LSE Health joins national consortium to tackle inequalities in heart disease

LSE Health is partnering with the University of Birmingham and others in a national collaboration to create solutions for the disparities in cardiovascular health across the nation.

LSE Health has been selected as a partner in one of nine consortia taking part in the NIHR Cardiovascular Inequalities Challenge. Led by the University of Birmingham and developed in partnership with the British Heart Foundation, this £50 million project aims to tackle the deep inequalities that persist across underserved communities in the UK. LSE Health will provide the economic and policy expertise needed to evaluate the programme's impact and build the evidence base for lasting, equitable change.

The research programme focuses on co-creating practical solutions with at-risk communities, strengthening the detection and management of high blood pressure and cholesterol — two primary drivers of heart and circulatory disease. Heart attacks, strokes, and conditions such as vascular dementia are preventable with the right treatment, yet too many people remain undiagnosed or inadequately treated. LSE Health's role will be to rigorously assess the health, social, and economic impact of the initiatives developed, ensuring that what works can be sustained and scaled across the NHS.

Professor Elias Mossialos, Cheng Yu Tung Chair in Global Health and Director of LSE Health, said:

"Addressing inequalities in population health requires deep understanding of the social and economic conditions that shape how innovations work in practice. Our role will be to provide economic and policy analysis to evaluate the health, social, and economic impact of initiatives and generate evidence that supports sustainable and equitable health systems. This is an important opportunity to bring interdisciplinary expertise together in the service of fairer health outcomes."

LSE Health joins a diverse consortium assembled by the University of Birmingham, whose lead, Professor Dipak Kotecha, Professor of Cardiology, described the collaboration as bringing together "community representatives, public health and primary care clinicians, cardiovascular researchers, local and national government agencies, as well as industry partners and technology companies working together to effect sustainable change and pivot the NHS towards better prevention."

Alongside LSE Health, the consortium includes Citizens UK — the UK's largest and most diverse people-powered alliance — Aston University, and Birmingham City Council, each contributing distinct expertise. Together, the partnership is designed to address one of the UK's biggest killers for all people, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, social status, disability or culture.

The consortium's research projects are due to begin later this year, complementing a range of programmes already underway at the University of Birmingham and its partners, including the DaRe2THINK national primary care trial platform and the Cities@Heart Innovative Health Initiative.

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