Programme

12 February 2025

SESSION 1 – EU Health Data Protection Framework

Topics

• Setting the stage: Essential Aspects of Data Processing for Research
  This introductory lecture provides practical guidance on processing data for research in line with the GDPR. 
   

  
  You will learn:

  • How to safeguard personal data by focusing on privacy, confidentiality, and security;
  • Essential techniques such as data minimization, anonymization, and pseudonymization, and explore the ethical and legal frameworks governing research data;
  • Practical considerations like identifying ethical risks, ensuring fair data processing, and understanding when to use derogations or legitimate interests 

• Navigating the Complexities of EU Health Data Law  
  This lecture provides practical guidance on complying with the GDPR when processing health data. 

  
  
   

  We'll focus on:

  • Understanding why health data is considered a "special category" of personal data;

  • Knowing the legal differences between using health data for treatment versus research;

  • Meeting the necessary compliance requirements for processing health data;

  • Navigating the interplay between the GDPR and related regulations like the Clinical Trials Regulation, AI Act, and Data Governance Act;

  • Implementing key principles like data minimization, obtaining proper consent, and ensuring data security;

  • Understanding how the emerging European Health Data Space (EHDS) will affect future data processing.

     

• Legal Bases for Processing Health Data: Consent and Beyond 

   

  
  This lecture provides practical guidance on obtaining and using consent for processing health data under the GDPR. 

   

   

  
  
  You will learn:

  • How to obtain valid consent that meets GDPR requirements;

  • What constitutes explicit consent and why it's important;

  • When other legal bases, such as public interest or legitimate interest, can be used instead of consent;

  • The key differences between consent under the GDPR and the Clinical Trials Regulation (CTR);

  • How the proposed European Health Data Space (EHDS) will impact legal bases for data processing.

13 February 2025

SESSION 1 – Navigating Europe’s Data Protection framework on health data 

Topics

• When Consent Isn't Enough: Legal Bases for Secondary Use of Health Data 
  This lecture provides practical guidance on navigating the legal landscape of using health data for different purposes.  
   

  
  You will learn:

  • How to differentiate between primary and secondary uses of health data;
  • How to perform compatibility tests to determine if a new data use is legally sound;
  • What to do when a research protocol changes and how it affects data processing;
  • Which alternative legal bases (e.g., public interest, legitimate interest, EHDS provisions) can be used when consent is not available or valid. 

SESSION 2 – Data Governance and health data 

Topics

• Who Controls Health Data? Ownership, Governance, and Patient Rights  
  This lecture provides practical insights into managing health data ownership and governance, especially when sharing data with other organizations.   
   

  
  You will learn:

  • Protecting intellectual property related to health data and research;

  • Upholding patient rights and ensuring their control over data use;

  • Implementing effective data governance practices in line with regulations like the European Health Data Space (EHDS);

  • Understanding how the EHDS facilitates responsible data sharing for innovation while prioritizing individual privacy. 

14 February 2025

SESSION 3 – Using Technology to Protect Health Data: A Practical Guide 

Topics

• Anonymization vs Pseudonymization 
  This lecture provides practical guidance on using pseudonymous and anonymous data in research while maintaining data protection.  
   

  
  You will learn:

  • How to distinguish between pseudonymous and anonymous data;
  • The legal implications of using each data type under the GDPR;
  • How pseudonymization and anonymization can be used as effective privacy-enhancing techniques;
  • The risks and benefits associated with each approach;
  • How these techniques impact data processing and data protection efforts in practice.

• Privacy Preserving techniques 
  This lecture provides practical insights into using advanced privacy-preserving techniques in data processing for research and healthcare.
   

  
  You will learn:

  • How data encryption protects sensitive information;
  • How differential privacy can be used to analyze data while preserving individual privacy;
  • How federated learning enables collaborative research without sharing raw data.

13.00 End of the programme