Our research

Ensuring that best available evidence is used to inform policy and practice.

Our specialism in evidence synthesis means we work across a wide range of health areas to provide best evidence to inform policy and practice decisions.

Determining which interventions work best is important to service users, practitioners and policy makers. Systematic reviews are a type of evidence synthesis that use objective and transparent methods to identify, evaluate and summarise all relevant research findings. When carried out well, systematic reviews provide the most reliable evidence about the effects of tests, treatments and other interventions used in health and social care.

Our expertise in systematic review methodology and practice, together with our knowledge mobilisation activities, helps our research have impact. We carry out systematic reviews in a broad range of topic areas or 'themes' and have specific strengths in child, mental and public health. We work with partners and funding bodies across a range of programmes to author systematic reviews, develop methodological approaches and work to ensure that best available evidence is used to inform policy and practice.

Professor Amanda Sowden, Deputy Director

Research strengths and activities

We have a broad range of research strenghts and activities. Our Health Technology Assessments (HTAs) determine the effectiveness, costs and broader impact of health interventions. We have specific topic expertise in a child, mental and public health.

All of our research is underpinned by programmes of methodological development in evidence synthesis, and we have a world-leading reputation in this area. Our knowledge mobilisation research and practice that aims to maximise the usefulness, uptake and use of research findings in practice.

For each of these, you can find our more about our overall activities, project highlights, impact and latest publications.

Health Technology Assessment

Methodological development

Knowledge Mobilisation

Child Health

Mental Health

Public Health

Groups and programmes

Our research activities are commonly funded through programmes of collaborative work. Find out more about how these individual funded groups or programmes operate.

London York PRP Evidence Reviews Facility

Most of our systematic reviews are commissioned to inform practice or policy decisions. We address these important public health questions through working collaboratively with the Department of Health Policy Research Programme (PRP) funded Public Health Research Consortium and Policy Reviews Facility (PRF).

PRU - Public Health

As part of the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Public Health, we address important public health questions and most of our systematic reviews are commissioned to inform practice or policy decisions.

York Technology Assessment Group

York Technology Assessment Group is part of the NIHR Technology Assessment Reviews (TAR) programme. It enables rapid commissioning of Health Technology Assessments (HTAs) to respond to the urgent needs of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

York Evidence Synthesis Group

The York Evidence Synthesis Group programme funds research projects that identify, evaluate and combine data from existing research studies to provide best evidence. This includes the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of treatments, tests, and other interventions, to support decision-making across health, public health and social care in all four nations of the UK.

Our impact: Project spotlights

As you explore our research in more detail, wherever you see this type of section, you will be able to learn more about the impact of our work.

These 'Project spotlight' sections highlight latest findings, milestones and publications in the work that we do, sharing our knowledge mobilisation activities for individual projects and demonstrating the real-world impact that our work has on policy and practice.