A Swansea University academic has been recognised for his pioneering work shaping the study of health data in the UK.
Professor David Ford, professor of informatics and director of Population Data Science based in Swansea University Medical School, has been appointed OBE in the King’s Birthday Honours list in recognition of his services to social science.
His work has transformed the ethical and secure use of data for the public good, both in the UK and globally, enabling interdisciplinary research at the intersection of health and social sciences. By uncovering insights into population-level trends and the social determinants of health, Professor Ford has significantly advanced understanding of how societal factors shape health outcomes, impacting social science research and evidence-informed policy.
He said: “I am both surprised and delighted to be awarded this honour. I never for a moment thought I would be in the running for one!
“Of course, while I am absolutely thrilled to receive it, I am very conscious that any successes associated with me over the years were only possible through the hard work and dedication of a lot of very clever colleagues. It is with them I share this award.”
Professor Ford is the co-founder and director of the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank, and the Secure e-Research Platform (SeRP), which contains billions of person-based records. SAIL has become a trusted population databank, improving lives by providing researchers with secure, linkable and anonymised data.
In 2024 the contribution of the SAIL Databank to the harnessing of public data to improve population health and wellbeing led to Swansea University being awarded a prestigious Queen’s Anniversary Prize.
Professor Ford is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA) and was also included in DataIQ 100 most influential people in data and analytics for 2021.
He will receive his insignia at an investiture later this year.