20.12.13
Public health partnership contracts awarded
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has announced 13 new partnerships between universities and Public Health England (PHE) to focus on 12 different areas of public health priority.
The Health Protection Research Units (HPRUs) will run for five years from 1 April 2014.
Chief medical officer Professor Dame Sally Davies said: “These partnerships will bring together research from academia and Public Health England to ensure world class health protection research in England.
“By focusing on research across a wide range of public health areas, the units will take new scientific discoveries from the lab to benefits for patients and the public. I believe they will have a significant impact on the health of the population.”
Duncan Selbie, chief executive of Public Health England, said: “These innovative public health research partnerships confirm the place of health protection research right up were it needs to be, alongside the very best in clinical medicine. We are incredibly grateful to the National Institute for Health Research and the Chief Medical Officer for guiding us to this end, and of course the successful University applicants.”
The 12 priority areas and successful applicants are:
Environmental Change and Health – London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine with Exeter University and University College London
Impact of Environmental Hazards – Kings College London with Imperial College London Health
Emergency Preparedness and Response – Kings College London with Newcastle University and University of East Anglia
Chemical and Radiation Threats and Hazards – Newcastle University
Emerging Infections (including zoonoses) and Biological Threats – University of Liverpool with Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Immunisation – London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Respiratory infections – Imperial College London with Imperial College NHS Trust and Birmingham University
Gastrointestinal infections – University of Liverpool with University of East Anglia, University of Oxford, and Institute of Food Research
Blood-borne and Sexually Transmitted Infections – University College London with London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Healthcare Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance – Imperial College London with Wellcome Sanger Institute, NWL Academic Health Science Network, and Cambridge Veterinary School
Healthcare Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance – University of Oxford with Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency
Development of Modelling Methodology – Imperial College London
Evaluation of Interventions – University of Bristol with University College London, Cambridge MRC Biostatistics Unit, and University of the West of England.
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