Solving real-life public health challenges using data and AI

Behind every major health breakthrough, there’s a moment when evidence meets action. That connection doesn’t happen by accident – it requires the right data, the right tools and the right partners. At a time when health systems are under immense pressure to make smarter, faster and more equitable decisions, the Sax Institute plays a central enabling role in that effort, helping turn research into practical insights that shape real-world outcomes.

Headquartered in Sydney, Australia, the Sax Institute is an independent, not-for-profit organization that sets out to improve health and well-being by bringing research to the frontlines of policy, programs and services. Since its founding in 2002, the Sax Institute has grown into an internationally recognized leader in health knowledge translation. Serving as an evidence specialist in the health and life sciences ecosystem, the Sax Institute supports and connects more than 70 public health research organizations across Australia into a national network, bridging research, data and decisionmaking to drive better health outcomes at scale.

Secure data, accessible research

Working with sensitive health data requires a careful balance. The Sax Institute must protect sensitive data, making sure it is secure, well-governed and ethically handled, while still enabling rapid, easy access for health analysts, epidemiologists and researchers.

Central to this balance is the Sax Institute’s Secure Unified Research Environment (SURE) platform, supported by the Population Health Research Network as part of the National Collaborative Infrastructure Strategy and the New South Wales Government. Today, more than 800 researchers and 300 SAS users rely on SURE to access nationally linked health data.

For Matthew Gorringe, Head of Data and Research Services at the Sax Institute, working with SAS is as much about shared alignment as it is about capability. “SAS was chosen to underpin SURE because of its strength in data management and data analysis – combined with SAS’ strong history in academia and research – providing a robust, trusted and explainable solution for SURE’s users,” he says.

With SAS analytics integrated into SURE, the Sax Institute and its research community can:

• Manage and clean large, linked health data sets.
• Perform statistical analyses typical in epidemiology and public health research.
• Generate graphs, tables and reports useful for summarizing results and reporting to stakeholders and policymakers.
• Provide a stable, well-supported environment that ensures strong data governance and reproducible, secure analyses.
• Use more advanced methods for complex or large data sets.

SURE continues to expand in scope. Since 2020, the number of users has doubled, with more than 860 researchers and policy analysts now conducting projects each year as the need for large-linked datasets continues to grow.

Turning long-term data into long-term impact

One of the Sax Institute’s most ambitious health and policy initiatives is the “45 and Up Study,” Australia’s largest ongoing investigation into health and aging. More than 287,000 participants have contributed two decades of data, all managed through the SURE platform and powered by SAS technology. The study has generated major insights into healthy aging, resulting in more than 380 published research articles and informing policy and practice worldwide. Its findings have informed work by the World Health Organization and the Australian Government, and contributed evidence referenced in the US Surgeon General’s Advisory on alcohol and cancer risk.

Just as important is how the “45 and Up Study” has laid the groundwork for new research directions. Its success inspired the launch of the “18 and Up Study,” a groundbreaking intergenerational health and well-being project. Building on the original study’s legacy, it will survey participants’ children and grandchildren to generate data-driven insights into mental health and help inform future policy and service responses related to depression, anxiety and psychological distress. Central to creating this multigenerational research cohort of 300,000 people requires both scale and precision. Once again, SURE and SAS form the backbone, ensuring researchers can access the data they need quickly, securely and confidently.

What’s next: AI, digital twins and the future of health

Beyond its data management and analysis strengths with SAS, the Sax Institute is also advancing AI-driven innovation. It is testing specialized AI tools based on large language models to support faster evidence discovery while maintaining the necessary human oversight, quality assurance and governance.

Secure AI is increasingly being used in the SURE platform, supporting applications such as retinal image analysis for vascular health. Looking ahead, the Sax Institute is already using advanced data-driven approaches such as digital twins to simulate hospital workflows and model system-wide changes to improve patient care. Building on this foundation, the Institute is now working toward whole-of-hospital digital twins, with AI being explored to further enhance scale, sophistication and decision-support capability.

“By combining the right tools, secure platforms and strong partnerships, we can ensure research translates into real improvements for communities,” Gorringe concludes.