Contact information
Colleges
Ben Amies-Cull
DPhil MBChB MRes MSc MRCGP
Public Health Researcher
Ben Amies-Cull is a clinical scientist in public health policy and leads the simulation modelling work at the Health Behaviours Team. His interdisciplinary work spans health economics, epidemiology and policy analysis, complementing practice as a GP.
His work addresses priority questions facing our healthcare and social care systems on how Public Health and Primary Care approaches can alleviate the unsustainable burden of preventable non-communicable disease. This work includes understanding how different approaches best complement one another to reduce disease burden, costs and inequalities. He addresses important issues in how best to complete health economic evaluations for these interventions and present the evidence to policymakers for direct impact.
His simulation modelling work revolves around the development and application of the PRIMEtime model structure, to estimate the long-term health impacts of interventions on weight and diet-related risk. He has particular focus on obesity, lifecourse epidemiology and the synthesis of complex evidence for public policy.
At PHC, he works across a range of high-profile projects including the COPPER project, LEAP, NESIE and BRC Oxford Health. He is Co-I on the Cambridge University project to evaluate the health impacts of planning policy around takeaway food outlets. In addition, works on secondment to the Health Foundation REAL Centre at Nuffield Department of Population Health, addressing the determinants of Social Care demand. He completed DPhil at Nuffield Department of Population Health, which involved building a simulation model to allow the long-term health and healthcare cost impacts of BMI interventions to be estimated at the local authority level to inform policymaking.
Alongside his research programme, he has wide-ranging teaching experience, including on statistics and epidemiology on the NDPH Masters in Global Health Sciences and Epidemiology, evidence in public policy on the Blavatnik School Masters in Public Policy, and Public Health on the BSc Human Sciences. He has a Masters in Health Policy from Imperial College, following an intercalated Masters by Research focusing on qualitative methods as part of his medical degree at the University of Manchester. He works as a GP in an inner-city area.
He is recruiting for potential DPhil students and always looking to grow contacts in policymaking bodies and think tanks - please contact via email.
Key publications
Antibiotic prescribing and use in United Kingdom general practices in socio-economically deprived areas: a critical interpretive synthesis
Journal article
Bell A. et al, (2026), Journal of Health Equity, 3
Associations of Alzheimer’s disease with inpatient hospital costs and with quality-adjusted life years: evidence from conventional and Mendelian randomization analyses in the UK Biobank
Journal article
Dixon P. and Anderson E., (2026), Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation, 24
Telephone triage in urgent unscheduled primary care in 16 European countries: a cross-national questionnaire-based expert study
Journal article
Bergholdt Jul Christiansen I. et al, (2026), Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care, 44
Viral cultures for assessing airborne infectiousness of SARS-CoV-2: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Journal article
Onakpoya IJ. et al, (2026), BMC Infectious Diseases, 26
Evaluation of the experience of people referred under the NHS enhanced service incentive for obesity to the NHS digital weight management programme: a mixed method study
Journal article
Barrett S. et al, (2026), BMC Public Health, 26
Cost-effectiveness of paramedic administered ketamine compared to morphine for the management of acute severe pain from traumatic injury
Journal article
Khan KA. et al, (2026), Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation, 24
Does the range of ecolabels on offer alter their impact on meal selection? An online randomised control trial
Journal article
Biggs E. et al, (2026), BMC Public Health, 26
Adiposity and the first-onset of diagnosed mental illnesses: a population-based cohort study of 10 million UK adults
Journal article
Dong X. et al, (2026), BMC Medicine, 24
A multivariate decomposition analysis of drivers of overweight and obesity among Ghanaian women
Journal article
Mensah JP. et al, (2026), Communications Medicine, 6
A multidimensional framework for mapping social need to electronic health records in people with multimorbidity
Journal article
Isaac T. et al, (2026), Scientific Reports, 16
Ensuring participant safety in research studies evaluating digital mental health interventions delivered remotely - insights from the PIPA trial of an online parenting intervention to prevent affective disorders in high-risk adolescents
Journal article
Madan J. et al, (2026), BMC Medical Research Methodology, 26
Bridging the gap: a mixed-methods real-world pilot of a digital intervention for adults with binge eating
Journal article
Osborne EL. et al, (2026), Journal of Eating Disorders, 14
A decision-tree model to evaluate the impacts of workforce investments aimed at strengthening emergency obstetric and neonatal care (EmONC) facilities in Burundi
Journal article
Habonimana D. et al, (2026), Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation, 24
Can TElemedicine system replace doctor consultations to Achieve non-inferior blood pressure in patients with Controlled Hypertension (TEACH)? Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial
Journal article
Ng SN. et al, (2026), Trials, 27
How can we make postnatal information resources more accessible to women experiencing challenges accessing healthcare? Report of a co-production project
Journal article
MacLellan J. et al, (2026), International Journal for Equity in Health, 25
Mapping the benefits and harms of antenatal and newborn screening programmes
Journal article
Hinton L. et al, (2026), Ssm Qualitative Research in Health, 9
Ten questions on indoor greening and environmental quality
Journal article
Kumar P. et al, (2026), Building and Environment, 294
HIV drug resistance amongst children and adolescents with viraemia in Lesotho and Tanzania: a nested analysis in the GIVE MOVE trial
Journal article
Schönenberger CM. et al, (2026), Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 81
Reply to correspondence "Re-evaluating the '12-month' interval for self-monitoring BP: a focus on high-risk populations and dynamic treatment phases"
Journal article
Rose F. et al, (2026), Journal of Hypertension, 44
How to … Apply for a Research Fellowship in Clinical Education: The ‘Six Ps’ of Success
Journal article
Tiffin P. et al, (2026), Clinical Teacher, 23
‘What Do People With Long Covid Want From Healthcare Services?’ A Qualitative Exploration From Lived Experience
Journal article
Rayner C. et al, (2026), Health Expectations, 29
How to … Apply for a Research Fellowship in Clinical Education: The ‘Six Ps’ of Success
Journal article
Tiffin P. et al, (2026), Clinical Teacher, 23
Reply to correspondence "Re-evaluating the '12-month' interval for self-monitoring BP: a focus on high-risk populations and dynamic treatment phases"
Journal article
Rose F. et al, (2026), Journal of Hypertension, 44
Characteristics of individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds who die by suicide: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Journal article
Crowley G. et al, (2026), Journal of Affective Disorders, 398
Time to explain and not just describe disparities
Journal article
Lucas DN. et al, (2026), Anaesthesia
The efficacy of interactive communication interventions for motivating blood donation: a systematic review
Journal article
Boult L. et al, (2026), Vox Sanguinis
Rendering White nationalism defensible in interaction
Journal article
Sterphone J. et al, (2026), British Journal of Social Psychology, The
Digital interventions for improving quality of life and physical function in adults aged 50 and over living with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases
Journal article
Henriques AR. et al, (2026), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2026
Rendering White nationalism defensible in interaction
Journal article
Sterphone J. et al, (2026), British Journal of Social Psychology
Sociodemographic disparities in primary care management of back pain in children and young people: a population-based cohort study
Journal article
Mason KJ. et al, (2026), European Spine Journal
When I use a word . . . Facial blindness-prosopagnosia.
Journal article
Aronson JK., (2026), BMJ, 392
Ecosystem Restoration and Human Health: A Scoping Review (2015-2025)
Preprint
Prendergast J. et al, (2026)
A protocol for a realist review of the acceptability and implementation of health checks for people with an intellectual disability and for autistic people
Journal article
Ingham B. et al, (2026), NIHR Open Research, 6, 24 - 24
Tablets before liquids? Rethinking paediatric prescribing in primary care.
Journal article
Elkhazragy A. et al, (2026), Br J Gen Pract
Sleep and circadian health in the UK Biobank: Report on the 2023 sleep questionnaire enhancement.
Journal article
Tse KYK. et al, (2026), Sleep
GenAI and clinical decision making in general practice
Journal article
Allen LN., (2026), British Journal of General Practice, BJGP.2025.0794 - BJGP.2025.0794
The effect of increased availability of vegetarian meals on vegetarian meal sales in worksite cafeterias: a stepped-wedge cluster randomised controlled trial
Journal article
Becker E. et al, (2026), International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity
Reflexive Qualitative Research and Generative AI: A Call to go Beyond the Binary
Journal article
Greenhalgh T., (2026), Qualitative Inquiry
Does unmatching meat and plant-based meals change plant-based meal selection? An evaluation in an online hypothetical randomised trial.
Journal article
Garnett EE. et al, (2026), Appetite
Cost-effectiveness of digital health interventions for supporting mental health of children and young people: a rapid review and narrative synthesis.
Journal article
Obse A. et al, (2026), Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry
The epidemiological effect and cost-effectiveness of expanded age eligibility for recombinant zoster vaccination in England.
Journal article
Ku C-C. et al, (2026), Vaccine, 78
Effect of the English National Enhanced Service on weight management referral rate: an interrupted time-series analysis
Journal article
Haffner SJP. et al, (2026), BMJ Open, 16
Baseline household income is associated with severity and course of severe mental illness.
Journal article
Valencia-Arango JP. et al, (2026), Psychol Med, 56
A model-based evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of paediatric and elderly vaccination against pneumococcal infection in England
Preprint
Keeling MJ. et al, (2026)
Surgical antibiotic prophylaxis in women undergoing caesarean delivery: a systematic review of clinical practice guidelines
Journal article
Wade T. et al, (2026), Journal of Hospital Infection, 169, 74 - 84
The Effectiveness of Digital Therapeutics Intervention in Oral Anticoagulation Management: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Journal article
Guo J. et al, (2026), Mayo Clinic Proceedings Digital Health, 4
HepB-boost: Implementation of free-of-charge health care worker hepatitis B testing and vaccination at Kilifi County Referral Hospital, Kenya
Journal article
Downs LO. et al, (2026), International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 164
Point-of-care HIV viral load testing in a community antiretroviral therapy delivery programme: A randomised controlled trial (PHILA)
Journal article
Dorward J. et al, (2026), Plos Global Public Health, 6
Estimating the Potential Impact of the 2024 UK Salt Reduction Targets on Cardiovascular Health Outcomes and Health Care Costs in Adults: A Modeling Study
Journal article
Bandy L. et al, (2026), Hypertension Dallas Tex 1979, 83
Outcomes in Early Adulthood for Individuals Born Very Preterm and/or with Very Low Birth Weight: Evidence from Multinational Cohorts
Journal article
Pilvar H. et al, (2026), Journal of Pediatrics Clinical Practice, 19
Research priorities for data science and artificial intelligence in global health: an international consensus exercise
Journal article
Song P. et al, (2026), Lancet Global Health, 14, e455 - e465
Perceptions and Experiences of Co-Produced Positive Behaviour Support Training in Community-Based Services and Organisations for Children With Intellectual Disabilities and Behaviours That Challenge: A Qualitative Multiple Case Study Design
Journal article
Dam R. et al, (2026), Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 39
GP workforce sustainability to maximise effective and equitable patient care: a realist review
Journal article
Owen-Boukra E. et al, (2026), British Journal of General Practice the Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 76, e192 - e203
Bringing together realist and economic approaches in the evaluation of health and social care interventions: a scoping review of theoretical, methodological and practical implications
Journal article
Fletcher A. et al, (2026), Social Science and Medicine, 393
Combining positioning and labelling interventions for healthier and more environmentally sustainable products: A randomised controlled trial in an online experimental supermarket
Journal article
Jostock C. et al, (2026), Appetite, 218
Assessing the association between COVID-19 vaccination and thrombotic thrombocytopenia syndrome (ATTEST Study): Analyses of English data, 2020-2022
Journal article
Ordóñez-Mena JM. et al, (2026), International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 164
Rapid and durable recovery of immune effector cells in myelofibrosis patients treated with momelotinib
Journal article
Makker J. et al, (2026), Haematologica, 111, 1096 - 1099
Access to general practice appointments and sustainable change: a focused ethnographic case study
Journal article
Atherton H. et al, (2026), British Journal of General Practice the Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 76, e204 - e212
Experiences of obstetric anaesthesia care among minoritised ethnic groups in England: A qualitative study
Journal article
Foulon J. et al, (2026), International Journal of Obstetric Anesthesia, 104921 - 104921
Recent publications
Effect of the English National Enhanced Service on weight management referral rate: an interrupted time-series analysis
Journal article
Haffner SJP. et al, (2026), BMJ Open, 16
Estimating the Potential Impact of the 2024 UK Salt Reduction Targets on Cardiovascular Health Outcomes and Health Care Costs in Adults: A Modeling Study
Journal article
Bandy L. et al, (2026), Hypertension Dallas Tex 1979, 83
Impact of Fiscal Policy for Sugar-Sweetened Beverages on Reducing the Burden of Disease and Healthcare Costs in Brazil: A Simulation Study
Journal article
Nucci LB. et al, (2026), Nutrients, 18
The potential health impact and healthcare cost savings of different sodium reduction strategies in Canada
Journal article
Flexner N. et al, (2025), BMC Public Health, 25
“It does help but there's a limit …”: Young people's perspectives on policies to manage hot food takeaways opening near schools
Journal article
Savory B. et al, (2025), Social Science and Medicine, 368
Estimating the potential impact of the UK salt reduction targets on cardiovascular health outcomes in adults: a modelling study
Preprint
Bandy L. et al, (2025)
Health impacts of takeaway management zones around schools in six different local authorities across England: a public health modelling study using PRIMEtime
Journal article
Rogers NT. et al, (2024), BMC Medicine, 22
Development of an approach to forecast future takeaway outlet growth around schools and population exposure to takeaways in England
Journal article
Liu B. et al, (2024), International Journal of Health Geographics, 23
Planning guidance to limit hot food takeaways: Understanding the possible economic impacts
Journal article
Derbyshire D. et al, (2024), Heliyon, 10
Changes in the number of new takeaway food outlets associated with adoption of management zones around schools: A natural experimental evaluation in England
Journal article
Rahilly J. et al, (2024), SSM - Population Health, 26