Health and Wellbeing Research Centre

The Health and Wellbeing Research Centre is an interdisciplinary, cross-university research centre that increases understanding of how to protect and promote the health and wellbeing of individuals, communities and populations across the life course.

Our research has a particular focus on under-served or in-need groups and the workforce and services that support them. Through our world-leading research and knowledge mobilisation, and with a commitment to social justice and inclusion, we seek to help reduce inequalities and inequities in health and wellbeing.

Our centre brings together academics from across the university and partners from health and social care, whose research seeks to: better understand experiences of health and well-being, provide important insights into the effective and acceptable delivery of health and social care and which supports the education of the health and social care workforce.

We recognise the complex determinants of health and the need to capitalise on innovation and technological development. Through this, our ambition is to generate knowledge, insight and impact, which can be applied through policy, practice and education to address some of the major current societal challenges that impact on wellbeing, and which contribute to health inequalities.

The NIHR funded PHIRST (public health intervention responsive studies team) South Bank Centre which was established in 2020 sits within the Health and Wellbeing Research Centre. PHIRST South Bank undertakes evaluations of locally led public health interventions to better understand what works in addressing important public health challenges at a local level.

In line with our commitment to researching health at a population level, the centre incorporates research on important priorities including addictive behaviours, mental health and learning disabilities, sport and exercise and with under-served groups. Our research also brings together work on specific acute and long term conditions.