Featured Blogs
Academic Leadership: Sit on the sidelines or ‘dare greatly’?
11 December 2024
As the first cohort of MSc Global Healthcare Leadership graduates, Professor Kamal Mahtani reflects on leadership's core challenge: daring to make a difference.
From Bedside to Boardroom, Research to Policy: The Central Role of Nurses in Asthma Care
6 May 2025
Monica Fletcher OBE explores the vital role of nurses in asthma care beyond clinical intervention. Discover how nurses bridge medical science with human experience, from bedside to policy development, and why their leadership is crucial for World Asthma Day and International Nurses Day 2025.
The future of social care? Evaluating the shift from reactive to proactive care technologies
Telecare – the use of alarms and sensors connected to remote monitoring systems – has been used for decades in England’s social care services. As it evolves into AI-driven 'connected care', a DECIDE centre review has found there is strong interest in the use of this technology but limited evidence on real-world impact, highlighting the need for more robust, inclusive research in adult social care.
CEBM Medical Students: Taking a systematic review from concept to publication
21 October 2025
Holden Eaton (left), Kate Eastwick-Jones (centre) and Archie Watt (right) recently graduated from the undergraduate medical education programme at the University of Oxford. During their studies, they participated in a two-week Special Study Theme (SST) with the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM). In this blog, they share about their experiences of the SST and publishing their work.
Mariana Schliebs (née Patiño): Looking back on the MSc in Applied Digital Health programme
16 October 2025
Recent MSc in Applied Digital Health alumnus Mariana Schliebs (née Patiño) shares her experiences of the programme and advice for prospective applicants.
From Surviving to Thriving: How Primary Care Can Support Life After Breast Cancer
16 October 2025
For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Dr Katherine Zippel shares the personal experiences that inspired her to begin a DPhil in Evidence-Based Health Care exploring how general practitioners can better support life after breast cancer. Drawing on her own journey as both a survivor and a GP, she reflects on the gaps in survivorship care — and how approaches such as social prescribing might help patients not only recover, but truly thrive.
The Human Connection: Why Relational Continuity Matters in General Practice
Strong, lasting relationships between patients and their clinicians can improve outcomes, reduce costs, and strengthen the NHS. Here, our Workforce and Learning Research Group explores the evidence behind relational continuity of care and how rebuilding these human connections could be key to the future of primary care.
Leveraging collaboration and systems thinking to build a climate-resilient health system in Canada
2 October 2025
In this blog, MSc in Global Healthcare Leadership students Dr Bhavini Gohel and Sara Turcotte draw on their learning from the programme to explore how collaboration and systems thinking can drive climate-resilient, low-carbon healthcare in Canada.
Applying behavioural frameworks to ‘real-life’ patient care within translational science: Reflections on our Behavioural Science and Complex Interventions (BSCI) module
2 October 2025
Last year three students – Petya Zyumbileva (left), Magdalene Mawugbe (centre) and Sachi Chan (right) took the ‘Behavioural Science and Complex Intervention’ (BSCI) module, which can be taken as part of the MSc in Translational Health Sciences or as a standalone short course. During their studies, they learned how behavioural theories can inform the development of complex interventions. In this Q&A blog, Petya, Magdalene and Sachi share how this unique approach to behavioural science has altered their perspectives regarding behavioural interventions.
Embracing Pride to assess perceptions of cancer research involvement among the LGBTQ+ community and improve inclusivity
30 September 2025
The Cancer Theme at NDPCHS participated in four UK Pride events in summer 2025 to better understand and improve LGBTQ+ representation in cancer research.
Breaking down barriers: A civil servant's perspective on research engagement
30 September 2025
Natassia Tang, a Scottish Government Policy Manager reflects on collaborating with Oxford researchers through the Connects-UK programme, revealing shared challenges and practical opportunities for building stronger, more effective government-research partnerships across the UK.
Breaking down barriers: A researcher's perspective on policy engagement
Monserrat Guilherme Conde is an interdisciplinary researcher whose work spans cancer research and knowledge mobilisation. Here, she shares insights from the Connects-UK Science Ambassador Programme, exploring practical barriers to policy engagement and effective strategies for bridging the research-policy divide through meaningful policymaker collaboration.
Deconstructing gender health equity: Exploring complexities and intersections from within
25 September 2025
In the September edition of our 12-part Decolonising Global Health series, MSc in Global Healthcare Leadership student Maju Brunette returns to share her recent journey becoming the Gender & Health section editor of the Oxford University Press (OUP) Oxford Intersections Gender & Justice Project, where she is working to design a global community of practice (CoP) with members from within and outside the boundaries of academia. Our Decolonising Global Health blog series features monthly contributions and perspectives from scholars and practitioners committed to decolonising global health research and practice.
An Indigenous perspective: August edition of the Decolonising Global Health blog series
22 August 2025
In the August edition of our 12-part Decolonising Global Health blog series, Dr Nicole Redvers, a member of the Denı́nu Kų́ę́ First Nation and recent DPhil graduate from the Evidence-Based Health Care programme, offers an Indigenous perspective on the decolonisation conversation. Drawing on her experience as a scholar and practitioner, Nicole explores how colonial legacies continue to shape health systems, the distinction between ‘decolonising’ and ‘Indigenising’ and the steps institutions like Oxford can take to become culturally safe spaces. Her reflections highlight both the challenges and the possibilities of reimagining global health through Indigenous ways of knowing and being.
A hero leader vs a system leader: Learning to let go
1 August 2025
In this reflective piece, MSc in Global Healthcare Leadership student Isra AlBastaki explores the shift from hero-led to system-led leadership – and what it means to lead by letting go.
'If not you, who? If not now, when?' – driving the research agenda for women’s health
Oxford's first University-wide Women's Health Forum brought together 350 delegates to showcase interdisciplinary research tackling health inequalities. NDPCHS researchers presented findings on menstrual pain, digital health innovations, pelvic health stigma, and menopause care disparities across women's lifecourse.
Embrace the discomfort to catalyse change: July edition of the Decolonising Global Health blog series
In the July edition of our 12-part Decolonising Global Health blog series, MSc in Translational Health Sciences alumna and incoming DPhil candidate Sarah Alkandari is joined by guest author Dr Sridhar Venkatapuram to explore why talking about decolonising global health can feel uncomfortable – and why that discomfort matters. Together, they examine the colonial roots of the field, the challenges of meaningful change and whether the field can be changed from within, or if real progress means starting from a new foundation.
National Schizophrenia Awareness Day: Exploring new approaches in early psychosis research
On National Schizophrenia Awareness Day, find out more about the role our Clinical Trials Unit is playing in the new FOCUS trial, aimed at improving cognitive outcomes for people experiencing early psychosis.
Digital health and the climate emergency: four challenges for health policy
Digital health is now a key feature of health systems globally, but we rarely make the connection between health technology and the climate emergency. Here, Sara Shaw and John Powell discuss four key areas that we must consider when addressing the impact of digital healthcare.
Addressing the range of factors affecting health: Social prescribing’s role in supporting people’s well-being
Dr Stephanie Tierney shares what she has learned from seven years of researching social prescribing – an approach that connects people with non-medical activities and services to support their health and wellbeing. From dance classes to cultural events, and link workers to local community groups, Stephanie reflects on the value of this holistic model of care and introduces the Oxford Social Prescribing Research Network (OXSOP).
From clinical practice to digital impact: Reflections on the MSc in Applied Digital Health at Oxford
4 July 2025
Daina Mandewo reflects on her experience of the MSc in Applied Digital Health at Oxford, highlighting how the programme deepened her understanding of digital innovation in healthcare through applied learning, global collaboration and a strong emphasis on human-centred technology.