About Medway HDRC
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) Medway is part of the NIHR and hosted by Medway Council.
NIHR HDRC Medway is led by:
- Dr David Whiting (Director) and Deputy Director of Public Health, Medway Council
- Professor Lindsay Forbes (Academic Lead), Professor of Public Health and NIHR Research Design Service SE Adviser, University of Kent.
NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaborations enable local councils to become more research-active, embedding a culture of evidence-based decision making.
In the first year, the team will focus on developing foundations for future research by:
- describing and developing new research-focused links with the third sector in Medway, including work to agree a common understanding of research
- developing an approach for agreeing research priorities with a range of stakeholders
- co-producing a communication and engagement plan.
The NIHR has awarded £50 million to 13 new HDRCs across the UK. This is to provide local councils with the capacity and capability to undertake public health research to address the wider determinants of health and health inequalities.