Institute for Health Research

Director: Professor Gurch Randhawa, Professor of Diversity in Public Health

The Institute of Health Research (IHR)

All of our research is internationally excellent in impact, and the majority is world-leading. 75% of research outputs are 3* or 4* - internationally excellent or world leading. REF 2021

Research

The Institute for Health Research (IHR) is committed to carrying out real world research, providing information which has influenced policy and practice at national and international level. The IHR brings together four research centres of excellence: Organ Donation and Transplant Research Centre, Maternal and Child Health Research Centre, Research Centre for Health Service Organisation and Delivery and the Teenage Pregnancy Knowledge Exchange.

About the IHR

The Institute for Health Research (IHR), founded in 1994, is a centre of excellence in research. Currently, our staff and research students come from more than 15 countries to create a strong global research community with interests in public health, health inequalities, applied research in the organization and delivery of health and social care, health informatics, epidemiology, chronic and infectious diseases, primary care, biostatistics, mental health and health services research.

The primary aims of the IHR are to:

• Engage in collaborative research locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.
• Create research partnerships with purchasers and providers of health care, with the professions, industry and the independent sector.
• Promote and co-ordinate health-related research across the University.
• Enhance research skills in the community through the provision of quality educational programmes.

IHR Summary

A major goal of the IHR research programme is to further understand the factors that determine health and health behaviour and those aspects of local contexts, health systems and political economies that influence the successful implementation of health interventions and technologies. The IHR has strong collaborative links in the UK and also in Europe, Middle East, Asia and America. The IHR hosts an MSc in Public Health and also offers extensive postgraduate research training to its approx 50 doctoral students.

The IHR has been externally commissioned by a range of prestigious organisations including NHS National Institute for Health Research; Health Education England; The King’s Fund; Kidney Research UK; NHS Blood & Transplant; Big Lottery Fund, Autistica, Department of Health; Tata Trusts; and the European Commission. The IHR has nationally and internationally recognised staff who are accredited by organisations such as the World Health Organisation; UK Faculty of Public Health; Royal Society of Medicine; Royal Society of Public Health and UNESCO.

Current grants include:

KEech End of life research Partnership NETwork (KEEPNET project, 2022, NIHR): A partnership network to enhance research capacity and capability to improve access of palliative and end-of-life care among the Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) population across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, and Milton Keynes. £108,590, Randhawa, G., Cook, E., Wilkinson, E., Suleman, M., Ali, N., Tolliday, E. https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR135381

COVID-19 Talk Listen Change (TLC project, Luton Borough Council, 2021 – 2022) community engagement. Engaging in a dialogue on reasons for the disproportionate impact of Covid-19, tackling inequalities and co-developing solutions: a community engagement project in Luton. £50,000. Ali, N., Cook, E.J., Cartwright, S., Randhawa, G. https://m.luton.gov.uk/Page/Show/Health_and_social_care/coronavirus/Pages/COVID-19-Talk-Listen-Change-community-engagement-project.aspx

Evaluating ‘Enhancing Pragmatic Language skills for Young children with Social communication impairment’ (E-PLAYS-2 project, NIHR PHR) National Institute for Health Research, £1,461,792. Murphy, S., Joffe, V., Messer, D., Crafter, S ., Bell, K., Fairhurst, C., Cook, E., & Torgerson, D. (2021 – 2025). fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR131745

Children’s Health in London & Luton (CHILL study 2018 – 2023 NIHR PHR) National Institution for Health Research. Investigating the impact of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone on children’s respiratory health £3,950,517 Griffiths, C., Van Sluijs, E., Mudway, I., Beevers, I., Fletcher, M., Sheikh, A., Mihaylova, B., Kelly, F., Randhawa, G., Quint, J., Grigg, J., Gauderman, W., Eldridge, S. https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/16/139/01 https://youtu.be/o8j6J3F3M3g

Wellbeing of Women/Burdett Trust for Nursing (2020-2023) £152,196 Enhancing antenatal care uptake in an ethnically diverse socially disadvantaged maternal cohort: a retrospective study to develop an intervention. Principal Applicant (Puthussery S, Li L, Harden A, Malcolm G) www.wellbeingofwomen.org.uk/uploads/WoW-Research-in-Progress-2022.pdf

World Health Organisation (2021-2022) Effectiveness of postnatal maternal or caregiver interventions on outcomes among infants under six months with growth faltering: a systematic review. Rana R, Kirubakaran R, Puthussery S, Lelijveld N, Kerac M https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=276022&VersionID=1709610

Developing a Workforce for Integrated Care (2022 – 2025). Funded by Health Education England £1,100,000. Grant L, Pappas Y, Ali N, Burden B, Boyle S, Randhawa G.

Early Years Alliance Luton, The Family Worker Approach (2022 – 2025). Funded by the Big Lottery Fund £495,000. Pappas Y, Randhawa G, Rogers, C.

The Smart Start Programme in Luton (2021 – 2024). Funded by: Department of Health and Social Care £499,000. Pappas Y, Randhawa G, Rogers, C.