Photo by Getty: Monty Rakusen
The UC Health Data Warehouse, managed by the UC Health Center for Data-driven Insights and Innovation (CDI2), contains electronic health data on more than 9 million patients who received care at a UC facility since 2012. In 2024, UC research teams across the UC health system leveraged the data resource to find innovative ways to improve health care and treatment. Here are six papers published during the year.
Researchers at the University of California are harnessing the power of the UC Health Data Warehouse.
This critical research resource unites health data across UC’s six academic health centers. Through cross-system collaboration and advanced data science methods, UC researchers can leverage the UC Health Data Warehouse to fast-track medical research and improve health outcomes.
In 2024, six research teams across UC’s health system leveraged the UC Health Data Warehouse (UCHDW) with notable findings that proved to accelerate diagnosis and treatment and understand how social determinants of health – such as race, ethnicity and age – impact access to care.
Identifying new treatments and accelerating diagnosis
Researchers using the UCHDW uncovered ways to expand treatment options and speed up diagnoses, including repurposing existing treatments for other diseases.
For example, current medical treatments for endometriosis-related pain are frequently ineffective, highlighting the urgent need for new therapeutic approaches. One study, Identifying Therapeutic Candidates for Endometriosis, conducted by researchers at UCSF Endometriosis Center for Discovery, Innovation Training (ENACT) and as part of the UCSF Sirota Lab, used data science on molecular data to discover new treatments for endometriosis pain and used the UCHDW to explore the clinical utility of those predictions. Oskotsky et al. found that fenoprofen, an already FDA-approved anti-inflammatory medication for treating chronic arthritis pain and other acute pain conditions, could be a promising and more accessible option for patients.
"The UC Health Data Warehouse is not just a tool for collecting data; it is a platform for driving meaningful change in health care. By collaborating across UC campuses and using data to inform decisions, we can improve care for all patients, accelerate treatment discovery and address the health disparities that affect so many communities."
A study from UC San Diego utilized data from the UCHDW to investigate whether a commonly prescribed treatment for type 2 diabetes could also benefit individuals with glaucoma. Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions that can damage the optic nerve and is frequently associated with elevated eye pressure. Currently, lowering eye pressure is the only proven therapeutic strategy to slow down progressive damage in glaucoma. A study of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists and Intraocular Pressure Change explored whether treatment with GLP-1R agonists, a class of drugs that includes Ozempic and Wegovy, has any association with changes in eye pressure among patients with glaucoma. The findings showed that GLP-1R agonist use was linked to a small reduction in eye pressure.
UCLA researchers also used the UCHDW in their study, Electronic Health Record Signatures Identify Undiagnosed Patients with Common Variable Immunodeficiency Disease. This study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), developed a machine-learning model that simplifies the diagnosis of the rare disease called Common Variable Immunodeficiency Disease (CVID), a previously difficult-to-diagnosed condition. Compared to standard clinical methods, the UCHDW-derived model helps identify undiagnosed patients with this rare immune disorder across the UC academic health centers, enabling faster referrals to specialists and improving health outcomes.
Understanding the role of social determinants in diagnosis and access to care
The UCHDW also played a key role in understanding how social determinants of health, like race, ethnicity and age, can impact health outcomes and access to care.
One study by researchers at UC San Diego, Health Disparities in Cirrhosis and Alcohol Use Disorder, found that following diagnosis with alcohol use disorder, Hispanic patients were subsequently diagnosed with alcohol-related cirrhosis sooner than non-Hispanic patients, and they had shorter survival times following their diagnosis with cirrhosis. The study’s findings emphasize the need for more targeted health care strategies to address racial and ethnic disparities in alcohol use disorder, helping health care providers deliver more culturally-concordant treatment in the future.
Photo by Getty: Monty Rakusen
A catalyst for change, the UC Health Data Warehouse is a key resource in UC Health’s work to transform health care for patients in California and beyond.
Another study from UC Davis, Metabolic Dysfunctions Predict the Development of Alzheimer's Disease: Statistical and Machine Learning Analysis of EMR Data, showed that Hispanics/Latinos and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders have a higher risk of Alzheimer’s compared to white individuals. The study also found that factors like obesity and being underweight play a role, but the risks vary by race. These findings stress the need for health care solutions that address the unique needs of different ethnic groups.
Researchers also used the UCHDW to help improve future treatment and care of aging populations. One study, Association of Pre-Pandemic Telehealth and Emergency Department Usage During the Pandemic, by researchers at UC Irvine and UCSF found that adults 65 and older who used telehealth before the COVID-19 pandemic were less likely to visit the emergency department and more likely to continue using telehealth during the pandemic. The study shows that when the people studied were familiar with telehealth services, they were more likely to continue using them, making it easier for older adults to access care and reducing emergency department visits.
Empowering UC researchers
The UCHDW makes it easier for researchers to design and conduct studies that might otherwise be hindered by high costs or logistical barriers often associated with medical research. The availability of data through UCHDW allows UC researchers to use machine learning techniques to speed up the analysis process and enable researchers to explore new lines of inquiry that might not have been possible through more manual approaches. This analysis capability, along with collaboration between the cross-system UC research community and CDI2 data scientists, supports researchers of all experience levels.
About University of California Health
University of California Health comprises six academic health centers, 21 health professional schools, a Global Health Institute and systemwide services that improve the health of patients and the University’s students, faculty and employees. All of UC’s hospitals are ranked among the best in California and its medical schools and health professional schools are nationally ranked in their respective areas.