Our approach

The Wolfson Centre is a platform for health research in Bradford and Leeds, stimulating research as a force for change in improving Yorkshire’s health and wellbeing as well as contributing knowledge of international significance. Researchers work, network, and learn at the Wolfson CAHR building with the aim of developing innovations to contribute to achieving our shared goals.  We are also a distributed and virtual community, maintained by communications through a dedicated SharePoint site, Twitter, and BIHR channels. 

Our unique research initiatives include:

  • A ‘City Collaboratory’ that takes forward world-leading applied health research, and advancing knowledge in our key research areas. 
  • High quality research collaboration across a wide range of disciplines and countries and create a distinctive multidisciplinary community of practice. 
  • Effective engagement with service providers which affect health and wellbeing to help set our research agenda and translate research findings. 
  • Exemplifying effective engagement with the public and service users in developing, conducting and translating applied health research on an international scale. 
  • The development and consolidation of the use of novel methods to conduct applied health research, in particular through policy evaluation and practice interventions. 
  • The building and nurturing of applied health research capacity, inspiring the next generation of researchers and clinical academic leaders. 
The Wolfson Centre's unique approach involves colleagues working together in a collaborative space

How we do things differently: 

  • We use a system wide approach that embraces a wide range of health and social policy sectors, such as education, housing, environment, social work and transport, which directly or indirectly influences the level and distribution of health and wellbeing.
  • We foster a sense of community where people are encouraged to share and collaborate, where the boundaries are porous, where there is lots of interaction and events and where research excellence is seen as a ‘contact sport’. 
  • We forge strong public, patient and other service user engagement, promoting genuine community and patient co-production of research and translation. 
  • Our policy and practice focus uses service involvement to address relevant questions and promote the use of our findings. 
  • Our nimble and flexible organisation is able to take advantage of new opportunities and collaborations and follow new unexpected routes. 
  • We are proud of our dedicated creative space that is open, accessible and encourages collaboration. The Wolfson Centre provides spaces for a range of disciplines and stakeholder groups to engage and promote a culture of shared ideas generation. 
  • We have established the Wolfson Centre as a ‘go to’ place to develop research careers, inspiring the next generation of clinicians, academics and researchers by developing research training programmes based on actual research practice and contribution to curriculum content, project supervision, intercalation opportunities and hosting medical trainees. 
  • We develop innovative methods for applied health research, in particular novel methods for evaluation through our virtual research methods infrastructure.