OxTalks is Changing
Oxford Events, the new replacement for OxTalks, will launch on 16th March. From now until the launch of Oxford Events, new events cannot be published or edited on OxTalks while all existing records are migrated to the new platform. The existing OxTalks site will remain available to view during this period.
From 16th, Oxford Events will launch on a new website: events.ox.ac.uk, and event submissions will resume. You will need a Halo login to submit events. Full details are available on the Staff Gateway.
HDRUK Oxford: Policy Masterclass Workshop
Overview: With science, health and politics increasingly in the popular press and media the interface between scientific evidence and its use in informing health policy is never more under the public scrutiny. Health data research can play an important role in informing health policy -current and future. Yet the two sectors of academia and policy can act somewhat disparately, resulting in research and policy making being siloed.
Aim: In the inaugural masterclass series, we aim to deliver a varied session that combines demystifying the wheels of policymaking, exploring successful examples of health research informing policy and lively debate on how and when scientific evidence could inform future policy development through a topical example.
A further hands-on session specifically for DPhils and ECRs will explore some useful tools, frameworks and opportunities for health data scientists to develop and optimise their work for policy impact.
Agenda:
12:00 – 12:30: Networking & Light Lunch
12:30 – 12:40: Welcome: Professor Sir Aziz Sheikh
12:40 – 13:10: Debunking Policy
Speaker: Tommy Wise (DHSC Social Care and Digital Innovation)
Overview of the machinery of policymaking, examples from digital technology and social care, key considerations of when engaging with policymakers
13:10 – 14:00: Panel Session: Research and Policy Interface: The Evidence Quandary
Moderator: Tommy Wise
Panel:
Professor Cathie Sudlow (Strategic Advisor to HDRUK)
Professor Dame Jenny Harries (Former Deputy Chief Medical Officer)
Interactive debate: How should evidence be generated to inform policy, by whom and when, and consideration for health data research?
14:00 – 14:20: Audience Q&A and close main session
14:20 – 14:45: Break
14:45 – 16:15: Hands-on Policy Masterclass (DPhils and ECRs only)
Instructors: Jose Rojas Alvarado (OPEN Policy Network) and Tommy Wise
Introduce some available tools and frameworks to help understand policy landscape and how researchers can work with policy makers to inform their research
Work through two practical examples
Highlight opportunities in Oxfordshire and the UK for policy fellows
16:15 – 17:00: Networking and close
Date:
15 September 2025, 12:00
Venue:
Richard Doll Building, Old Road Campus OX3 7LF
Venue Details:
Lecture theatre
Speakers:
Professor Sir Aziz Sheikh (University of Oxford),
Professor Cathie Sudlow (Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh),
Professor Dame Jenny Harries (UK Health Security Agency),
Tommy Wise (Department of Health and Social Care)
Organising department:
Big Data Institute (NDPH)
Organisers:
Stuart Faulkner (University of Oxford),
Natasha Sahgal (University of Oxford),
Sumeeta Maheshwari (University of Oxford)
Organiser contact email address:
sumeeta.maheshwari@ndph.ox.ac.uk
Hosts:
Stuart Faulkner (University of Oxford),
Natasha Sahgal (University of Oxford),
Sumeeta Maheshwari (University of Oxford)
Part of:
HDRUK Oxford Masterclass Workshop
Booking required?:
Required
Booking url:
https://forms.office.com/e/DXiw6WjdYY?origin=lprLink
Booking email:
hdroxford@bdi.ox.ac.uk
Audience:
Public
Editors:
Sumeeta Maheshwari,
Natasha Sahgal
