Nick Fahy

I am an honorary senior researcher. My research interests are in health policy and systems, looking at how health systems work; what we can learn by comparing health systems across countries; and how to bring about constructive change in health systems. My main role is Director of the Health and Wellbeing Research Group at RAND Europe, an independent not-for-profit research institute providing research and analysis for policy.

My background is in international health policy, including over a decade in the European Commission, most recently as head of unit for health information – a short title for a unit which covered a lot of topics, including generating and mobilising information, data and knowledge for European health policy; leading European policy on major, rare and non-communicable diseases; and some other issues such as e-health. This currently leads me to work on the health impact of Brexit, as well as wider health policy.

My experience in policy led me to focus on the question of how we can get knowledge into policy and practice in health systems. Despite extensive efforts to generate evidence for better healthcare, gaps in using it in policy and practice remain both significant and stubbornly persistent. Through my research I aim to better understand why this is. I am interested in the behavioural science dimension of change and am a Chartered Psychologist, as well as drawing on my professional experience to explore how to get evidence into policy and practice.

I am also an expert advisor for the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, in particular regarding innovation and implementation, and an associate fellow of Green Templeton College.

I teach postgraduate courses on health policy and systems and related subjects. Although I am interested in supervising DPhil students in health policy and systems, my capacity for supervising DPhil students is currently full.