Health Data for Action (HD4A), a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation program managed by AcademyHealth, acted as a “data broker,” lowering barriers to data access to connect researchers with data that could answer critical research questions and inform health policy. For nearly a decade, the program had significant reach and influence, from enabling novel analyses to advancing career pathways for emerging researchers. To capture real experiences and insights from the HD4A program, we spoke with grantees to look back on the program’s contributions and to look forward to the opportunities and challenges for data access and analysis. Their perspectives make clear that HD4A’s value went beyond data access, although that alone was tremendously valuable. HD4A changed the questions researchers asked, the depth and breadth of knowledge generated, how policy questions were answered, and the future career trajectory for many. Quotations have been edited for clarity.
Looking Back
Novel data access and integration
One of the most common themes we heard was how HD4A increased access to data. The program opened doors to datasets that would otherwise have been prohibitively expensive or inaccessible. This provided a lifeline, especially for early-career investigators who often lack the budget or institutional clout to secure those resources. Beyond single-source access, HD4A supported data integration, facilitating the linkage of novel and complementary data sources to create richer analytic platforms. These integrations enabled research questions that previously could not be addressed (for example, creating new prenatal care measures and conducting multi-state analyses in topic areas that are typically geographically constrained).
Supporting innovation and proof-of-concept work
Grantees shared that HD4A’s funding model, which prioritized data access, action-oriented research questions, and technical support, made space for higher-risk, higher-reward projects. One grantee shared that this opportunity provided “access to data that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible for our research team, particularly for projects that are proof-of-concept and might be overlooked or considered not as safe ground for funding. I think it really allowed us to be innovative and ask ‘edgy’ questions that are very policy relevant.” HD4A-funded studies demonstrated feasibility, generated preliminary evidence, and in several cases helped teams secure follow-on funding to scale up successful approaches.
Workforce development and professional outcomes
The program also invested in people. HD4A grants offered opportunities for hands-on, data analysis projects, which built technical skills in data management, integration, and advanced analysis. Grantees reported tangible career benefits, including internships and roles for trainees, members of grantee labs transitioning to new positions, and teams leveraging HD4A work to obtain additional funding. One former grantee noted their research assistant recently received a job offer due in part to “his data fluency with HD4A awarded data was a really wonderful career development for him.”
At the same time, focus-group feedback underscored that the way data access is structured can either accelerate or constrain opportunities for training or career development. While the award expanded investigator access to data for their projects, limited allowances for multiple users hindered collaboration. The varying data access structures highlight important tradeoffs in terms of efficiency and opportunities for training and learning. Grantees also reported a tradeoff between speed and independence in conducting their research. In many cases, grantees who did not receive the data directly, were paired with experienced analysts at the data provider who eliminated the learning curve of working with a new, large dataset.
Networks, dissemination, and real-world impact
As the HD4A program office, AcademyHealth fostered collaborative networks among grantees and offered structured dissemination support, training and technical assistance--helping researchers translate technical analyses into policy-relevant materials and build skills and capacity for dissemination. Grantees shared that the combination of technical capacity and communication training amplified contributions to science, policy, and practice. New measures and multi-state evidence informed national conversations, and analyses contributed to policy discussions on issues such as insulin access and maternal health service delivery.
"These retrospective insights make clear that HD4A’s legacy is twofold: it produced concrete analytic products and policy-relevant findings, and it strengthened the people and partnerships needed to keep converting data into action."
Looking Forward
A data landscape in flux
Researchers today find themselves navigating a new environment where policies and levels of data accessibility are uncertain. Some spoke about their concerns with government-supported, publicly- available data sources either becoming compromised or completely unavailable. Speaking about this instability, one researcher said, “Longitudinal studies are going to be really challenging, at a time when a lot of important policy changes are also happening and need to be assessed.” There was a consensus in the group that more researchers are turning to private data and private funders.
The shift to private data brings its own challenges; accessing private data is associated with high cost, and varied rules for data access are established by each private source. Private data sources vary significantly, with some allowing direct access to multiple users or just one, whereas others only offer pre-processed data. Each researcher has to navigate these hurdles to access private data.
The promise and pitfalls of AI
While access to data is evolving, artificial intelligence (AI) continues to evolve at a rapid pace, fundamentally transforming the way researchers navigate the data landscape. An area of interest is the advancement of AI within the realm of foundation models: AI systems trained using multiple datasets, equipped to answer a broad spectrum of questions. One researcher speculated that these models might represent the future direction for health services researchers.
Even with this potential, grantees shared that AI remains largely underutilized, particularly for research and data analysis in protected environments. Multiple researchers raised concerns, with one commenting, “I think it’s going to be a while until AI is used in research. They might eventually get to a point where we train some AI on HIPPA-protected data, but our university is not letting them do that now.” Grantees also raised concerns about research and data integrity. By having human researchers continue to complete the analysis, there are safeguards against AI misinterpreting or hallucinating inaccurate information from a dataset.
AcademyHealth – where to next?
In late 2025, AcademyHealth secured a major victory in a lawsuit with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), requiring the restoration of public health webpages removed in early 2025. With dozens of federal health webpages restored, AcademyHealth demonstrated that federal public health information cannot be removed without accountability. Advancing data and innovation to improve health outcomes continues to be a priority for AcademyHealth today. At Health Datapalooza, we will gather private and public sector leaders to discuss how to accelerate high-impact, data-driven health care innovation. We advocate for connection between industries; AcademyHealth President and CEO Aaron Carroll recently noted that strong, cooperative data-sharing alliances become indispensable as health care confronts increasingly pressing and complex challenges. AcademyHealth leads the field to continue to foster an environment of collaboration and innovation to pave the way for new evidence and data to inform policy.
If you want to hear more from current HD4A grantees, there are two panels at AcademyHealth’s Annual Research Meeting highlighting their work and findings.
- "Postpartum Medicaid in Crisis: Evidence and Policy Responses to Coverage Cuts" (May 31, 2026, 9:30 - 10:45 a.m. PT)
- "Make it Make Sense: HCBS Waivers for Adults with IDD" (June 2, 2026 10:15 - 11:30 a.m. PT)
This work is made possible with a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of RWJF.