Professor Jo Knight, Chair in Applied Data Science at Lancaster University Medical School, has been appointed to the NHS England Advisory Group for Data (AGD).

NHS England is the statutory custodian for health and care data for England, serving stakeholders across the UK. NHS England enables the health and social care system to make best use of its data to improve healthcare outcomes, efficiency of services and the impact of research, while safeguarding the privacy of the people whose data we hold

AGD includes seven independent members who can individually and collectively provide NHS England with expert advice and assurance on internal and external access to data.

Professor Knight said: “It is an honour to hold this position on the Advisory Group for Data and to work alongside other members to advise NHS England about the use of patient data for the benefit of advancing the effectiveness of the NHS whilst guarding against improper use of data.”

Michael Chapman, NHS England Director of Data and Analytics welcomed Professor Knight’s appointment:

"I am delighted to welcome Professor Knight to AGD. As an experienced researcher, she brings expertise that will strengthen AGD's ability to provide robust advice on the use of data to improve patient health and social care outcomes.”

Jackie Gray, NHS England Director of Privacy and Information Governance, said: “Professor Knight will be an important asset to the group which fulfils statutory guidance in relation to protecting patient data.”

Professor Knight’s research focus lies in the use of electronic patient records to undertake research with the goal of improving health outcomes with a particular focus on neurology and you can read her latest research here.

Previously Professor Knight was the chair of an expert review panel for the Clinical Practice Data Link which provides GP data to researchers and has advised on improved data science education for UK medical students in a report from the Medical Schools Council (MSC) together with Health Data Research UK (HDRUK). Locally she is the Research Director of the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust Secure Data Environment and as such part of the team who won an award in 2024 from Health Data Research UK (HDR UK), the UK's national institute for health data science. She has also joined the recently formed Lancashire and South Cumbria Foundation Trust Health Inequalities in Mental Health Expert Panel.