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Staff Profile

Emeritus Professor David Hunter

Emeritus Professor

Background

David graduated in political science from Edinburgh University.  His academic career spans over 40 years researching complex health systems with a focus on how health policy is formed and implemented.   Between 1999 and July 2017, David was Director of the Centre for Public Policy and Health at Durham University.  The Centre was designated a WHO Collaborating Centre in Complex Health Systems Research, Knowledge and Action in 2014.  In August 2017 he transferred to the Institute of Health & Society and is now a member of the Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University.  He became an Emeritus Professor in August 2018.  In April 2019 he was made a Visiting Professor, University of Chester.  He is a special advisor to WHO Europe and co-leading with Rafael Bengoa (Co-Director, Institute for Health and Strategy (Si-Health), Bilbao) a project on health system transformation.  Former positions include: non-executive director, National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) (2008-16); Appointed Governor, South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (2009-2017); and special advisor to the UK Parliamentary Health Committee (2016).  He is an Honorary Member of the UK Faculty of Public Health, and Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (Edinburgh).    

Research

Recent and current research grants

  • The Health Foundation. Developing Local Authority Champions of Research (LACoR) through an embedded research culture: a Proof of Concept project (CI), September 2018-October 2019, £10,000
  • UK PRP. Prevention of Non-Communicable Disease Using Trade Agreements (PETRA) (CI), September 2019-August 2022, £318,000
  • NIHR SPHR, Shifting the Gravity of Spending Mark 2: Assessing the impact of Public Health England’s Prioritisation Framework (PI), January 2018 – December 2018, £86,794
  • Public Health England. Mapping the Public Health Research Future. 2016-17. £18,647
  • North of England Commissioning Support Unit. Evaluation of North East Vanguard Programmes for All Together Better. 2016-2017. £167,000.
  • Department of Health and Social Care PRP. Improving choices for care: a strategic research initiative on the implications of the Care Act 2014, October 2016 – September 2018, £406,369     
  • Durham University Seedcorn Funding Award, Age-based rationing: research design workshop for comparative study of health systems (PI), October 2016 – January 2017, £12,931 
  • DH PRP, Improving choices for care: a strategic research initiative on the implications of the Care Act 2014 (CI), October 2016 – September 2018, £406,369
  • DH PRP, Commissioning public health services: the impact of the health reforms on access, health inequalities and innovation in service provision (CI), September 2014 – June 2017, £497,950
  • MRC UKCRC Public Health Research Centre of Excellence – Fuse, Centre for Translational Research in Public Health (CI), June 2013 – May 2018, £5,000,000                                                      Department of Health Policy Research Programme (DH PRP) Evaluating the leadership role of Health & Wellbeing Boards (PI), September 2014 – June 2017, £424,851
  • NIHR SPHR: Shifting the Gravity of Spending? Exploring methods for supporting public health commissioners in priority-setting to improve population health and address health inequalities. Follow on study (PI), September 2015 – September 2016, £95,451
Publications