Clinical data sharing offers many opportunities for innovative research, knowledge consolidation, and scientific exploration. While epidemiologists often view shared data as a crucial foundation for their work, clinical researchers sometimes regard the fact that the data was not collected by themselves or their affiliated group as a limitation.
First, working with shared data presents a dual challenge for both data providers and data users. Second, it raises an epistemological pseudo-problem: can a hypothesis truly be investigated without collecting the 'right' data oneself? This presentation will address this dilemma and explore what forms of knowledge researchers can mobilize as users of shared data to contribute meaningfully to medical science.