About
Kerina is a Professor of Population Data Science at Swansea University Medical School. She is the Associate Director for Information Governance and Public Engagement (IG&PE) to ensure data protection and to maximise socially-acceptable data utility across the various Swansea University-based Population Data Science initiatives, including: the SAIL Databank, Administrative Data Research Centre Wales, and the HDRUK collaboration. Her work spans the spectrum of Ethical, Legal and Societal Implications (ELSI), recognising the importance of social acceptability. Kerina established an active Consumer Panel to advise on research and developments in Population Data Science.
The Population Data Science initiatives hosted at Swansea University are world renowned. Kerina is internationally acknowledged as having an essential and unique leadership role in these initiatives, by focusing on innovative data governance models and public engagement to enable person-based data to be used effectively and safely. This is a rapidly developing field with changes to regulatory & governance frameworks and evolving societal perceptions. Kerina leads an innovative research programme centred on IG&PE that includes work to inform cross-centre data sharing and how emerging data types, such as genetic data, and free-text data, can be used safely in conjunction with health and administrative records.
Kerina led the active Innovative Governance working group of the UK Farr Institute from 2013 until its conclusion in 2018. At the outset, the balance was tipped towards being overly protective at the expense of innovation and learning to improve health through population data science. This left both regulators and the research community confused and ill-equipped to work harmoniously when they needed clarity and collaboration. Her group pioneered innovative practical solutions for using people’s health data safely and in a socially-acceptable way. The members are held in high esteem and continue to work collaboratively to advise and influence the developing data governance landscape to promote the safe reuse of data.
Kerina is the founding Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Population Data Science (IJPDS), an electronic, open-access, peer-reviewed journal focussing on the science pertaining to population data, and publishing articles on all aspects of research, development and evaluation connected with data about people and populations.