and S Jan
  • An analysis of the usefulness of the linked Central Cancer Registry - Admitted Patient Data Collection for examining patterns of care of people with prostate, lung and colorectal cancers
    BK Armstrong, DP Smith and DL O'Connell
  • Determining aged care trajectories in NSW: linking the 45 and up survey and aged care administrative data - pilot utilising hospital data
    HK Kendig, LJ Jorm and JB Byles
  • Temporal trends in the epidemiology of infective endocarditis in Australia
    R Sy and L Kritharides
Back to Top

Upcoming seminars

The Faculty of Pharmacy and the Cancer Research Network invite you to a lecture by:

Associate Professor Emily Banks
NHMRC Fellow and Scientific Director, The 45 and Up Study

  • Title: The 45 and Up Study and pharmacoepidemiology
  • Date: Thursday 3 September 2009
  • Time: 1.00pm – 2.00pm
  • Venue: Pharmacy Lecture Theatre, Science Rd, The University of Sydney (Camperdown campus)
  • Who: This seminar is open to all researchers at the University of Sydney. It may be of particular interest for those interested in applying for University of Sydney Health Data Linkage Funding.

Please encourage your colleagues and students to join us. All welcome! RSVP is not required.

The 45 and Up Study is the largest study of healthy ageing ever conducted in the Southern Hemisphere. Recruitment into the Study is complete, with over 250,000 men and women aged 45 and over from across NSW taking part. We will follow the health of the cohort over the coming decades via questionnaire-based data, together with linked data on health and use of health care services. Over time, the Study cohort will also provide biological samples.

Back to Top

Further information

For further information regarding access to University of Sydney free services, please contact in the Cancer Research Network office on (02) 9036 3478.

Back to Top