Karen Bloor
Professor of Health Economics and Policy
Profile
Biography
Karen Bloor is Professor of Health Economics and Policy, and she leads the Health Services and Policy Research Group in the Department of Health Sciences. She has worked at the University of York for over 30 years, focusing particularly on the application of economics to health policy. Her research covers a range of subjects relating to the financing and delivery of healthcare, including analysis of medical labour markets, medical practice variations, pharmaceutical markets and various aspects of healthcare reform. She co-leads the Partnership for REsponsive Policy Analysis and REsearch (PREPARE), a research programme in collaboration with the King's Fund, which provides fast, responsive analysis for the Department of Health and Social Care.
Qualifications
- BA Economics
- MSc Health Economics
- PhD Health Sciences
Departmental roles
- Research team lead for the Health Services and Policy Research Group
Research
Overview
Karen's research interests are in medical labour markets, reimbursement of health professionals, medical practice variations, and child health.
Projects
- Partnership for REsponsive Policy Analysis and REsearch (PREPARE). Funded by the NIHR Policy Research Programme, and involving a team of researchers at the University of York (led by Karen Bloor) and the King's Fund (led by Alex Baylis) this programme of research aims to improve the quality of evidence upon which strategic health policy decisions are based, by providing expert advice, policy briefings and empirical and theoretical analysis.
- MEASURE Funded by the NIHR Health Services and Delivery Research Programme. This study is a mixed-methods evaluation of the high-volume low-complexity surgical hubs programme.
- INTERFACE Funded by the NIHR Policy Research Programme, and led by Professor Kieran Walshe at the University of Manchester this study is a mixed-methods project, examining the quality and safety of patient care in NHS and independent hospitals and the way that systems for overseeing clinical care and sharing information work in practice.
- Home Care Study Funded by the NIHR Health Services and Delivery Programme. This study is evaluating the organisation, delivery and impact of person-centred 'neighbourhood-based, integrated health and care' models of home care.
- PHIRST REACH Funded by the NIHR Public Health Programme. This study will provide timely and accessible evaluations of public health interventions to local authorities.
Research group(s)
Health Services & Policy Group
Supervision
Karen would be interested in supervising PhDs in the following areas: medical labour markets, particularly productivity of hospital specialists, health care variations and hospital performance.
Publications
Full publications list
Commentaries and reports
- Karen write occasional articles in theconversation.com, a collaboration between academics and journalists providing research-based news and analysis.
Teaching
Undergraduate
- Various contributions to undergraduate nursing modules, particularly health policy and politics
- Occasional plenary sessions to HYMS students
Postgraduate
- Module lead - Health policy: principles, practice and the evidence base.
External activities
Overview
Memberships
- UK health economists’ study group
- International health economics association
- International medical workforce collaborative
- Wennberg international collaborative
