Welcoming new members to the NIHR School for Public Health Research 2022-2027 - NIHR School for Public Health ResearchNIHR SPHR

Today we welcome two new members to the NIHR School for Public Health Research.

The University of Exeter and PHRESH, a consortium from the Universities of Birmingham, Warwick and Keele have officially joined the School today (1st April 2022).

The University of Exeter membership is led by Professor G.J. Melendez-Torres, Professor of Clinical and Social Epidemiology. The PHRESH Consortium is led by Professor Peymane Adab, Professor of Chronic Disease Epidemiology & Public Health, University of Birmingham. Peymane has also been appointed as a new Deputy Director for the NIHR School for Public Health Research. We would like to extend a warm welcome to G.J., Peymane and their colleagues.

The NIHR has reaffirmed its commitment to public health research by awarding a third round of funding to the NIHR School for Public Health Research (SPHR). SPHR has been awarded £29.9 million from April 2022 to advance and extend the School’s current research programme.

Established in April 2012, the renewed NIHR School for Public Health Research (SPHR) is an extended partnership between nine leading centres of academic public health research excellence across England.

The School aims to build the evidence base for effective public health practice by bringing together England’s leading public health research expertise in one virtual organisation. The School conducts applied public health research to increase the volume and quality evidence on cost-effective interventions and supports local public health practitioners and policy makers to engage with research and seek out research evidence to inform their decisions.

The NIHR ran an open competition to refresh the School membership for a third time and for the appointment of a Director for the School. The call to be a member of the School, invited academic institutions in England who were able to demonstrate excellence in public health research, to apply.

Professor Ashley Adamson will continue her role as the Director of the school with the next quinquennium.

Prof Ashley Adamson said: “I am thrilled that SPHR has received further funding to continue its world-class public health research, influencing policy and practice in the UK. Working in partnership with those developing and delivering public health means we have the most relevant and important questions. I’m honoured to continue as Director of NIHR SPHR, working with excellent academic and practice colleagues and members of the public to drive forward our research agenda to meet the evidence needs to reduce inequalities in health and improve the health of the public. I am delighted that our capacity building funding creates further opportunity for SPHR to work with the NIHR Academy and others to build a future public health workforce equipped for the challenges ahead”.

With the Government’s increasing attention on prevention and public health research and how we recover from the pandemic, the contribution of the School is of strategic importance to the Department of Health and Social Care.

Prof. Lucy Chappell, NIHR Chief Executive, said: “The NIHR’s investment in the School for Public Health Research has generated valuable local evidence that has informed Local Authority spending and planning to improve child health and create healthier neighbourhoods. With renewed funding, the NIHR SPHR will continue to address key challenges in public health while expanding geographic reach and ensuring research takes place where it is needed most.”

The School will build on the successes of the work conducted in the previous quinquennium.

Members of the NIHR School for Public Health Research 2022-2027