Applied Health Research Unit (AHRU)

Our research focuses on: 

• understanding variation in incidence, prevalence, treatment pathways and health outcomes,
• evaluating the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of health services in relation to a range of diseases and health problems,
• evaluating the equitable implementation of effective interventions to improve health and avoid research waste.

We advocate for the robust and innovative use of data to generate evidence to guide the design and delivery of effective and equitable health services to improve population health. We do this by conducting epidemiological research, and evidence synthesis to place our research within the context of existing evidence, randomised trials, surveys and qualitative research.

The group’s linked data assets, include national and regional hospitalisation records which run from 50 years ago to the present day, national mortality (civil registration) records, cancer registry data, and primary care records which provide extensive research opportunities. Methodological approaches developed for these datasets complement those required for other datasets in Oxford Population Health that also link to hospitalisation and other routine clinical data (such as the Million Women Study, UK Biobank, and large clinical trials), providing efficient means for testing specific hypotheses in more depth. 

training

We train the next generation of researchers through teaching on the MSc Global Health Science and Epidemiology and the MSc in Clinical Trials courses, supervising doctoral students and supporting research fellowships. We are a part of a new national hub, Research Support Service (RSS) which provides researchers with support before and after funding application to deliver high quality applied health, public health and social care research.

patient and public engagement (PPIE)

We are committed to forming active partnerships with patients and the public to ensure our research reflects peoples’ priorities, experiences and values. Embedding PPIE in our projects improves the governance, communication, and ultimately, the impact our research will have on peoples’ lives and the delivery of health services. We work closely with the Oxford Population Health Public Advisory Panel.