Institute for Health and Wellbeing Research (IHWR)

IHWR is a world-class multidisciplinary community of researchers, educators, and students in applied research, including public and global health, health services, primary care, health data science, behavioural science, social sciences, psychology, epidemiology, biostatistics, exercise physiology, biomechanics, climate sustainability and life sciences who contribute to core Theme areas of expertise.

We include a team of internationally recognised leaders, accredited by organisations such as the World Health Organisation; European Union; UK Faculty of Public Health; Royal Society of Medicine; Royal Society of Public Health, the British Psychological Society, The Health and Care Professions Council,  the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) and UNESCO.

The institute is committed to:

• Tackling inequalities and conducting inclusive, participatory and culturally competent research.  We recognise that meaningful research must be shaped by diverse voices and lived experiences. We are proud to have pioneered culturally competent community participatory action research methodologies – Talk, Listen and Change (TLC)TM and Community Targeted Outreach Programme (CTOP)TM, both nationally recognised frameworks for inclusive engagement and system change
• Capacity building and developing the next generation of scientists and practitioners. Our taught offers include an MSc in Public Health, MSc Food Security in Public Health, MSc Microbiology in Public Health, MSc Biotechnology an MSc in Behaviour Change and Health, and an MSc in Health Psychology accredited by the British Psychological Society. We have a strong and diverse alumni and routinely provide doctoral training for approximately 50 PhD/ MSc by Research students annually.

We aim to:

• Engage in collaborative research locally, regionally, nationally and internationally to optimise population health and performance, system delivery and reduce inequalities
• Create equitable research partnerships with commissioners and providers of health and social care, the professions, industry and the independent sector
• Promote and co-ordinate health-related research across the University to maximise impact and visibility
• Foster an inclusive research culture that values diversity, equity and wellbeing, creating opportunities for underrepresented groups
• Champion co-production and community participation by embedding lived experience and cultural competence in all stages of research
• Strengthen research capacity through inclusive and accessible education and training
• Pursue excellence in knowledge exchange and innovation, translating research into sustainable solutions that strengthen health systems and empower communities. 

Our Impact:

• We advance the understanding of the social, behavioural, biomedical and structural determinants of health, wellbeing and human performance, exploring how local contexts, systems, and political economies influence the design, delivery, evaluation and adoption of interventions and technologies
• We are at the forefront of application and advancement of behaviour change methodologies and translational science, with our research impacting population health and wellbeing, service delivery, industry development, practice and policy

We have strong collaborative links in the UK, Europe, Middle East, Asia,  America and Australasia. The IHWR has been commissioned by a range of organisations including NHS National Institute for Health Research (NIHR); Health Education England; The King’s Fund; Kidney Research UK; Diabetes UK; NHS Blood & Transplant; Big Lottery Fund, Autistica, Department of Health and Social Care; Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID); The Football Association (FA); the Premiere League; Tata Trusts; Medical Research Council (MRC); Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC); the British Council; the Royal Society; the European Commission.