Institute for Health Research launched

27 March 2007

Health and health-related research, embracing activities in nursing, allied health, drug development and delivery, engineering, education, nutrition, exercise sciences, social inclusion, informatics and much more, is LJMU's largest and most diverse area of research.

Now thanks to the development of the Institute for Health Research, LJMU hopes to position itself as a leader in health and health-related research that is both world class and responsive to change and new policy development.

The Institute (www.ihr-ljmu.org.uk/) will focus its activities on four key areas, broadly defined as:

• Organisation and Delivery of Services, led by Professor Janet Krska (School of Pharmacy and Chemistry)
• Health Promotion, Policy and Inequalities, led by Dr Karen Tocque (North West Pubic Health Observatory, Centre for Public Health) and Professor Noel Sheehy (School of Psychology)
• Quality of Life: Living with Disability or Illness, led by Professor Michele Crossley (School of Nursing and  Primary Care Practice) and Dr Helen Poole (School of Psychology)
• Medical Sciences and Therapeutics, led by Professor Paulo Lisboa (School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences)

Formally launched on 16 March 2007, LJMU Vice Chancellor Professor Michael Brown described the Institute as a "great leap forward for the University" and said that he had high expectations of success.

Professor Mark Bellis, now Director of both LJMU's new Institute for Health Research and LJMU's Centre for Public Health, added that the Institute demonstrated the diversity of health research carried out across LJMU. Its establishment would, he said, facilitate the development of new connections and partnerships both internally and externally.

LJMU's already extensive network of partners was reflected in the range of guests at the event, including academics, health professionals, research commissioners, service providers in health and social care and wider stakeholders with an interest in health and health-related research.

Professor Godfrey Mazhindu, Dean of the Faculty of Health and Applied Social Sciences, said that by continuing to work with these key stakeholders, LJMU would be best placed to identify opportunities for research collaborations which addressed local and national priorities.

This approach was supported in the key note address delivered by Dr Ruth Hussey, Regional Director of Public Health, Department of Health and NHS North West. The launch of the Institute came, she said, at a crucial time for the region and nationally, in view of existing and emerging challenges for the health of the nation.

Dr Hussey observed that the health of the North West was being left behind other regions in the UK, as there were significant pockets of disadvantage and health inequalities. There was, she continued, a need to invest in new technologies and efficient practice, and focus on prevention. To do this it needed to come together with institutions, such as LJMU, which could help plug its knowledge gaps and translate this knowledge into effective practice. 

There was, she added, a real sense of common agendas and inter-connectedness between the national policy for best health and the Institute's objectives. Dr Hussey emphasised the importance of collaboration, saying that the networking model advocated by the Institute was central to its success.

Dr Hussey also praised LJMU for working at the boundaries of disciplines. Through this cross-fertilisation of expertise, LJMU could generate ideas and knowledge in the North West that would ensure the best deal for everyone living in the region and influence national policy.

For more information on the Institute for Health Research, visit: www.ihr-ljmu.org.uk

Pictures:

Top:

• Professor Godfrey Mazhindu, Dean of the Faculty of Health and Applied Social Sciences, Professor Michael Brown, LJMU Vice Chancellor, Dr Ruth Hussey, Regional Director of Public Health, Department of Health and NHS North West and Professor Mark Bellis, Director of the Institute for Health Research.

Bottom:

• Back row: Professor Paulo Lisboa, Professor Noel Sheehy, Professor Godfrey Mazhindu, Professor Mark Bellis.

• Middle row: Dr Diana Leighton, Professor Janet Krska, Dr Helen Poole and Dr Karen Tocque

• Front row: Professor Michele Crossley and Professor Andy Young