Rethinking community healthcare delivery
Our mission is to deliver world-class research, engagement and training that advances primary care, influences health policy and develops professional skills for the delivery of better healthcare in the community.
The Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences is one of the world's most important centres for academic primary care, leading world-class research and training to rethink the way healthcare is delivered in general practice and across other community settings. The department’s main research focus is on the prevention, early diagnosis and management of common illness, bringing together academics from many different backgrounds to work together to produce benefits for the NHS, for populations and for patients.
OUr research is internationally excellent
The Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences has been one of the world’s most important primary care centres for over 20 years.
Our research is led by internationally renowned scientists; many of whom are practising GPs, but we also have academics from a range of non-medical disciplines including the social sciences and humanities.
We cover the broad range of issues that you might expect to consult your GP about including cardiovascular and metabolic disease, infectious diseases and childhood illness, diet, smoking and cancer. We also focus on understanding and improving the experiences of patients, utilising big data, developing digital health interventions and working internationally.
We have methodological expertise in clinical decision making and diagnostics, clinical epidemiology, medical statistics, modelling, qualitative research and the wider application of social science theory and methods to address practical and theoretical challenges in health and care settings. We also have a dedicated in-house Primary Care Clinical Trials Unit and have an international reputation for developing research methodologies to ensure that research findings have a positive impact on clinical practice.
Research leadership
Our department is home to several of the National Institute for Health and Care Research's 200 most prestigious and prominent researchers. These NIHR Senior Investigators contribute significantly to the health sciences as senior leaders, demonstrate research excellence and lead in training of the NIHR's people.
learn in our thriving academic environment
We teach elements of the undergraduate programme in medicine including arranging placements for medical students in GP practices. Our teaching is consistently ranked very highly by Oxford undergraduates. We also provide a highly supportive environment for postgraduates whether they are registered for a DPhil, enrolled on one of our short courses or our Masters programmes. We welcome domestic and international students to join our experienced and enthusiastic teachers, mentors and supervisors in aspirational study and research.
Our work makes a difference
Our research is very quickly translated into improvements in patient care. In just the past five years our research has changed clinical guidelines in many areas, including finding an effective treatment for COVID-19 in the community, more effective ways for the NHS to manage patients who wish to lose weight, identified early signs of serious illness in children, enhanced the diagnostic pathways for diabetes, heart failure and for hypertension, improved the recognition and treatment of stroke risk in atrial fibrillation, and altered health policy on smoking cessation. To ensure our research is relevant and beneficial, we work closely with patient and public representatives.
Quick facts:
600+
staff and students working to develop new evidence and innovations in primary care.
1100+
research publications.
200
GP practices taking years 4-6 medical students on their GP attachment.
250+
patient and public representatives involved in shaping our projects.
10
primary care research themes. Find out more
Head of Department
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Aziz Sheikh
Head of Department and Nuffield Professor of Primary Care Health Sciences
Our extensive portfolio of primary care research covers ten clinical and multi-disciplinary themes, aiming to deliver better health care in the community.
Find out about our educational opportunities, which include undergraduate, postgraduate, professional development and academic clinical fellowships.
Discover how our world-leading researchers are informing policy and clinical practice, developing new models of care and tackling important public health issues.
We are home to several important research centres:
- Oxford Centre for Evidence Based Medicine
- Bennett Institute for Applied Data Science
- Oxford Institute of Digital Health
- NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Oxford and Thames Valley (NIHR ARC OxTV)
- NIHR Community Healthcare MedTech and In Vitro Diagnostics Co-operative
- Primary Care Clinical Trials Unit
- ORCHID / Royal College of General Practitioners Research Surveillance Centre
- QResearch
How we are funded
Research in the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences comes from several sources, including the National Institute for Health and Care Research; medical charities including Wellcome Trust, Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation; UK Research and Innovation, UK Government; European Commission; UK and overseas industry; Royal College of General Practitioners.