Both universities in Sheffield have partnered up to launch a new digital healthcare hub aiming to tackle healthcare inequalities in South Yorkshire.
South Yorkshire reportedly has some of the worst health in the country and a younger life expectancy than most of the UK.
The University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University paired up to create the hub which will use data analytics, AI, and mobile health monitoring to help speed up diagnosis and plan more effective targeted treatment.
Tim Chico, Director of the he South Yorkshire Digital Health Hub, said: “Accurate and early diagnosis is crucial for the prevention and treatment of disease.
“Digital data collected by technologies in our daily lives, such as the number of steps we walk, or the number of hours we sleep, is an unused source of information.”
The £4 million hub aims to create and innovate health technologies and digital health tools to integrate data from daily life activities with NHS data.
Professor Chico also said: “Integrating this with routine healthcare data such as treatments, medication or hospital procedures can lead to healthier lives and better care for patients.”
Oliver Coppard, Mayor of the South Yorkshire Combined Authority, said: “I am determined to tackle health inequalities in South Yorkshire.
“We know that a baby born today in Rotherham will, on average, die five years earlier than a baby born on the same day in the London Borough of Richmond.
“That is a personal tragedy and a national travesty. “
Sheffield is one of five hubs across the UK to be awarded part of £16.5 million from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
The hubs are part of a wider £36.5 million investment in healthcare technology from EPSRC.
Mr Coppard also said: “I’m delighted to see partners from our universities and the NHS working together to create a better approach to early diagnosis, prevention and treatment of illness, using the digital tools that we all have in our pockets.
“South Yorkshire has the chance to be a leader and an example to the country in tackling these health inequalities.
“That is why the launch of the Digital Health Hub is so important: it shows that we have the talent, the ambition and the capacity to take action ourselves.”
The South Yorkshire Digital Health Hub is part of the Insigneo Institute at the University of Sheffield and the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam University.