Professor Justine Davies

Department of Applied Health Sciences
Professor of Global Health Research
Director of WHO Collaborating Centre on Emergency, Critical, and Operative Care

Contact details

Telephone: +44 (0) 7384 584673
Email: j.davies.6@bham.ac.uk
Twitter: @drjackoids

View my research portal

Address: Murray Learning Centre
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Professor Justine Davies' aim is to do research that informs development of health systems that deliver quality care in lower- or middle-income countries. All her research aims to answer a policy relevant question and she often works with policy makers, including the WHO and country Ministries of Health, to develop and answer questions of relevance to them.

She is Director of a WHO Collaborating Centre on Emergency, Critical, and Operative Care. She has also worked with WHO to develop the Global Diabetes Contract. She is also a Fellow at Stellenbosch Institute of Advanced Studies.

Research involves looking at the health of the population and the health system that serves them from many different angles; from epidemiological, qualitative, systems-readiness, and economic perspectives. Professor Davies also does implementation science research in order to study real-world solutions to identified gaps. She is co-lead of two large NIHR funded global health grants aimed at improving access to care after injuries: Equi-Injury and Rwanda912. She is also leading work to improve ambulance dispatch systems in low resourced settings.

Other specialty areas of interest are conditions that require surgery to treat and cardiovascular diseases and their risk factors. All of these specialty areas require a joined-up health system that provides good quality care.

Professor Davies is passionate about capacity building, fairness, and decolonialising global health. Where possible, she aims to use her knowledge and work to further these ends.

ORCID ID: 0000-0001-6834-1838

Qualifications

BSc 1^st class hons (Zoology)
MD (research) Clinical pharmacology
Member of the Royal College of Physicians
Dip ABRSM (Violin, performance)
MBChB hons (Medicine)
BMSc 1^st class hons (forensic medicine and medical law)

Biography

After training in medicine, Professor Justine Davies practised as a cardiovascular clinical pharmacologist, caring for people with cardiovascular diseases and their risk factors. As a part of this role, as a clinical lecturer, she ran early-stage clinical trials of medications to reduce cardiovascular risk.

Recognising the increasing necessity to put human health in the context of the planet on which we live, Professor Davies took time out from clinical duties to study for a Zoology degree – including environmental and climate sciences. At that time, and driven by a love of writing and explaining science to lay people, she also worked as a freelance science journalist, including for the BBC.

After this, she honed her interest in Global Health and research excellence whilst working at the Lancet Journals. Professor Davies was an executive editor at The Lancet before launching as Editor in Chief, The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. Under her editorship the journal rose from start-up to the highest impact journal in its category.

A desire to contribute to answering important global health problems instigated her return to academia in 2016/2017 after completing the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery and The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology Commission on Diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa.

Professor Davies has since worked at Wits University in South Africa and KCL in the UK. She now has honorary professorships at Wits and Stellenbosch Universities in South Africa.

Experience at The Lancet Journals has developed her keen sense of what is an impactful research question and how to answer this with methodological rigour. It has also embedded within her a sense of fairness and desire for more equity in the worlds of health policy, research, and learning.

Teaching

Professor Davies teaches on the Global Health modules of the MPH program at University of Birmingham and also mentors students and junior staff in the institutes where she has honorary positions and projects.

Postgraduate supervision

Professor Davies supervises PhD students in the fields of global health systems and subjects related to surgery, injuries, or cardiovascular diseases.

Research

Research interests

Professor Justine Davies is interested in health systems to provide quality care in low- or middle-income countries.

Specialty areas of interest are cardiovascular diseases, surgery, and injuries.

Current projects

Rwanda912: Use of an innovative electronic communications platform to improve pre-hospital transport of injured people in Rwanda. NIHR Right Call 4.
Equi-injury: NIHR Global Health Group on Equitable Access to Quality Health Care for Injured People in Four Low or Middle Income Countries. NIHR funded.
NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Global Surgery: Establishing a Sustainable Network of Surgical Research. Co-Investigator and co-lead of the access to care workstream
US NIH PAR-19-376: Mobile Health: Technology and Outcomes in Low and Middle Income Countries. 1R21TW011636-01A1. Rwanda 912: an mHealth Application to Improve Quality of Trauma and Emergency Care in Kigali, Rwanda. Co-Investigator
Utstein 2: Development of guidelines for collection of Global Surgery Metrics (funded by the Laerdal Foundation) co-lead
MRC: Systems thinking approach to developing an integrated and patient-centred intervention model for multimorbidity. Co-investigator
NIHR Health Policy and Systems. Perioperative health systems to support surgical treatment: Establishing a world leading global health research collaboration to deliver innovative solutions promoting the safety and quality of care for surgical patients. Co-investigator
Academy of Medical Sciences/GCRF Network grant: AfroSurg: A Network to Improve Equitable Access to Safe and Timely Surgical Care in Southern Africa. Co-lead.
NIHR Health Policy and Systems. Equitable access to quality trauma systems in Lower- and Middle-Income Countries. Assessing gaps and developing priorities. Equitrauma, Principle Investigator
Global Health and Population Project on Access to Care for Cardiometabolic Diseases (HPACC)

Other activities

Professor Davies regularly reviews for medical journals and funding bodies. She has sat as a panel member for NIH funding.

Professor Davies is a member of the WHO team to agree targets for the Global Diabetes Compact.

Selected journalist articles written by Professor Justine Davies:

'More harm than good' - The Guardian

'There are risks as well as benefits – so get the facts, then decide' - The Scotsman

'Diabetes targets would cost more but the impact would be worth it: here’s how' - The Conversation

'Bracelets from cluster bombs' - The Lancet

'Why it’s so difficult to tackle diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa' - The Conversation

'Climate complexities stoke disease controversies' - SciDev.Net

'Cost of diabetes care in Africa could triple by 2030' - SciDev.Net

'Modified plant clears up deadly water toxin' - SciDev.Net

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Lacey, S, Odland, ML, Sie, A, Harling, G, Bärnighausen, TW, Geldsetzer, P, Hirschhorn, LR & Davies, J 2025, 'Accessibility and quality of care for adults with hypertension in rural Burkina Faso: results from a cross-sectional household survey', PLOS Global Public Health, vol. 5, no. 4, e0003161. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0003161

Atiq, H, Rahim, KA, Sheikh, SA, Khan, BA, Wajidali, Z, Chand, ZB, Latif, A, Ignatowicz, A, Ghalichi, L, Chu, KM, Razzak, JA & Davies, J 2025, 'Access to quality Trauma Care after injury in Pakistan—Systematic review and narrative synthesis', British Medical Journal Open.

Omojola, OA, Osborne, CA, Bountogo, M, Inghels, M, Harling, G, Sie, A, Goodman Palmer, D, Bärnighausen, T, Davies, JI & Hirschhorn, LR 2025, 'A cross-sectional study of sexual health and well-being in married or cohabitating middle-aged and older adults in Nouna, Burkina Faso', Archives of Sexual Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-025-03223-1

Bockarie, T, Shanker, A, Jalloh, MB, Kamara, AM, Odland, ML, Wurie, H, Ansumana, R, Lamin, J, Witham, M, Oyebode, O & Davies, J 2025, 'Cross-sectional study of the association between diet and physical inactivity with obesity, diabetes and hypertension among older adults in Sierra Leone', BMJ open, vol. 15, no. 7, e095825. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-095825

Rwanda912 RIGHT Group & Belli, T 2025, 'Developing and integrating a destination decision support algorithm into an innovative electronic communication platform to improve injury care service coordination in Rwanda: the Rwanda912 study protocol', BMJ open, vol. 15, e102355. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2025-102355

Pognaa Kunfah, SM, Yakubu, M, Ofori-Appiah, B, Ayingayure , E, Odland, ML, Tolgou , Y, Buunaaim , ADB, Konadu-Yeboah, D, Ignatowicz, A, Davies, J & Tabiri, S 2025, 'Equitable access to quality trauma systems in Ghana: a qualitative study', BMJ open, vol. 15, e087095. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-087095

Boah, M, Cyuzuzo, C, Uwinkindi, F, Kalinda, C, Yohannes, T, Greig, C, Davies, J, Hirschhorn, LR & Amberbir, A 2025, 'Frailty, multimorbidity and quality of life in an ageing population in Africa: a cross-sectional, population-based study in rural and urban Rwanda', Family Medicine and Community Health , vol. 13, no. 4, e003512. https://doi.org/10.1136/fmch-2025-003512

Rose, J, Gelb, AW, Davies, JI, Martin, J, McIntyre, K & Mellin-Olsen, J 2025, 'From Definitions to Implementation – A Guide to Collect and Apply the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery Indicators: An Utstein Consensus Report', Journal of Data and Information Science (JDIS).

Yoo, SGK, Teufel , F, Theilmann, M, Si, Y, Toure, EA, Aryal, KK, Bärnighausen, TW, Bait, A, Barreto, M, Bovet, P, Brant, LCC, Cuschieri, S, Damasceno , A, Farzadfar, F, Fawwad, A, Geldsetzer, P, Hambleton, I, Houehanou, C, Howitt, C, Jorgensen, JMA, González-Rivas, JP, Labadarios, D, Marcus, M, Martins, J, Mwalim, O, NietoMartínez, R, Odili, AN, Orazumbekova, B, Perman, G, Quesnel-Crooks, S, Moghaddam, SS, Sewpal, R, Sousa-Uva, M, Sulola, MA, Venkataraman, K, Vollmer, S, Sim, X, Atun, R, Banegas, JR, Franco, JVA, Arnott, C, Chandiwana, N, Huffman, MD, Davies, J, Ali, MK, Flood, D & Manne-Goehler, J 2025, 'Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist Eligibility for Obesity Across 99 Countries', The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology.

Equi-Injury Group, Davies, J, Ignatowicz, A, Sitch, A & Ghalichi, L 2025, 'Health system governance for injury care in low- and middle-income countries: a survey of policymakers and policy implementors', BMJ Global Health, vol. 10, no. 2, e017890. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2024-017890

Teufel, F, Roddewig, P, Marcus, ME, Theilmann, M, Andall-Brereton, G, Aryal, K, Azadnajafabad, S, Bovet, P, Dorobantu, M, Farzadfar, F, Houehanou, C, Sibai, A, Stokes, AC, Labadarios, D, Gurung, M, Jorgensen, J, Karki, K, Lunet, N, Saeedi Moghaddam, S, Mwangi, KJ, Sturua, L, Bärnighausen, T, Flood, D, Geldsetzer, P, Damasceno, A, Davies, J, Vollmer, S, Ali, MK, Manne-Goehler, J & Bulstra, C 2025, 'National evidence on glucose-lowering medication use for diabetes from 62 low- and middle-income countries', Nature Communications, vol. 16, 7139. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59123-4

Sulola, MA, Sibai , AM, Damasceno , A, Issanov, A, Sarria-Santamera, A, Orazumbekova, B, Norov, B, Brice, B, Houehanou, C, Guwatudde, D, Kagaruki, GB, Gathecha, G, Jorgensen, JMA, Mwangi, JK, Agoudavi, K, Sturua, L, Mayige, MT, Gurung, M, Hwalla, N, Lunet, N, Mwalim, O, Wong-McClure, R, Quesnel-Crooks, S, Bahendeka, S, Atun, R, Bärnighausen, TW, Davies, J, Flood, D, Geldsetzer, P, Jaacks, LM, Manne-Goehler, J, Theilmann, M, Vollmer, S & Marcus , M-E 2025, 'Patterns of Traditional Medicine use for the treatment of Hypertension, Diabetes Mellitus, and High Cholesterol in Low and Middle-income Countries: a cross-sectional study of 71 nationally representative surveys', Bulletin of the World Health Organization.

Sheferaw, ED, Alyande, B, Munyura, O, Nuhu, A, Nishimwe, A, Nyinawankusi, J, Uwitonze, JM, Nepomuscene Sindikubwabo, J, Bagahirwa, I, Hagumimana, D, Hagenimana, F, Inkotanyi , CF, Semuto, JC, Rukundo, G, Ignatowicz, A, D’Ambruoso, L, Muhire, P, Jayaraman, S, Agabe Nkusi, E, Quinn, L, Bekele, A, Byiringiro, JC & Davies, J 2025, 'Reaching the right facility for emergency patients: destinations of patients transported by emergency medical services in Kigali, Rwanda', International Journal of Emergency Medicine, vol. 18, 75. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12245-025-00853-z

Moody, N, Sandford, B, Bosanquet, DC, Chu, K, Assefa, R, Hall, J, Stephen, T, Popplewell, M, Seyoum, N & Davies, J 2025, 'Regional Assessment of Lower limb Amputations in sub-Saharan Africa (RAMPs): a prospective cohort study protocol', BMJ open, vol. 15, no. 10, e107789. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2025-107789

Review article

Nepogodiev, D, Picciochi, M, Ademuyiwa, A, Adisa, A, Agbeko, AE, Aguilera, ML, Agyei, F, Alexander, P, Henry, J, Anyomih, TTK, Aregawi, AB, Atun, R, Biccard, B, Chalwe, M, Chu, K, Coomarasamy, A, Crawford, R, Darzi, A, Davies, J, Gathuya, Z, George, C, Ghaffar, A, Ghosh, D, Glasbey, JC, Haque, PD, Harrison, EM, Hesse, A, Allen Ingabire, JC, Kamarajah, SK, Karekezi, C, Kruger, D, Lapitan, MC, Latif, A, Lawani, I, Ledda, V, Li, E, Linder, C, Makasa, E, Martin, J, Maswime, S, Mathai, S, Meara, JG, Mudede-Moffat, F, Ntirenganya, F, Park, KB, Phelan, LN, Pramesh, CS, Ramos-De la Medina, A, Raykar, N, Rivello, R, Roslani, AC, Roy, N, Samad, L, Shrime, M, Sobhy, S, Sullivan, R, Tabiri, S, Tangi, V, Tissingh, E, Weiser, TG, Williams, O & Bhangu, A 2025, 'Surgical health policy 2025–35: strengthening essential services for tomorrow's needs', The Lancet, vol. 406, no. 10505, pp. 860-880. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(25)00985-7

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