News Article

A national Centre of Excellence has been launched to advance health research in the North East.

Health in the region remains among the worst in the UK but people will soon benefit from the latest scientific discoveries with the launch of a new national Centre of Excellence in Public Health Research.

Led by Newcastle University, the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health brings together for the first time leading scientists from all five North East Universities (Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland and Teesside), as well as professionals across the region to speed up the introduction of the latest - and best - practices and policies in public health and healthcare.

Director of the Centre, Professor Martin White says, “We already have the scientific knowledge to help us tackle some of the biggest health challenges in the North East. But, despite knowing what works, evidence does not always reach the front line. So, with this new national funding and the backing of all the main regional agencies, we’ll be working with professionals and the public to see how we can increase the use of top quality evidence.”

“For example, research around the world has shown that if during a normal appointment a family doctor talks briefly to a heavy-drinking patient about their alcohol intake, that short chat can significantly cut the amount the patient consumes. What our Centre will do is to work with professionals to make sure that such simple but effective treatments are routinely delivered across the North East and beyond.”

“Another major area we’ll be working on is obesity and our Centre will be focusing on how we can best help people to be more active and eat healthier meals, in order to lose weight and reduce risk of diabetes and other long-term conditions. We’ll also be looking at approaches to help people cut down or quit smoking, and finding ways to reduce the wide social inequalities in health that still exist in the North East.”

Dr Stephen Singleton, Regional Director of Public Health says “We’re really excited to see all of the region’s universities working together with the NHS, local government and voluntary and community organisations in a genuine collaboration. Although we are making positive progress, the challenges for public health in the region remain huge and this is exactly the kind of initiative that we need to make a real difference to the health of people in the North East.”

The new Centre for Translational Research in Public Health is one of five national Centres of Excellence being announced.