The Pediatric Sepsis Data CoLaboratory (Sepsis CoLab) is a global data-sharing network focused on reducing pediatric sepsis mortality and morbidity. Founded by the Institute for Global Health at BC Children’s Hospital and BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre (IGH-BCCWH) and The University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada, together with the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies (WFPICCS), we aim to improve sepsis treatment and outcomes through targeted, data-driven research and quality improvement (QI) initiatives.
Every year, over 11 million people die from sepsis, primarily in low- and middle-income countries. Many of these deaths are preventable with timely, accurate data to guide individual treatment and improve hospital processes. However, in under-resourced areas, clinical data collection is often paper-based. This poses challenges to using data effectively to inform clinical decision making and QI approaches. The WHO’s first global report on sepsis, released in September 2020, highlighted how gaps in data have hindered global control efforts and reinforced the urgent need for better data practices.
The Sepsis CoLab works to address these challenges by promoting international collaboration to develop and validate tools, share knowledge, encourage innovation, and share clinical data to advance improvements in sepsis care. Through these efforts, the Sepsis CoLab is helping to create a global framework for more effective, data-driven interventions in the fight against pediatric sepsis.
Developing tools to enhance the collection of relevant, accurate data for research and quality improvement.
Creating low-cost digital technologies to inform, diagnose, advise, and plan for improved outcomes.
Sharing and utilizing data to determine the best courses of action.
Promoting improved guidelines and practices at facility, national, and global levels for better early recognition of sepsis.
The Sepsis CoLab stores and shares curated data using The University of British Columbia’s Dataverse on Borealis. Borealis is a secure virtual repository for research and QI data with a rigorous data governance structure. To gain access to the Sepsis CoLab’s Dataverse, members must sign a Memorandum of Understanding. While most resources are openly available to the CoLab community, access to sensitive de-identified clinical data is made on a case-by-case basis following approval from the data governance committee. Borealis ensures that data contributors retain ownership and control of their data, while enabling secure, compliant sharing within the CoLab.
For more information about data sharing, visit our FAQ page.
Open data is data that anyone can access, use, and share, allowing scarce resources to be leveraged for broader access and more discoveries without costly investments. This approach helps address inequalities and improve health outcomes globally. The FAIR Data Principles support discovery through good data management, ensuring data is Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable.
In health research and practice, open data informs policymaking and advances our knowledge and ability to treat diseases. By sharing and reusing data, study results can be used by many, minimizing the need to collect new data from patients and reducing associated risks. Open data has multiple benefits as it ensures results are transparent and verifiable, enables low-cost secondary analysis, fosters collaboration within the research community, and enhances public confidence in science.
While there are risks opening clinical data, such as breaching participant privacy or causing unintended harm like stigmatization to individuals or groups, these concerns can be mitigated through moderated data access, data de-identification, or the use of synthetic data. Check out our open data training resources to learn more.
The continuously expanding Sepsis CoLab network includes over 50 countries and is guided by a 11-member Steering Committee of regional and technical experts. Our working groups focus on key areas: the Predictors Working Group standardizes data collection for pediatric sepsis studies, the Environmental Scan Working Group develops tools to assess facility readiness for sepsis care in low-resource settings, and the Long-Term Outcomes of Sepsis Working Group aims to improve post-sepsis outcomes. Resources from these efforts are available on the Sepsis CoLab’s Dataverse.
The Pediatric Sepsis Data CoLaboratory (Sepsis CoLab) is an international data-sharing network aimed at reducing pediatric sepsis mortality and morbidity. Led by the Institute for Global Health at BC Children’s Hospital and BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre (IGH-BCCWH) and The University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada, together with the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies (WFPICCS), the Sepsis CoLab promotes collaboration among clinicians, researchers, and healthcare workers to collect and analyze data. This helps improve individual treatment decisions and facility-wide care processes, driving better outcomes in pediatric sepsis treatment.
By joining, you can collaborate with pediatric clinicians and sepsis experts globally to advance pediatric sepsis research and clinical practice, contributing to better outcomes for children with sepsis.
Members gain access to resources in the CoLab’s Dataverse, including guidelines, readiness assessment tools, algorithms, open data training resources, quality improvement and ethics application templates, and many more. Members also benefit from networking, mentorship opportunities, and the ability to securely store and share de-identified patient data.
To join, complete the membership application, create a Dataverse account, and sign a Memorandum of Understanding. Details are available in the membership application.
Anyone with an interest in pediatric sepsis or the care of critically ill children can join, regardless of WFPICCS membership status.
Yes! Anyone interested in pediatric sepsis can join by completing our brief membership application here.
There is no need to renew your membership. Once approved, access is granted without expiry.
The MOU formally establishes a collaborative partnership with the Sepsis CoLab, ensuring shared accountability for any outputs produced as a result of collaborative work. This agreement helps maintain transparency and collaboration across projects. A copy of the MOU is available in the application form.
As a member, you can contribute data, collaborate on existing projects, or use the available resources in your own research or quality improvement projects. Dataverse provides a platform for a wide range of collaborative activities.
Members can share data and resources by signing a Data Sharing Agreement. This allows them to securely share and contribute to the CoLab’s Dataverse.
Members interested in collaboration can submit a project proposal for review by the Steering Committee. Approved proposals will require signing a Data Sharing Agreement.
Borealis, the Canadian Dataverse Repository is a secure open-source data repository (virtual archive) hosted in Canada.
Through the Sepsis CoLab’s Dataverse, members can:
1) Access guidelines, tools, algorithms, and many other resources.
2) Access and share data through data sharing agreements.
3) Securely store data.
In many low-resource settings, data collection is challenging and costly. Routine, coordinated data collection helps develop and validate tools for continuous quality improvement, ultimately improving care globally.
Targeted, investigator-driven initiatives within the network are being used to improve sepsis treatments and outcomes. It is expected that health care providers, patients and their families will benefit from this continuous quality improvement.
Yes. To deposit or share data within the CoLab’s Dataverse, you must first become a member. Members gain access to various resources that support research and quality improvement.
Instructions for uploading and/or downloading data can be found within our Dataverse here.
Sepsis CoLab members who contribute resources or collaborate on the development of resources are given credit for their work in the asset’s metadata on Dataverse.
Metadata provides information about each asset (resource) on Dataverse. This includes the asset’s title, authors list, contact information, description, keywords, and digital object identifier. The metadata is used to create a reference for the asset that can be cited in research articles and other resources.
A DOI is a unique code that identifies a resource, making it easy to locate and cite online. Each asset on Dataverse is automatically assigned a DOI.
There is no direct cost to researchers or other users. This Dataverse is a shared service provided by academic libraries, regional library consortia, universities, colleges, research organizations, and the Digital Research Alliance of Canada. The shared technical infrastructure is hosted by Scholars Portal and the University of Toronto Libraries in partnership with regional academic library consortia.
Dataverse supports a wide range of file types, with a focus on research data. Any type of data file can be uploaded and shared.
Yes. Data can be restricted to authorized users, and the platform has security measures in place to ensure compliance with data protection regulations. For more information, refer to the Advanced Dataverse User Guide.
Open data is data that anyone can access, use and share.
The FAIR Data Principles ensure data is Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable, enabling broader and more effective data use. These principles support better data management and help advance digital science.
FINDABLE data has unique properties that allow it to be found easily and reliably, including sufficiently rich ‘metadata’ or “data about data.”
ACCESSIBLE data ensures that the metadata and data are easily understood by humans and machines and are held in a trusted repository.
INTEROPERABLE data uses a formal, accessible, shared, and broadly applicable language for knowledge representation. This means that there is a shared understanding of what the data actually represents.
REUSABLE data has clear usage licenses and provides accurate information about the origin, authenticity, and quality of the data.
See our Dataverse Video Tutorials for more information on open data and Dataverse navigation.
Open data is important because in the past data was typically collected by a single group, used to address a specific set of questions, and then archived and rarely ever used again. This type of restricted access means that only those with the resources to collect data were generating information and creating knowledge. Furthermore, this method of data collection results in lost opportunities for others to learn and contribute.
Not everyone who has questions has the resources to collect data in the first place. By allowing data to be accessed and reused freely more people are able to generate the information required to answer their unique questions. This type of access can help create a more equitable creation of new knowledge.
Opening up data provides a way to leverage scarce resources, allowing broader access, leading to more discoveries, without costly investments. This approach is key to addressing inequities and improving health outcomes for individuals everywhere.
The advancement of digital science thrives on the timely sharing and accessibility of digital data. The FAIR Data Principles were established as a set of guiding principles in order to make data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable.
FINDABLE data has unique properties that allow it to be found easily and reliably, including sufficiently rich ‘meta data’ or “data about data.”
ACCESSIBLE data ensures that the metadata and data are easily understood by humans and machines and are held in a trusted repository.
INTEROPERABLE data uses a formal, accessible, shared, and broadly applicable language for knowledge representation. This means that there is a shared understanding of what the data actually represents.
REUSABLE data has clear usage licenses and provides accurate information about the origin, authenticity, and quality of the data.
On November 4, 2024, the 2024 Pediatric Sepsis Data Challenge officially launched. Hosted by the Sepsis CoLab, the Institute for Global Health at BC Children’s Hospital and BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre, WFPICCS, and Duke University, the challenge has drawn an impressive 102 teams from 43 countries.
Participants are working with a synthetically generated dataset modeled on real clinical data to develop predictive models for in-hospital mortality in pediatric patients. This challenge not only aims to address the global burden of sepsis in children but also serves as a platform for fostering collaboration and advancing the use of machine learning in clinical risk prediction. The challenge provides a unique opportunity for participants to build and refine skills in developing predictive models, engaging healthcare professionals, data scientists, and students worldwide.
Stay tuned for updates as the teams progress and share their solutions!
The 2024 Pediatric Sepsis Data Challenge is now complete! We were thrilled to have 16 finalist teams from 13 countries participate in the final round. These teams brought forward innovative, high-performing algorithms to predict in-hospital pediatric mortality using a synthetic clinical dataset derived from real patient data.
Top 3 Teams
– First Place: Team AIMS – Cameroon, Uganda, Morocco, Canada
– Second Place: Team Epiphany – USA
– Third Place: UCL Paediatrics – UK
Members benefit from networking opportunities, mentorship, and access to the CoLab’s Dataverse repository. This enables them to utilize guidelines, tools, algorithms, and various other resources developed and shared by the CoLab community as well as securely store, share, and access de-identified patient data through established data sharing agreements. Become a member here.
Explore our FAQ page to learn more about the Sepsis CoLab, or reach out to us at sepsiscolab@bcchr.ca or on LinkedIn.