Epidemiology and Applied Clinical Research Department

The Epidemiology and Applied Clinical Research Department aims to bridge the gap between epidemiological research and clinical and public health application, ultimately improving patient care, reducing inequalities in risk, treatment and outcomes, and enhancing mental health services for diverse populations. 

Key areas of focus include: 

1. Mental Health Epidemiology: Studying the prevalence, risk factors, and social determinants of mental health conditions in various populations. This includes examining the potential causal basis of lifestyle, environmental factors, and genetics on mental health outcomes.
2. Clinical Trials and Interventions: Conducting applied clinical research to develop, test, and implement interventions. This includes psychological therapies, drug treatments, and strategies for improving the quality of life.
3. Inequality in Mental Health Care: Researching disparities in access to mental health care and the efficacy of treatments across different social and cultural groups, with an emphasis on marginalised populations. 

About the department

We are an active, diverse and collegiate department focussing on research and educational excellence in the application of cutting-edge and rigorous methodologies to produce globally recognised impactful research in population mental health and effective health care service delivery. 

We have expertise across epidemiology and applied clinical research in mental health, including causal inference methods, biostatistics, qualitative methods, public mental health, prevention, trial design and complex interventions, implementation science and realist evaluation, and systematic reviewing and evidence synthesis. We study mental health across the life course, from youth mental health to older adults, with research across all major mental health conditions. Our research involves people with lived experience from the outset.

We are the largest Research Department in the Division with over 75 academic and research staff, and over 30 PhD students, from both clinical and non-clinical backgrounds, with a diverse range of expertise, backgrounds and perspectives. We encourage research-based training to produce high impact research of international standing, and we have a very strong track record in supporting PhD students and early career researchers to independence within and beyond academia. 

On average we generate over £10m per year in new grant and fellowship income. We host the NIHR Mental Health Policy Research Unit to support rapid decision making in government and evidence based policy.