The Usher Building at Edinburgh BioQuarter brings together more than 900 researchers, health and care providers and industry leaders who are harnessing data in addressing urgent challenges, including an ageing population, widening health inequalities and childhood wellbeing – all against a backdrop of increasing pressures on services.
The University received £49.2m capital funding for the building through the Edinburgh & South East Scotland City Region Deal, with £48.5m from the UK Government and £0.7m from the Scottish Government.
WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, was joined by the Rt Hon Ian Murray MP, Secretary of State for Scotland, and Maree Todd MSP, Minister for Drug and Alcohol Policy and Sport, alongside University staff and students to mark the opening of this state-of-the-art hub.
During the ceremony, Dr Tedros received the University’s inaugural Edinburgh Prize for Global Health Impact in recognition of the WHO’s work to provide children across the world access to life-saving vaccinations.
Health advances
The University of Edinburgh building co-locates the Usher Institute alongside other public, private and third-sector partners working together to accelerate innovations in data to benefit the health and care sector.
Pioneering work taking place within the Usher Building includes researchers leveraging artificial intelligence to improve surgical outcomes and scientists exploring diagnostic potential through routine retina imaging.
Genetic studies of populations in Shetland, Orkney and the Hebrides are also yielding vital insights into cancer genetics, while health data experts track population trends to enhance prevention, diagnosis and care delivery across communities.
This work proved vital during the Covid-19 pandemic, when it was used to guide the Scottish, UK and international governments’ approach to vaccinations and wider public health policy.
Another key initiative is DataLoch – a partnership between the University of Edinburgh and NHS Lothian – which brings together de-identified data from everyday use of health and social care services. Approved researchers from across sectors can securely access this resource to investigate a wide range of issues, from service improvement to health inequalities.
More recently, DataLoch is supporting researchers to access health and care data linked to other data sets to build a clearer picture of the links between health and social factors.
