University of York awards Emerita Professorship to Anne Mason
Posted on Friday 13 March 2026
The University of York has awarded an Emerita Professorship to Anne Mason in recognition of her exceptional contribution to the field of health economics and her long-standing service to CHE and the wider field.
Professor Anne Mason retired in December 2025 after an influential career dedicated to improving understanding of how health and social care systems function and how policy decisions shape access to care. Her appointment as Emerita Professor honours both her research achievements and her leadership within CHE as well as national research programmes.
From 2017 to 2025, Professor Anne Mason served as Director of the NIHR Policy Research Unit in the Economics of Health and Social Care Systems (ESHCRU), a major research collaboration funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Under her leadership, the unit produced influential evidence to inform government decision-making on the organisation, funding and delivery of health and social care services in England.
Beyond her roles as Director of ESHCRU, Professor Anne Mason has played a key role in shaping the UK’s health research agenda through her service on several national committees. She was a member of the NIHR Health Services and Delivery Research Programme (HS&DR) Researcher-led Prioritisation Committee from 2013 to 2018 and later served on the NIHR Policy Research Programme (PRP) Commissioning Committee between 2021 and 2023.
Her research has focused on the role of economic incentives in influencing behaviour within health and social care systems. In particular, she has examined both the intended and unintended consequences of payment systems and incentive mechanisms used to fund healthcare services.
Over the course of her career, Professor Anne Mason has explored a wide range of topics, reflecting the complexity of modern healthcare systems. Her work has addressed issues including respite and end-of-life care, treatments for psoriasis, hospital car parking, the funding of cancer drugs, and broader questions about how entitlement to care is defined within the NHS.
A central focus of her research has been improving the quality and coordination of care for older people. She has also contributed significantly to debates about the demand for health and social care, examining how demand differs from need, how “need” can be defined and measured, and how the interaction between demand, need and supply shapes access to care.
Colleagues at CHE have praised Professor Mason’s intellectual leadership, collaborative approach and commitment to policy-relevant research.
Professor Mark Sculpher, CHE Head of Department, said “We are delighted by Anne’s award - CHE’s first Emerita Professor. Anne’s contribution to research in CHE has been significant. We have benefitted from the quality and policy impact of her research in fields as diverse as medicines for cancer and social care. Her contributions to leadership in terms of major research programmes, research team, key areas of operations such as communications and senior management have been exceptional”.
As Emerita Professor, Professor Anne Mason will remain connected to CHE, continuing to contribute her expertise and insight to the field she has helped shape for decades.