AlmaHealthDB is a technological and organisational infrastructure supporting the collection and analysis of large volumes of sensitive clinical data for research purposes, in compliance with legal, ethical, organisational, and regulatory requirements.
The AlmaHealthDB infrastructure is funded and shared by the Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna and the three Scientific Institute for Research, Hospitalisation and Healthcare (IRCCSs) in Bologna: the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute, the Institute of Neurological Sciences of Bologna, and the S. Orsola-Malpighi Polyclinic.
It operates as a sub-network of the regional healthcare service managed by Lepida S.c.p.A, the in-house company of the Emilia Romagna region.
AlmaHealthDB was conceived both for a centralized and a federated model, with a shared infrastructure for ensuring the highest interoperability level, better control, and better cost-effectiveness, especially for multi-center studies.
Input data sources undergo an assessment process to establish their origin, permitted uses, presence of valid consents and authorizations, and conditions for processing.
AlmaHealthDB staff assists researchers throughout the study lifecycle: helping with the selection of variables from a privacy by design perspective, providing legal advice, conducting risk and impact analyses, and identifying the most suitable applicable standards.
We are a multidisciplinary team, with internationally recognized experts but also with many talented young people.
Our expertise ranges from Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering, Information Engineering, Data Curation, Law to Ethics.
Our mission is to support health research and innovation by unlocking the potential of health data.
Are you a researcher and looking for a reliable data management partner for your research project? Do you simply want to know more? Then contact us!
The new infrastracture for clinical research studies
