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    Data Sharing Committee (DSC)

The Data Sharing Committee (DSC) is the Health Data Oversight program subcommittee that oversees the responsible and appropriate sharing of UC Davis Health enterprise-wide health data with external academic and industry partners.  The committee works closely with organizational offices that review vendor contracts and research proposals to identify agreements that create unnecessary risk to our patients or the organization.  High risk, concerning, or novel external data sharing requests should be escalated to the DSC from either partner offices or the requestor self-assessment tool.

The DSC tools and processes are designed to guide responsible data sharing, not only to protect our patient data but also to enable innovation and collaboration in support of the clinical strategic plan and organizational vision.

Considerations Regarding the DSC Evaluation
A DSC approval does not equate to an overall project/initiative approval. ​Most aspects of an overall project/initiative approval are outside of DSC scope, and can include IT support, project management, regulatory and compliance considerations, analytics evaluation, procurement processes, considerations related to clinical and operational implementation, and funding.

Frequently Asked Questions

The DSC reviews escalation requests that are referred from contracting, the Institutional Review Board (IRB), and other organizational offices. Only high risk, concerning, or novel external data sharing requests should be escalated to the DSC.  If you are unsure of whether your project requires DSC review, please complete our DSC Assessment Tool which will provide some direction. 

If it is determined that your project/initiative needs review by the Data Sharing Committee (via self-assessment tool or referral), please complete the DSC External Data Sharing Request intake form in ServiceNow.  The submission will be reviewed by the intake team and assigned the appropriate level of review.  The intake team will reach out for any additional information or clarification as needed.

Requestors should complete the following pre-requisites prior to submitting the External Data Sharing Request (DSC Intake form) in order to limit any delays in the review process.

o    Initiation of the IT Evaluation and Security Assessment process
o    Engagement with the appropriate contracting group
o    Identification of a local UC Davis Health project champion/owner, or, if research, a principal investigator (PI)
o    Completed Institutional Review Board (IRB) evaluation including determination letter, if research

The turnaround time for a DSC review ranges from a week to several months, depending on the complexity and level of risk of the project/initiative.  After receiving the intake form, the DSC analyst may request additional details or clarification, being mindful of other review/approval steps as well as any project deadlines.  The DSC strives to provide a transparent and efficient process and requestors are welcome to check on status as needed.

The Data Sharing Committee only reviews the data sharing portion of a project/initiative.  Therefore, a decision of Approved or Approved with Conditions does not constitute overall project approval.  Projects may need review and/or approval from IT Evaluation, contracting/procurement offices, strategic governance, budgetary approval, or the IRB.

If the DSC approves a data sharing request, the project owner or principal investigator should provide the approval to the contracting office or other referring department.

The Data Sharing Committee (DSC) makes every effort to enable responsible data sharing in support of clinical, operational, and research missions, and occasionally, that means dealing with very tight deadlines. As a result, our intake team makes every effort to accommodate each request.

To ensure the team is aware of the deadline, please reach out to Jon Law (DSC Intake Analyst) and MaryBeth Colvin (DSC Program Manager) after submitting your intake form. The team will reach out for any missing or additional information in order to prioritize your request appropriately. 

Sometimes the committee determines that the data sharing request does not align with the best practices for sharing UC Davis Health data.  Requestors will receive a decision document, as well as instructions for how to escalate their request for another determination.  Additionally, if the committee indicates specific reasons why the request is denied (i.e. lack of patient authorization, concerning contract language), the requestor may be able to remedy the issue/s and request another DSC review.

The Data Sharing Committee (DSC) reviews many initiatives that involve artificial intelligence/augmented intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML), however the DSC only reviews the data sharing components and impacts of the initiative.  If your project/initiative involves AI/ML, it should be reviewed by the Analytics Oversight Committee (AOC).  You can find more information regarding the AOC here.