Commercial Access to Health Data for Public Benefit Research: Charity Law Solutions

Commercial access to our health data is a contentious reality. Evidence suggests that the public is concerned about companies accessing health information, but is more comfortable when access is for ‘public benefit’ research. Mechanisms that ensure public benefit are therefore key to sustaining public and participant support for research projects involving commercial organisations. This seminar will discuss some of the ways in which charity law; a regime founded on the concept of public benefit, provides mechanisms to protect and promote public benefit, which could operate to increase access to health data in the future. I will base my talk on research recently published in the Medical Law Review, available here (external link).