Our health is shaped by a convergence of factors: our genes, the air we breathe, the food we eat, the work we do, the taxes we pay, the places we live, and the people we know. All influence our physical and mental wellbeing.
Simultaneously, advances in gene technology and data sciences are giving us the ability to understand patterns of health and disease across populations to an extent impossible previously.
Join our mission
Gross inequalities in health within and between the countries of the world mean there is plenty of scope to tackle preventable disparities in the distribution of ill-health. You may have chosen to study one of the programmes on offer in our faculty because you are motivated to improve health outcomes. There are many paths to doing this and many skills needed - we encourage you to be part of the effort.
The UCL advantage
- UCL is rated No.1 for research power and impact in medicine, health and life sciences (REF 2021)
- UCL is ranked 6th in the world for public health (ShanghaiRankings 2023 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects)
- UCL is ranked 9th in the world as a university (QS World Rankings 2024)
- 93% of UCL's research is graded 'world-leading' and 'internationally excellent' (REF 2021)
Research groups and strength
Our institutes together encompass conception, birth, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, older age and death.
The Institutes for Women's Health, of Child Health, Cardiovascular Science and Epidemiology and Health Care comprehensively address these phases and periods at an individual and population level.
The Institutes of Clinical Trials and Methodology, Health Informatics and Global Health focus on how potential health gains can be realised nationally and internationally.
Find out more about our research.
The London advantage
One of the many advantages of being in the centre of London is our links to, and collaborations with, a number of clinical partners and leading policy-making institutions, including the Medical Research Council (MRC), Wellcome Trust, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Public Health England, NICE, the Department of Health, the Francis Crick and Alan Turing Institutes and UCL's partner health facilities and Biomedical Research Centres.
Students on our clinical programmes in child and women's health have the opportunity to work alongside leading clinicians at some of London's major hospitals, including Great Ormond Street and University College Hospital. Our unparalleled access to high quality research facilities and academic expertise informs the structure and content of the teaching programmes we offer.
The student experience
The student experience is at the heart of our educational vision. UCL provides the resources associated with a world-leading university, and our Institutes have excellent discipline-specific facilities. For example, newly refurbished laboratories at the Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and recent investment in non-invasive imaging, high-speed computing and 'omics' analysis capabilities, have increased opportunities for research projects. UCL also provides students with a wealth of services to meet their cultural, social, and leisure interests and their practical needs.
Find out more about student life at UCL.
Close
