Upcoming Events
Data Linkage Workshops - Hobart and Launceston| 2026
Do you have a data linkage project idea?
We are running free workshops to help you get started!
Details
Please join us for a free, interactive workshop designed for researchers, clinicians, and policy makers to learn about data linkage, with the aim of helping attendees develop an idea into a feasible project. We will cover the basics of how data are linked, what datasets are available for linkage through the TDLU, how to design and apply for a data linkage project, and an introduction to analysing linked data.
The workshops will be run in-person and are open to University of Tasmania (UTAS) and Tasmanian Department of Health (DoH) staff and students (applicants from other Departments and Organisations will be considered if space allows).
Workshops will be of most benefit to those who have a data linkage project idea, as this will be developed during the workshop.
HOBART - registration closed
Date: Tuesday 24th November 2026
Time: 9:30am – 2:30pm (lunch provided)
Location: Room 158/159, Level 1, MS2, Medical Science Precinct, 17 Liverpool St, Hobart
LAUNCESTON - NEW
Date: Monday 14th December 2026
Time: 9:30am – 2:30pm (lunch provided)
Location: Room 203, Level 2 Northern Integrated Care Services, 41 Frankland St, Launceston General Hospital, Launceston
Registration
Registration for the Hobart workshop has now closed.
Please express your interest in attending the Launceston workshop by completing this form before COB Monday 16th November. You can also use the form to join our mailing list to hear about future events and opportunities.
Places in the workshop are limited so register early to secure your attendance.
Enquiries
For all enquiries please contact the TDLU at menzies.TDLU@utas.edu.au
Past symposiums and workshops
The Tasmanian Data Linkage Unit held a data-linkage symposium in December 2018 entitled "Linked Data in Action: Supporting Service Improvement". The symposium was aimed at policy makers, planners and researchers, and showcased data linkage and data integration projects at a state and Commonwealth level with case study presentations from invited local and interstate guest speakers. Professor John Lynch, Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Adelaide, was the keynote speaker presenting on the use of linked data to reduce inequalities in child health and development.
The presentations delivered at the symposium are available to download below:
- Mr Brian Stokes - Manager, Tasmanian Data Linkage Unit - Data Linkage Infrastructure in Tasmania - Current Status (PDF 438.3 KB)
- Professor John Lynch - Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Adelaide - Evidence for interventions to reduce inequalities in child health and development (PDF 4.1 MB)
- Professor Cate Taylor - Pathways to better health and education for Tasmania - Using linked data to improve outcomes for Tasmanian children
- Dr Jodi Glading and Dr Shannon Melody - Public Health Challenges & Priorities for Tasmania (PDF 2.1 MB)
- Dr Anton Forsyth - Epidemiology of Staphylococcus Aureus Bacteraemia in Tasmania between 2011 & 2016
- Dr Barbara de Graaff - Reducing the Burden of Liver Cancer for Tasmanians (PDF 507.4 KB)
- Professor Alison Venn - The D-Health Trial: Data Linkage (PDF 1.7 MB)
- Associate Professor Heinrich Weber - Perinatal risk factors associated with impaired lung function in children at the age of 6 to 8 years
The Tasmanian Data Linkage Unit held a 1-day data linkage Symposium on 22 June 2016 at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research Hobart Tasmania. Attendees represented areas including state and federal government, non-government, education, research and the private sector. Keynote speaker for the event was Professor Louisa Jorm, the Foundation Director of the Centre for Big Data Research in Health at UNSW. Louisa is a renowned and respected leader both in Australia and internationally in policy-relevant research using linked administrative health data, including hospital inpatient, mortality and Medicare data.
All presentations delivered during the event are available to download below:
- Prof Louisa Jorm - Routinely collected data - a strategic resource for research and policy (PDF 110.0 KB)
- Dr Merran Smith - Australian Data Linkage Infrastructure (PDF 1.1 MB)
- Prof Louisa Jorm - Using linked data to plan and evaluate policies and programs (PDF 1.1 MB)
- Dr Phil Anderson - Linkage of National and Commonwealth Data (PDF 1.2 MB)
- Hayden Jones - Sharing data within, between & beyond government (PDF 515.2 KB)
- Brian Stokes - Data Linkage in Tasmania: An Overview (PDF 237.6 KB)
- Martin Hensher - Linkage of Tasmania Health Data, a DHHS Perspective (PDF 377.7 KB)
- Nicola Stephens - Chlamydia Data Linkage Project (PDF 885.1 KB)
- Andrew Oakley - ABS-DoE Educational Outcomes 2016-06-21 (PDF 654.5 KB)
- Dr Martin Schultz - Exertion Study (PDF 899.4 KB)
- Ms Jane Barrow & Mr Kim Hawthorne - PHT Primary Health Care Programs and Data Linkage (PDF 461.6 KB)
- Dr Amanda Neil - The Conception to Community Study (PDF 573.6 KB)
- Nadine Wiggins - Applying for Linked Data (PDF 727.3 KB)
The TDLU held a two-day combined Symposium and Workshop on Monday 29 - Tuesday 30 May 2023
The symposium featured presentations from the TDLU, Tasmanian Department of Health, Primary Health Tasmania, the Tasmanian Government Chief Information Officer, Professor David Preen (data linkage expert) and local researchers. The presentations gave an overview of the history of data linkage in Tasmania, case studies from other states, and how linked data can be used to benefit Tasmania in the future. Feedback from attendees was positive with an increased interest in data linkage and shared collaboration within Tasmania.
The data linkage workshops presented an overview of data linkage, study design, and the ethics of data linkage. Workshop attendees came from a variety of backgrounds with representatives from the Tasmanian HREC, university, government, and industry. These sessions on designing a data linkage study gave researchers the opportunity to develop their own ideas and receive feedback from the TDLU.
The day-and-a-half workshops commenced after the Symposium, and concluded the following afternoon with a pitching session. All attendees were invited to pitch a project with the opportunity to be awarded an in-kind grant funded by the TDLU of up to $5,000.