Shaping health and care for people and communities
Promoting individual and community wellbeing is at the heart of health and care research at the University of Birmingham.
Our research and education reflect our civic commitment to address inequalities and support economic, cultural and social growth in this region and beyond. Our centres of excellence in integrated-care related research are highly ranked, with our work in public health, health services and primary care in the UK's top 5, and our social work and social policy research in the top 10 (REF 2021).
We offer an education in health and care that has an embedded framework for interdisciplinary learning. Our diverse range of post-qualification and professional development programmes support health and care practitioners, managers and leaders throughout their careers.
Our strong interdisciplinary focus is key to supporting a rich understanding and response to the challenges faced by practitioners, people, and society.
Academic experts
Academic experts
- Dr Koen P.R. Bartels is a leading international scholar in public encounters, social innovation, action research, and interpretive policy analysis.
- Professor Nicola Gale is a health sociologist and interdisciplinary health researcher, working in the fields of health services research, public health, primary care, community-led and complementary health care.
- Professor Jon Glasby is a qualified social worker by background and Director of IMPACT. Specialising in joint work between health and social care, Jon is involved in regular policy analysis and advice.
- Dr Christopher Huntley is a Consultant Respiratory Physician who specialises in interstitial (ILD) and occupational lung diseases (OLD). His primary research interests are epidemiological studies exploring association and causation within ILD and OLD.
- Professor Rachel Jordan has a research focus on the early diagnosis, management and prognosis of COPD in the primary care setting.
- Dr Ian Litchfield has a background in occupational medicine and interests in health service delivery. He uses qualitative and quantitative research methods in the evaluation of service delivery interventions in both primary and secondary care.
- Professor Tom Marshall has a main medical speciality in Public Health Medicine but he also has trained in General Practice and has studied Health Economics.
- Professor Ross Millar is the Director of the Health Services Management Centre, with research interests in the areas of improving quality and safety, the development of inter-organisational collaboration, and the adoption of organisational innovation.
- Professor Robin Miller is an applied academic with an international reputation in relation to integration, leadership, strengths-based practice, and strategic change in health and social care.
- Professor Anne-Marie Russell holds the Jenny Jones Chair of Nursing Science and is head of research and knowledge transfer. She has research expertise in mixed methods and person-centred approaches in Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD).
- Professor Judith Smith is a highly experienced and widely published health services researcher and policy analyst, specialising in health care organisation and management, having spent almost 30 years working in health services research and development.
- Professor Alice Turner has research interests that are predominantly in clinical aspects of alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), fields in which she has published widely.
- Professor Carolyn Wilkins has undertaken a number of senior executive roles at local, city region and national levels. Her academic interests include systems thinking, leading across boundaries, impactful leadership and effective leadership teams.
Centres of research, teaching and impact
The Birmingham Leadership Institute
Birmingham Leadership Institute researches and develops leadership to tackle complex global challenges, promoting collaborative, inclusive and responsible leadership across sectors and communities.
NIHR BRACE Rapid Evaluation Centre
NIHR BRACE Rapid Evaluation Centre evaluates new health and social care innovations, providing rigorous, timely evidence on what works, why, and in which contexts.
Neighbourhood Health Research Lab
Neighbourhood Health Research Lab is strengthening expertise in research, service delivery, and community engagement to support the government’s neighbourhood health multi-disciplinary teams.
IMPACT Centre
IMPACT is a UK-wide centre implementing evidence in adult social care, combining research, lived experience and practice to improve services and outcomes.
Centre for Primary Care Improvement
Centre for Primary Care Improvement combines clinical, social and computer sciences to improve clinical effectiveness, patient experience, service utilisation and staff experience.
The University of Birmingham is proud of its long tradition of supporting and challenging integrated care through our research, education and impact activities. As social scientists, we seek to develop a greater understanding of the complexity of the challenges to better collaboration, and to create innovative interventions, education and policy to address these barriers. We emphasise the importance of co-production with people who draw on support, building on the strengths of communities, and engaging professionals and practitioners from diverse backgrounds in improving services and outcomes.
