The DataHealth Lab is an emerging research group dedicated to producing high-quality, policy-relevant science that addresses today’s most pressing health challenges. We work across Epidemiology, Data Science, Clinical Research, and Implementation Science, with special attention to vulnerable populations and the systems shaping their lives.

Founded and led by Otavio Ranzani, the lab is grounded in a commitment to scientific rigour, openness, and equity (our values below). Our work focuses on acute systemic stressors, particularly infections and environmental exposures, and their biological and structural consequences for acute clinical decompensation and health systems. Through this lens, we integrate critical care science, climate and environmental health, emerging infections, and health system organization to generate evidence that is both methodologically sound and socially meaningful.

We collaborate across disciplines and borders, employing different tools, from randomized trials to causal inference and artificial intelligence. Whether uncovering biological mechanisms or informing policy decisions, we transform complex data into evidence that improves clinical outcomes and system preparedness.

Though early in our journey, we’ve secured funding from national and international agencies, led high-tier, highly-cited publications (Lancet, JAMA, BMJ, etc), community impact and advancements in scientific methods and knowledge.

Established in 1992, the Research Institute at Sant Pau Campus is a leading biomedical hub dedicated to advancing health through cutting-edge science. Affiliated with the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) since 2009 and integrated into the CERCA system of Catalan research centers since 2011, IR SANT PAU fosters a collaborative ecosystem where researchers conduct groundbreaking translational work spanning basic, epidemiological, and clinical science to applications.

The campus comprises the historic Hospital de Sant Pau – a six-century-old medical landmark, the Cochrane Iberoamerican Centre, Primary Care centers, Barcelona Public Health Agency (ASPB), UAB, among others to transform discoveries into patient care.

At the intersection of scientific excellence and innovation, IR SANT PAU trains international scientists while delivering tangible healthcare breakthroughs, embodying its mission to bridge knowledge and wellbeing and it is recognized as one of Catalonia’s most productive research institutions.