Harnessing Data and AI to Transform Public Health

On 21 August 2025, Matt Gorringe, Senior Director of Data and Research Services at the Sax Institute, took the stage at SAS Innovate On Tour Sydney – a one-day summit highlighting practical, trustworthy AI for real-world challenges.

SAS Innovate On Tour delivers global insights on scalable AI, embedded ethics, and AI-enabled trust to business leaders and technologists. In Sydney, attendees explored generative AI, responsible analytics, and platform resilience, with ample opportunity to connect across sectors.

Evidence in Action: Platforms that Power Insights

At the heart of Matt’s presentation was the Sax Institute’s mission: to improve health and wellbeing by embedding evidence into policies, programs, and services. As an independent, not-for-profit organisation, we collaborate with governments, health providers, academics, and a national network of over 60 research organisations to translate data into decision-ready evidence.

Central to this effort are two flagship programs:

• The Secure Unified Research Environment (SURE): A trusted analytics platform supporting more than 800 researchers across Australia. Around half of our users rely on SAS for rigorous, reproducible epidemiological and health policy analysis. SURE is operated by the Sax Institute and is supported by the Population Health Research Network which is an initiative of the Australian Government National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) and the NSW Government.

• The 45 and Up Study: Australia’s largest ongoing cohort study, with data from over 267,000 participants. This extensive, long-term research has informed major public health initiatives – from plain tobacco packaging and lung cancer screening to targeted cardiovascular prevention strategies.

Together, these platforms demonstrate how secure, sophisticated tools can power insight generation and policy impact. 

Accelerating Evidence with AI 

While data has always been central to our work, AI is enabling us to move faster and work smarter. AI-support tools – like Evidence Review Accelerator – help streamline rapid evidence synthesis, while machine learning techniques support analysis of complex datasets, including image-based research and cancer treatment pathway analytics. 

However, AI adoption at Sax is framed by strong governance. SURE is ISO 27001:2022-accredited, undergoes regular penetration testing, and ensures data access is tightly controlled through procedures that safeguard confidentiality at every step. 

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