In this episode, I sit down with Robert Smith, co-founder of Dark Peak Analytics, to discuss his journey from academia to advising the UK government during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rob shares his experience building data models that directly influenced public health policy and decision-making at the highest levels. We also dive into his work with Parkrun, a community-driven initiative promoting equitable access to physical activity, and how he used R to analyze participation patterns and improve accessibility.

Rob's insights into health economics, simulation modeling, and the challenges of transitioning industries provide valuable lessons for data professionals.

Important resources mentioned:

• Dark Peak Analytics
• Academic Papers:
  https://wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/5-9
  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0033350620304066
  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1353829221001222
  https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-024-20420-0
  https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/19004143v1.full.pdf
• Map: https://iolmap.shinyapps.io/parkrun/
• Parkrun

Connect with Robert on:

LinkedIn: Robert Smith 

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