Professor Julie Balen

I am an established academic and research leader with over 20 years of experience in the field of global public health. My research is centred on strengthening health systems and improving health outcomes in selected resource-limited settings, through the design, integration and scale-up of new policies, system-wide changes, and innovations in health services and health technologies.

In my research, I adopt an interdisciplinary approach, leveraging mixed-methods and participatory approaches to ensure that solutions are evidence-based, contextually relevant and sustainable. A key priority of my work is advancing health equity and inclusion, whereby health service provision is accessible to all, regardless of socio-economic status, gender, ethnicity, ability or geographic location.

I have worked in and with many Higher Education Institutions across Europe, Australia, Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, and I have long standing partnerships with teams in Bangladesh, China, Nepal, Nigeria, Ghana and The Gambia.

At CCCU, I lead several research projects, with funding from the NIHR, WHO and other funders. I am also responsible for building research capacity and ensuring a successful submission to the Research Excellence Framework (REF) Unit of Assessment 3 (UoA3). I line manage research and academic support staff, supervise PhD students and teach on the Global Public Health programme.

I am also a Visiting Professor at Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences, in Nepal, and an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the LSHTM. I sit on various funding panels, including the NIHR Health Policy and Systems Panel and on Editorial Review Boards for journals, including PLOS Global Public Health and BMC Health Services Research. I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA).