Birmingham and its partners will work as part of a national collaboration to create solutions for the disparities in cardiovascular health across the nation.
The University of Birmingham is leading one of nine consortia that have been selected to take part in the NIHR Cardiovascular Inequalities Challenge. Developed in partnership with the British Heart Foundation, this £50 million project aims to tackle the huge inequalities that persist across underserved communities in the UK.
The research programme will focus on co-creating practical solutions with communities at-risk – strengthening the detection and management of high blood pressure and cholesterol, two driving factors for diseases of the heart and circulation.
Heart attacks, strokes and other conditions such as vascular dementia are preventable with blood pressure and cholesterol-lowering treatment, yet most people are not diagnosed or treated effectively and continue to suffer these catastrophic events.
Leveraging both existing infrastructure and new technologies, the Challenge aims to address one of the UK’s biggest killers for all people, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, social status, disability or culture.
This is an exciting opportunity to have a major impact on the trajectory of heart disease across the UK, and make equal access to NHS care a reality.
Professor Dipak Kotecha, lead for the team, Professor of Cardiology at the University of Birmingham and researcher at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre, said: “Our part of this national collaboration includes a dynamic team of community representatives, public health and primary care clinicians, cardiovascular researchers, local and national government agencies, as well as industry partners and technology companies working together to effect sustainable change and pivot the NHS towards better prevention.”
The University of Birmingham-led consortium includes core partners such as Citizens UK (the UK’s biggest and most diverse people-powered alliances), Aston University, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Birmingham City Council. As part of the project, this team will work with eight other consortia across the UK to bring together a wealth of experience to address health inequality.
Dr Saidul Haque Saeed, Lead Organiser, West Midlands at Citizens UK, said: "Our mission at Citizens UK is to bring together everyday people and local organisations to build a better, fairer society. Together, we're making change on the issues that matter, and we are excited to be a part of this vital project to address inequalities in cardiovascular health and help everyone have access to NHS care."
We are excited to be a part of this vital project to address inequalities in cardiovascular health and help everyone have access to NHS care."
Through this consortium, we’re proud to bring tried-and-tested approaches that open the door for more people - especially those often ignored in research- to influence how we tackle cardiovascular health gaps.
Professor Shivani Sharma, Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor Research and Enterprise at Aston University, said: “At Aston, we're deeply committed to inclusive and participatory research, creating spaces where people can shape both the questions and solutions.
Through this consortium, we’re proud to bring tried-and-tested approaches that open the door for more people - especially those often ignored in research- to influence how we tackle cardiovascular health gaps. This isn't about ticking a box. It's about building engagement that feels accessible, relevant, and genuinely meaningful to communities.”
Professor Elias Mossialos, Cheng Yu Tung Chair in Global Health and Director of LSE Health at the London School of Economics and Political Science, said: 'We are delighted to contribute to this important consortium. Addressing inequalities in population health requires deep understanding of the social and economic conditions that shape how innovations work in practice.
Our role will be to provide economic and policy analysis to evaluate the health, social, and economic impact of initiatives and generate evidence that supports sustainable and equitable health systems. This is an important opportunity to bring interdisciplinary expertise together in the service of fairer health outcomes.”
Addressing inequalities in population health requires deep understanding of the social and economic conditions that shape how innovations work in practice.
We’re delighted to be a part of this exciting research programme which will help to support our work to reduce inequalities in health.
Becky Pollard, Assistant Director of Public Health at Birmingham City Council, said: “Tackling cardiovascular disease is a key priority for us and requires an approach across the city and nation that brings together councils, the NHS, community and voluntary sectors and wider society.”
In addition to national and collaborative research projects, the NIHR Cardiovascular Inequalities Challenge will support and develop capacity across all stakeholders. Professor Clare Taylor, Professor of General Practice at the University of Birmingham, said: “Capacity building is essential to realise our ambition to effect disruptive and sustainable change in cardiovascular inequality.”
Our vision is to create a skilled and diverse research community, committed to this common goal.
Working together, the consortium aims to make a distinct difference in the lives of people across the UK who have less access to either existing or new and often life-saving treatments for heart disease. The consortium’s research projects aim to start later this year. The work will synergise with a range of other programmes led by the University of Birmingham and our partners that are already opening up the benefit of clinical research to broader populations. This includes the DaRe2THINK national primary care trial platform, the Cities@Heart Innovative Health Initiative, the West Midlands Secure Data Environment and the Living Lab for HealthTech.
About the University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, educators and more than 40,000 students from over 150 countries.
England’s first civic university, the University of Birmingham is proud to be rooted in of one of the most dynamic and diverse cities in the country. A member of the Russell Group and a founding member of the Universitas 21 global network of research universities, the University of Birmingham has been changing the way the world works for more than a century.
The University of Birmingham is a founding member of Birmingham Health Partners (BHP), a strategic alliance which transcends organisational boundaries to rapidly translate healthcare research findings into new diagnostics, drugs and devices for patients. Birmingham Health Partners is a strategic alliance between nine organisations who collaborate to bring healthcare innovations through to clinical application:
About the National Institute for Health and Care Research
The mission of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. We do this by:
Funding high quality, timely research that benefits the NHS, public health and social care;
Investing in world-class expertise, facilities and a skilled delivery workforce to translate discoveries into improved treatments and services;
Partnering with patients, service users, carers and communities, improving the relevance, quality and impact of our research;
Attracting, training and supporting the best researchers to tackle complex health and social care challenges;
Collaborating with other public funders, charities and industry to help shape a cohesive and globally competitive research system;
Funding applied global health research and training to meet the needs of the poorest people in low and middle income countries.
NIHR is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. Its work in low and middle income countries is principally funded through UK international development funding from the UK government.
The NIHR Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) is part of the NIHR and hosted by University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHBFT) in partnership with the University of Birmingham (UoB). The BRC’s research programme focuses on inflammation and the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of its associated long-term illnesses.
Professor of Cardiology & Cardiac Imaging
Staff profile for Professor Dipak Kotecha, Professor of Cardiology, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Birmingham.
Professor of General Practice
Staff profile for Professor Clare Taylor, Professor of General Practice, Department of Applied Health Sciences, University of Birmingham.
