Equalise: ESRC Centre for Lifecourse Health Equity

A 5-year collaborative programme of research tackling and reducing health inequalities. NEW WEBSITE COMING SOON!

"A cost-of-living crisis, a pandemic, and a decade of austerity have led to rising levels of ill-health and widening health inequalities. This new Centre is uniquely placed to coproduce a highly ambitious programme of research that can identify key points where interventions can work. It is time for health equity to become the social norm. This in turn will foster a society and an economy that are more robust to global threats and crises."

Professor Sir Michael Marmot

Building on 15 years of impactful research carried out by the team behind the ESRC International Centre for Lifecourse Studies in Society and Health, the ESRC Centre for Lifecourse Health Equity (Equalise) is led from University College London and supported by an outstanding multi-disciplinary team of researchers and associates at City St George’s, University of London, and the Universities of Glasgow, Strathclyde, Essex and Toulouse III Paul Sabatier in France. 

The Centre is also working in partnership with a team of experts in local and national government and a wide range of health equity focused advocacy and voluntary groups including the Health Foundation, Race Equality Foundation, Carers Trust, Eurocarers, City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, Disability Rights UK, Early Education and Childcare Coalition, National Literacy Trust, Women’s Budget Group, The Poverty Alliance, Skills and Education Group, and Voluntary Health Scotland. 

The Centre’s research has 5 key themes: 
   • Reducing inequalities in learning and development opportunities 
   • Work and health over the lifecourse 
   • Care, health and wellbeing over the lifecourse 
   • Place-based inequalities 
   • Research and policy synthesis 

This 5-year (2024-2029) collaborative programme of research led by Yvonne Kelly and Anne McMunn at UCL and Rebecca Lacey at City St George's, will find solutions to clearly identified and well understood health inequalities.

• Read the ESRC's announcement 
• Read UCL's announcement (to be added November 5)

Co-investigators and partners

University College London - Yvonne Kelly, Anne McMunn, Baowen Xue, Stephen Jivraj, Sir Michael Marmot, Peter Martin, Katie Harron, Jessica Allen

City St George’s, University of London - Rebecca Lacey

University of Strathclyde - Katherine Smith

University of Glasgow - Petra Meier, Corinna Elsenbroch

Paul Sabatier University - Michelle Kelly-Irving

University of Essex - Emily Murray

City of Bradford Metropolitan Council – Ellen Flint

Race Equality Foundation – Jabeer Butt

Carers Trust – Rohati Chapman

Women’s Budget Group – Mary-Ann Stephenson

Scottish Women’s Budget Group – Sara Cowan

Skills and Education Group Foundation – Joe McLoughlin

Disability Rights UK – Kamran Mallick

Early Education and Childcare Coalition – Sara Ronan

The Poverty Alliance – Laura Robertson

Voluntary Health Scotland – Tejesh Mistry

National Literacy Trust – Tracy Jackson OBE

Eurocarers – Stecy Yghemonos

Public Health Scotland – Deborah Shipton

The Health Foundation

Department for Education

Department for Work and Pensions

Work and Health Unit

Office for Health Improvements and Disparities

Scottish Government