����Ӱ��

On Thursday 27 February, BNU launched the Centre for Excellence in Health Inequalities (CEHI) in an online event, attended by the Vice-Chancellor, key industry stakeholders and press.

The centre, dedicated to tackling one of the most pressing public health challenges of the 21^st century —&�Բ�����;health disparities — serves as a hub for innovative research and impactful advocacy, with four key areas of focus. Health access, experiences, and outcomes; socioeconomic and geographic disparities; digital health innovations; and global and local health equity strategies. 

Professor Adetoro Adeyemi Adegoke, host and research centre Director, opened the launch with CEHI’s mission statement and aims, commenting “Our mission is to lead transformative research that deepens understanding of health disparities, informs policy, and drives innovative solutions to promote health equity for all. We will conduct multi-disciplinary research to identify and address social, economic and environmental determinants of health disparities, conduct multidisciplinary research, provide training and capacity building for the next generation of health inequality researchers and practitioners, advocate for evidence-based policies and interventions that improve health outcomes in marginalised populations, and foster collaborations across academic, public, private, and community sectors to develop scalable and sustainable solutions.”

Professor Adegoke went on to discuss the objectives of the launch before inviting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Damien Page, to the virtual stage.

Professor Page spoke to the audience of over 50 industry professionals: “It’s important to remember that health inequality is a routine issue and affects millions of people each day and is one of the great injustices of our time. I am so pleased to support the launch of this centre at BNU that focuses specifically on that injustice, bringing together policy makers, academics, and community sectors to make real change. A perfect representation of the work we do here at BNU, and I look forward to supporting the centre as it goes from strength to strength”. 

The virtual event went on to host a keynote session, led by Professor Bola Owolabi, Director, National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme with NHS England, where she discussed the role of research in addressing health inequalities.

“We need to foster an equitable research system through five key steps.” Said Professor Bola. 

“Research and audit; innovation creation and development; regulation and endorsement; commissioning and adoption; and engaging with third sector networks. Research is a powerful enabler for powerful equity, and it is imperative to build trust with marginalised groups and populations”. She added.

Professor Arinola Adefila, Professor of Social Policy and EDI at BNU, took the audience through to the second half of the launch event with a panel session on the future of health equity. Arinola invited panellists from NHS Buckinghamshire Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board; Birmingham and Solihull NHS Foundation Trust, Anglia Ruskin University and Healthwatch Bucks to engage in the powerful discussion session about the challenges faced and opportunities presented in this area of research. 

The launch concluded with a session led by Zahara Chowdhury, EDI Business Partner at BNU and closing remarks ‘call to action’ by Professor Karen Buckwell-Nutt, Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor Student Experience and Director of Institute of Health and Social Care at BNU.

Find out more about CEHI, their partnerships, and wider goals here on our website.