Staff Profile

Dr Cristina Fernandez-Garcia is a health economist based at Newcastle University interested in the evaluation of the economic and equity impacts of healthcare technologies and public health programmes.

With a background in health economics, ethical and political theory, her research interests include exploring issues of distributive justice brought by new healthcare technologies, policies and interventions. This involves using, quasi-natural experiments and economic methods that incorporate distributive justice concerns, focusing on the interdependence between socio-economic, environmental factors and health inequalities.

Research Interests:

Economic evaluation of halthcare technologies and public health interventions

Quasi-natural experiments using routine secondary data

Distributive justice in the allocation of healhcare resources 

Incorporation of equity concerns in the health economics methods

Current research projects:

Lead health economist:

• Minimally invasive thoracoscopically-guided right minithoracotomy versus conventional sternotomy for mitral valve repair: a multicentre randomised controlled trial 
• A randomised controlled trial of minimally invasive surgical treatments for bladder outlet obstruction due to enlarged prostate in the National Health Service
  
• Design and initial evaluation of an autism-specific health check for use with autistic adults in NHS Primary Care
  

Post Graduate teaching

MSc in Public Health and Health Services Research:

• Equity in Health Economics
• Global Health Justice

• Articles

  • Althuwaibi MF, Fernandez-Garcia C, Hayes L, McNally R, Coughlan D. Systematic review of economic evaluations of aromatase inhibitors in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer: quality evaluation. BMC Health Services Research 2023, 23, 689.
  • Akowuah EF, Maier RH, Hancock HC, Kharatikoopaei E, Vale L, Fernandez-Garcia C, Ogundimu E, Wagnild J, Mathias A, Walmsley Z, Howe N, Kasim A, Graham R, Murphy GJ, Zacharias J. Minithoracotomy vs Conventional Sternotomy for Mitral Valve Repair: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA 2023, 329(22), 1957-1966.
  • Robson S, McParlin C, Mossop H, Lie M, Fernandez-Garcia C, Howel D, Graham R, Ternent L, Steel A, Goudie N, Nadeem A, Phillipson J, Shehmar M, Simpson N, Tuffnell D, Campbell I, Williams R, O'Hara ME, McColl E, Nelson-Piercy C. Ondansetron and metoclopramide as second-line antiemetics in women with nausea and vomiting in pregnancy: The empower pilot FACTORIAL RCT. Health Technology Assessment 2021, 25(63), VII-78.
  • Bosomworth H, Rodgers H, Shaw L, Smith L, Aird L, Howel D, Wilson N, Alvarado N, Andole S, Cohen D, Dawson J, Fernandez-Garcia C, Finch T, Ford G, Francis R, Hogg S, Hughes N, Price C, Ternent L, Turner D, Vale V, Wilkes S, Krebs H, van Wijck F. Evaluation of the enhanced upper limb therapy programme within the Robot-Assisted Training for the Upper Limb after Stroke trial: descriptive analysis of intervention fidelity, goal selection and goal achievement. Clinical Rehabilitation 2021, 35(1), 119-134.
  • Fernandez-Garcia C, Ternent L, Homer T, Rodgers H, Bosomworth H, Shaw L, Aird L, Andole S, Cohen D, Dawson J, Finch T, Ford G, Francis R, Hogg S, Hughes N, Krebs IH, Price C, Turner D, Van Wijck F, Wilkes S, Wilson N, Vale L. Economic evaluation of robot-assisted training versus an enhanced upper limb therapy programme or usual care for patients with moderate or severe upper limb functional limitation due to stroke: results from the RATULS randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open 2021, 11(5), e042081.
  • Rodgers H, Bosomworth H, Krebs H, van Wijck F, Howel D, Wilson N, Finch T, Alvarado N, Ternent L, Fernandez-Garcia C, Aird L, Andole S, Cohen D, Dawson J, Ford G, Francis R, Hogg S, Hughes N, Price C, Turner D, Vale V, Wilkes S, Shaw L. Robot-assisted training compared with an enhanced upper limb therapy programme and with usual care for upper limb functional limitation after stroke: the RATULS three-group RCT. Health Technology Assessment 2020, 24(54).
  • Rodgers H, Bosomworth H, Krebs HI, van Wijck F, Howel D, Wilson N, Aird L, Alvarado N, Andole S, Cohen DL, Dawson J, Fernandez-Garcia C, Finch T, Ford GA, Francis R, Hogg S, Hughes N, Price CI, Ternent L, Turner DL, Vale L, Wilkes S, Shaw L. Robot Assisted Training for the Upper Limb after Stroke (RATULS): a multi-centre randomised controlled trial comparing robot-assisted training; an enhanced upper limb therapy programme; and usual care. Lancet 2019, 394(10192), 51-62.

• Reports

  • Law J, Charlton J, McKean C, Beyer F, Fernandez-Garcia C, Mashayekhi A, Rush R. Final report Parent-child reading to improve language development and school readiness: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Newcastle University and Queen Margaret University, 2020.
  • Law J, Charlton J, McKean C, Beyer F, Fernandez-Garcia C, Mashayekhi A, Rush R. Parent-child reading to improve language development and school readiness: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Newcastle upon Tyne: Nuffield Foundation, 2018.