At Odense University Hospital (OUH), one of Denmark’s largest and most research-active hospitals, innovation is embedded in daily patient care. As a partner in SEARCH, OUH is helping shape the future of synthetic healthcare data by bringing real-world clinical knowledge to one of the most cutting-edge domains in digital health.

Turning Clinical Insight into Innovation

In clinical practice, access to data is both a necessity and a challenge. While large volumes of data are generated daily in hospitals, concerns about privacy and regulation limit the use of that data in research and AI development. This is where the potential of synthetic data becomes critical: it could offer a path to innovation without compromising patient privacy.

But synthetic data is only valuable if it is realistic, clinically beneficial, and ethically sound. That’s why OUH’s role in SEARCH is so essential.

OUH contributes to the project by offering deep clinical insight into gastrointestinal diagnostics, an area where image data is especially rich and complex. Collaborating with researchers and technology developers, OUH helps validate how well synthetic data represents the diagnostic challenges seen in real patients. This partnership ensures that new tools being developed in the project reflect the nuances of day-to-day clinical decision-making.

A Clinician’s Perspective on AI

OUH’s clinicians and clinical researchers are directly involved in testing how synthetic data performs in AI-driven applications. Can synthetic images help train models to detect cancer or inflammation as reliably as real patient data? Can human experts even tell the difference?

These are not just theoretical questions. At OUH, synthetic data is evaluated alongside real-world clinical data, where decisions are critical and outcomes are measured by lives improved. Clinical teams are also exploring the use of synthetic datasets to simulate rare conditions or edge cases, thereby enabling models to generalize more effectively to diverse patient populations.

Beyond pure evaluation, OUH is also providing valuable feedback on how synthetic data may one day support continuing medical education, the training of new clinicians, and clinical audit scenarios.

Building Trust Through Testing

In SEARCH, OUH helps ensure that synthetic data is not just technically accurate but clinically trustworthy. This includes:

• Testing AI models on synthetic and hybrid datasets
• Evaluating model performance on real-world clinical data
• Involving healthcare professionals in qualitative assessments
• Investigating how synthetic data might support medical education and simulation training
• Collaborating on standards for data validation and regulatory compliance

By contributing clinical use cases and high-quality reference data, OUH supports the project’s broader mission to establish a governance framework for synthetic data, one that strikes a balance between innovation and ethical responsibility.

Looking Ahead

SEARCH is more than a research project; it’s a collaboration across sectors and countries, working toward a common goal: safe, equitable, and effective use of synthetic healthcare data.

OUH is proud to represent the clinical frontline in this effort. With a commitment to excellence in patient care and digital transformation, OUH ensures that synthetic data innovation remains grounded in the real-world healthcare needs.

As we look to a future where synthetic data could help power diagnostic tools, train new AI systems, and enable data sharing without compromising privacy, OUH’s work ensures that this future is built on solid clinical foundations. In doing so, OUH is not just testing new tools but actively shaping a digital future that protects, supports, and empowers patients and providers alike.

"Synthetic data has huge potential, but only if it works for real clinicians and real patients. That’s where OUH comes in."

Odense University Hospital SEARCH Team:

Professor Anastasios Koulaouzidis, Department of Surgery, OUH

Kaalby Møller Post. Doc., Department of Surgery, OUH

Patrick Fuhlendorf MSc, Project Manager, OUH