Building data skills to tackle AMR: 5-Day Course delivered in Northern Ireland

The Digital Health Hub for AMR recently hosted a 5-day course in Northern Ireland, co-designed with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and UCL’s Centre for Advanced Research Computing (ARC). Delivered by research technology professionals from ARC, the training equipped epidemiologists and public health professionals from Health and Social Care Northern Ireland, Scotland, and the Republic of Ireland with key tools for reproducible data science.

Held at Riddel Hall in Belfast, the workshop introduced attendees to R programming, working with databases using SQL, and key issues relating to reproducibility. Using AMR-related examples, the sessions were designed to be accessible for both AMR professionals and those working across broader surveillance topics.

Dr Magda Bucholc, Lead Epidemiologist, Public Health Agency said:

“This course was a fantastic step forward in building essential data skills across the AMR and wider surveillance community. It was great to see participants grow in confidence with tools like R and SQL – skills that are increasingly vital for modern, reproducible public health practice. It really highlighted the value of transferring practical knowledge from academia into the public sector. While not traditionally seen as an 'impact case', initiatives like this are often underestimated in terms of how useful they are for real-world health sector work. I believe supporting this kind of digital upskilling is key to expanding the digital revolution across the sector.” 

Attendees praised the course for its clear explanations, hands-on challenges, and real-world applications.

“I started this course with zero knowledge of SQL but by the end I was comfortable navigating all the basic commands and was using it comfortably in all the exercises. I will definitely be bringing this training into my everyday work.”

“Courses like this are not particularly easy to come by, it was great that there was such an opportunity available and it was a privilege to be invited on the course. I thought it was great that breaks were taken into consideration and felt they were at the right level.”

Interactive elements like live coding walkthroughs, real-time group activities, and “murder mystery” and reproducibility challenges added to the learning experience. Participants particularly valued the supportive environment, with facilitators circulating to provide individual assistance.

The course is part of the Hub’s ongoing commitment to building digital health skills across the AMR workforce and supporting reproducible, data-driven public health practice.