Health and Technology

Across the world, healthcare systems face challenges of growing complexity: structural health inequalities, pandemic preparedness and resilience, infectious diseases in vulnerable populations and increasing rates of antimicrobial resistance.  

The Imperial Policy Forum’s health focus looks at the impact of the wider determinants of health, how to improve health and wellbeing through innovative technologies including artificial intelligence (AI), and how to overcome health inequalities in the UK and internationally.  

At Imperial College we've launched four new Schools of Convergence Science designed to accelerate discovery and address some of the world's greatest challenges - including health and technology. The School of Health & Technology exists to drive convergence between disciplines, technologies and mindsets to shift the global conversation from treating illness to sustaining lifelong health – across diverse populations, geographies and systems.  

As the Co-Director of Imperial’s School of Health and Technology Professor Anthony Bull stated:  

"Globally, we face major health challenges, including the exponential cost of healthcare and the health issues caused by climate change or conflict. Our new Convergence School of Health & Technology will collaborate with partners to address these important challenges by harnessing Imperial’s broad expertise and exploring the complexity through innovative forms of inquiry. Solutions such as medical technologies, diagnostics and data, behavioural change, and therapeutics can be harnessed to create fairer, healthier, and more resilient health ecosystems for everyone."

Other policy areas 

Clinical Science 

Our clinical science research brings together fundamental science and innovative technologies to deepen our understanding of human health and disease. It focuses on fundamental research to explore the interface between genomics, physiology and epigenetics to gain a better understanding of metabolic diseases and how best to treat them, and to use mechanistic studies to evaluate the impact of environmental stresses on gene regulation, expression and inheritance.  

Health Economics 

Imperial’s health economics research informs policy and practice by taking a distinctive user-engagement approach — developing knowledge within the context of its use and with an international perspective. With a focus on Europe, North America, Asia and Australasia, we operate across disciplinary boundaries working with high level policy-makers, managers, administrators, clinicians, and the industrial supply chain, to develop strategic policy, implement new approaches and improve existing operational models. 

Global Health  

Researchers at Imperial are working towards a future where healthcare is better, safer and more equitable across the globe. Our approach is to identify, develop and implement evidence-based innovations, leading to sustainable improvements in health and care. Our work is made possible through our seven Centres of Excellence that innovate across medicine, policy, technology and design. 

Public Health  

Our approach to public health is unique in combining world-class research at local, national and international level with translational work within the Academic Health Science Centre in the Imperial College Healthcare Trust and translates science and epidemiology into policy, health education and primary care. Together with its research, teaching and evidence-led policy work, the School of Public Health aims to address the major public health challenges of the twenty-first century. 

For further questions regarding Health and Technology contact  Annabel Culley.