New research centre seeks to reduce health inequalities

The UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Centre for Lifecourse Health Equity (Equalise) will build upon more than 15 years of highly impactful research from the ESRC International Centre for Lifecourse Studies (ICLS) at UCL, which helped identify and address health inequalities.

The new research centre now aims to find solutions to these inequalities.

Professor Yvonne Kelly (UCL Epidemiology & Health Care) is Director of the ICLS and co-Director of Equalise alongside Professor Anne McMunn (UCL Epidemiology & Health Care). She said: “Despite the UK leading the way in health inequalities research, the gaps between rich and poor have widened, gains in life expectancy have stalled and poor health restricts people’s ability to participate actively and equally in society.

“The ESRC Centre for Lifecourse Health Equity (Equalise) seeks to change that by moving away from identifying the issues to actively addressing them. This will be done by undertaking collaborative research with our partners that generates actionable insights to redress health inequalities.”

Equalise will have five key research themes:

• Reducing inequalities in learning and development opportunities
• Work and health over the life course
• Care, health and wellbeing over the life course
• Place-based inequalities
• Research and policy synthesis

The centre will be staffed by leading researchers in their field, including Professor Sir Michael Marmot, director of the UCL Institute for Health Equity.

Professor Sir Michael Marmot said: “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.”

Equalise’s research programme will last for five years and will be in collaboration with researchers and associates from City St George’s, University of London, and the Universities of Glasgow, Strathclyde, Essex and Toulouse III Paul Sabatier.

The centre will also work 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.

Equalise will be one of four new independent research centres to receive part of £32 million funding from UKRI and ESRC to address a variety of important social and economic topics.

Other centres will focus on issues such as mitigating the effects of, and findings solutions to, the health impacts of the climate crisis; how digital technologies are changing work; and improving UK policymaking by integrating knowledge of history, behavioural science, economics, medical sciences and culture.

ESRC executive chair Stian Westlake said: “Our centres are at the forefront of ground-breaking social science research, pushing the boundaries of knowledge and making a real difference. By supporting these centres, ESRC ensures long-term investment in crucial areas while giving researchers the freedom to explore and innovate.

“Three of these investments build on the work of centres that consistently delivered top-quality research that has positively influenced policy and improved lives. The wholly new centre will expand ESRC’s research portfolio even further, helping us understand the health effects of climate change.”

Links

• Professor Yvonne Kelly's academic profile
• Professor Anne McMunn's academic profile
• Professor Sir Michael Marmot's academic profile
• UCL Epidemiology & Health Care
• UCL Population Health Sciences

Image

• Credit: Natali_Mis on iStock

Media contact 

Poppy Tombs

E: p.tombs [at] ucl.ac.uk