Our new series of seminars have attracted interest from researchers, policy makers and a range of health program and service organisations eager to learn more about tapping into two of Australia's biggest health datasets ‒ the Medicare Benefits Schedule and Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule ‒  to inform future health service planning.

45 and Up Study users are invited to submit an abstract for the Study's annual Collaborators' meeting in Sydney on 6 September: Data, evidence and decision making for a better future. This year’s meeting will focus on the importance of research with the potential to impact health decision making, as well as new ways that data and analysis are being used by those who design and deliver policies, programs and healthcare services. Submissions close Friday 17 June.

Canadian accreditation expert Ms Leslee Thompson told a thought-provoking HARC Forum that major disruption was the only way forward if we want to "move the needle" on patient safety and quality. Read our wrap of the forum, watch our video interview and read a different perspective on the Sax blog by Professor Lesley Barclay, who agrees we need reform but we must also remember that standards and accreditation systems have been the foundation for a giant leap forward in improving the quality and safety of Australian patient care.

Sax Institute CEO Professor Sally Redman's recent keynote address to the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health conference reflected on the major benefits of cohort studies. These unique resources for informing policy, program and service decisions could be used to even greater effect, she told the conference, which was marking the study's 20th anniversary.

Catch Up, our revamped annual newsletter for the 265,000 participants in our 45 and Up Study, highlights new Study developments including work by the Australian Red Cross Blood Service that will shed new light on the health of blood donors. We also talk to Study Director Professor Emily Banks about the impact of her major work on quantifying Australia's smoking burden.

Stay up-to-date with public health and policy news with our regular Health Wrap, published on health blog Croakey. This fortnight, we look at the fallout from the Federal Budget, highlighting critical issues for the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.