Synthetic Data: Innovation Without Compromise

With the rapid pace of digital transformation in healthcare, hospitals are under growing pressure to leverage health data to drive innovation. But how can this be done without compromising patient privacy? Artur Olesch talks to Dr. Anne Sophie Kubasch, who spent a year at Sheba Medical Center in Israel – home to the ARC Innovation Center and the ADAMS Data Analytics Center. She shares what a truly data-driven hospital can look like – and why Germany is well-positioned to follow suit.

Dr. Kubasch, what does a data-driven hospital actually mean in practice?
It means that clinical decisions, research, and innovation are enabled by data that is accessible, usable, and responsibly managed. At the ADAMS Center in Sheba, clinical teams and researchers can quickly investigate complex health questions – without waiting months for data approvals. That’s made possible by a self-service data analytics process and high-quality synthetic data, which protects privacy while still being analytically valid.

Artur Olesch talks to…
The internationally recognized journalist and editor, specializing in healthcare digitalization, talks on behalf of Lemonmint to Those Who Make.

What are the concrete benefits of using synthetic data in this environment?
Speed and security. Synthetic data allows hospitals to analyze care patterns, train AI models, and validate new tools – all without exposing real patient data. This is especially valuable for rare diseases or small subpopulations, where data is scarce or particularly sensitive. It also enables international collaboration without regulatory hurdles.

How does this relate to the culture of innovation at Sheba?
The ARC Innovation Center isn’t just about generating ideas – it’s about implementation. Innovation happens within the hospital itself, in collaboration with care teams. If something works, it gets scaled. The ADAMS platform is a great example: it’s not a research tool tucked away in a basement – it’s a strategic resource used across the entire organization.

Could German hospitals adopt this model?
Absolutely – but it takes more than just technology. It requires a shift in mindset. Hospitals must see themselves not just as care providers, but also as data stewards and engines of innovation. Germany’s new Health Data Use Act (Gesundheitsdatennutzungsgesetz, GDNG) provides the legal framework for this. What’s still missing in many places is the infrastructure and governance needed to build on it.

What role do interdisciplinary partnerships play in this transformation?
They’re essential. At Sheba, data scientists, clinicians, and entrepreneurs work side by side. This breaks down silos and accelerates insights. We need similar ecosystems in Germany – right within hospitals – where data use isn’t isolated in a research office but is part of clinical workflows and strategic decision-making.

Your conclusion?
Synthetic data isn’t just a “compromise” to protect privacy – it’s a key enabler of the data-driven hospital. If Germany adopts platforms like ADAMS and processes like ARC, hospitals can become secure and scalable drivers of innovation. The technology is already here. The question is: Are we ready to act?

Dr. Anne Sophie Kubasch is a specialist physician in Internal Medicine, Hematology, and Oncology, and a researcher at the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) in Potsdam and the Else Kröner Fresenius Center (EKFZ) for Digital Health at TU Dresden and the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden. After completing her medical specialization, she spent a research year at the renowned ARC Innovation Center at Sheba Medical Center in Israel – one of the world’s leading digital hospitals.