Smart Data Research UK and Google Health event about searching the internet for health advice

Using internet search data to improve health research

Join Smart Data Research UK for a webinar with Google Health UK: Using internet search data to improve health research.

Thursday, 25 July 2024, 1:00pm (BST), 8:00am (EST), 5:00am (PST)

These days, it’s not unusual for people to turn to the internet to ask health-related questions, in many cases long before they seek professional advice and care.

This has led to growing interest within the research community about how to use internet search data to better understand people’s health and behaviour and to improve health outcomes more broadly.

In response to recent regulatory changes, platforms such as Google have launched new data portability products that make it easier for users to consent to share their internet consumer search data with authorized third-party users or apps. This creates significant potential for researchers by enabling easier access to a wider universe of data for research.

This one-hour webinar, jointly hosted by Smart Data Research UK and Google Health UK, will explore the impact of these changes and their implications for research and innovation for the public good.

To find out more and to register to attend, visit our Eventbrite page.

Aims

Learn how internet search data has the potential to improve the diagnosis of key health conditions such as cancer and mental health disorders
Explore the utility of the API for social and health research using internet search data
Build awareness of the Google Portability API amongst researchers in the UK and internationally

Speakers

Joe Cuddeford, Director, Smart Data Research UK
Dr Susan Thomas, Director, Clinical, Google Health UK
Jessie ‘Chuy’ Chavez, Engineering Manager, Data Protection and Portability, Google
Professor Matthew Thompson, Clinical Research Scientist, Google
Dr Srdjan Saso, Consultant Gynaecologist and Gynaecological Cancer Surgeon and Honorary Clinical Lecturer, Imperial College London
Emmanouil Tranos, Professor of Quantitative Human Geography, University of Bristol and Fellow at the Alan Turing Institute

Who should attend?

Public health researchers: Interested in using novel data types to understand population health trends and improve public health outcomes.
Social scientists: Studying online behaviour and its impact on health outcomes.
Medical researchers: Exploring the potential of internet search data for disease surveillance, early detection, and understanding patient experiences.
Data scientists: Interested in using large datasets from search engines for health research.
Researchers unfamiliar with Google portability products