NIHR HPRU in Radiation Threats and Hazards
Our vision is to improve evidence and capacity for effective protection of the population from radiation risks, reduce health inequalities from such risks, and influence public health policy in this important area.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funds, enables and delivers world-leading health and social care research that improves people's health and wellbeing and promotes economic growth.
NIHR Health Protection Research Units (HPRUs) undertake high quality research that enhances the ability of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to protect the public’s health and minimise the health impact of emergencies.
The NIHR HPRU in Radiation Threats and Hazards is one of 13 HPRUs across England, part of a £77 million investment by the NIHR to protect the health of the nation. The NIHR HPRU in Radiation Threats and Hazards is a partnership between UKHSA and Imperial College London, in collaboration with King’s College London, Institute of Cancer Research and MRC Toxicology Unit at the University of Cambridge.
About HPRUs
Each NIHR HPRU undertakes high quality research that is used by UKHSA to keep the public safe from current and emerging public health threats.
The NIHR HPRUs focus on collaboration and knowledge sharing, and play a pivotal role in maintaining and growing UKHSA’s scientific expertise and future workforce. The multidisciplinary centres of excellence also deliver responsive research to tackle emerging or potential public health emergencies.
The aims of the HPRUs are to:
- create an environment where world class health protection research, focused on the needs of the public, can thrive
- focus on priority areas which will have the greatest impact on public health protection.
- provide high quality research evidence to inform decision-making by public health professionals, policy makers, those involved in operational delivery and service users.
- enable translation of advances in health protection research into benefits for patients, service users and the public.
- increase capacity and capability to conduct high quality, multi-disciplinary health protection research and facilitate knowledge exchange and expertise across universities and UKHSA.
- provide a flexible staff capacity in the event of a major health protection incident and retain a level of responsive research capacity to address emerging health protection research requirements.
- contribute to addressing health inequalities through an increasing focus on underserved communities including relevant interventions, improving health outcomes in the health and care sector and for broader economic gain.
About the NIHR
NIHR's mission is to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. The NIHR was established in 2006 and is primarily funded by the Department of Health and Social Care.
Working in partnership with the NHS, universities, local government, other research funders, patients and the public, the NIHR delivers and enables world-class research that transforms people’s lives, promotes economic growth and advances science.
The NIHR HPRU in Radiation Threats and Hazards is led by Professor Paul Elliott and Professor Liz Ainsbury. Our vision is to improve evidence and capacity for effective protection of the population from radiation risks, reduce health inequalities from such risks, and influence public health policy in this important area. We aim to advance knowledge on the distribution, determinants, mechanisms and pathways linking radiation exposures to health effects and strengthen response to ionising radiation accidents. Consideration will be given to sex-, age-, ethnic background-, geographical location- and socioeconomic-dependence of risk and effectiveness of mitigation in diverse radiation- exposed populations.
Management and governance
The Unit is guided by a management group which consists of the Unit Director, the UKHSA lead, the HPRU Manager, and theme leads from Imperial College, King’s College, Institute of Cancer Research and UKHSA. This group is in turn advised by an Independent Advisory Board.
The HPRU Manager acts as a pivot between all primary stakeholder organisations and is responsible for both managing contributions to existing activity and the planning of new activity within and between them. This also includes leading on Academic Career Development and Patient and Public Engagement activities.