City St George’s part of new £9m health inequalities research centre

Published: 05 November 2024

A new £9 million research centre focused on tackling and reducing health inequalities in the UK has been announced today.

Dr Becca Lacey from St George's Population Health Research Institute is the Deputy Director of the ESRC Centre for Lifecourse Health Equity (Equalise), led by University College London.

The new Centre has been forged from more than 15 years of impactful research at the ESRC International Centre for Lifecourse Studies, which has played a major role in identifying health inequalities.

Over the next five years, the Centre will focus on five key themes to find solutions to these clearly identified and well understood inequalities:

• Reducing inequalities in learning and development opportunities
• Work and health over the lifecourse
• Care, health and wellbeing over the lifecourse
• Place-based inequalities
• Research and policy synthesis

Identifying solutions

"In the UK we have seen health inequalities widen hugely. Identifying the solutions to those inequalities, those who are most affected and groups who can enact changes is our next step."

- Dr Becca Lacey, Deputy Director of the Centre -

Dr Lacey added: "The team at City St George's will be leading timely research into how we can improve childcare quality and access, and the difference that makes to the most vulnerable children and families in the UK.

"We will also be investigating how young peoples' vocational training and apprenticeships might reduce health inequalities and how we can improve and reduce barriers to accessing and excelling in those opportunities."

"This research is so timely and we are really excited to be an important part of this new Centre"

- Dr Becca Lacey -

The Centre will be further supported by an outstanding multi-disciplinary team of researchers and associates at the Universities of Glasgow, Strathclyde, Essex and Toulouse III Paul Sabatier in France. It will also work in partnership with experts in local and national government and a wide range of health equity focused advocacy and voluntary groups including the Health Foundation, Race Equality Foundation, Carers Trust, Eurocarers, City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, Disability Rights UK, Early Education and Childcare Coalition, National Literacy Trust, Women's Budget Group, The Poverty Alliance, Skills and Education Group, and Voluntary Health Scotland.

Highly ambitious programme

Amongst the researchers involved is Professor Sir Michael Marmot, a long-term champion and advocate of an evidence-led approach to health equity. He said: "A cost-of-living crisis, a pandemic, and a decade of austerity have led to rising levels of ill-health and widening health inequalities. This new Centre is uniquely placed to coproduce a highly ambitious programme of research that can identify key points where interventions can work. It is time for health equity to become the social norm. This in turn will foster a society and an economy that are more robust to global threats and crises."

This investment from UKRI Economic and Social Research Council is part of a £32 million injection into a total of four independent social and economic research centres.

Stian Westlake, ESRC Executive Chair, said: "Our centres are at the forefront of ground-breaking social science research, pushing the boundaries of knowledge and making a real difference. By supporting these centres, ESRC ensures long-term investment in crucial areas while giving researchers the freedom to explore and innovate."

Learn more about St George's population health research

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