Difficult decisions: Professor Andy Briggs

Issued: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 15:30:00 BST

People think that economists are only interested in money, but Professor in Health Economics, Andy Briggs, is interested in the health impact of healthcare interventions.

‘Generally, health can be measured in a two-dimensional way: length of life, which is very straightforward to measure, and quality of life, which is much less so,’ explains Professor Briggs. ‘Our methodologies and quality of life tools can help policymakers to better decide where money on health interventions is spent.’

Professor Briggs’s research relies on interdisciplinary working with clinicians, statisticians, epidemiologists and qualitative researchers. Being based in Glasgow means that the team can benefit from access to Scotland’s sophisticated linked datasets, including information contained in the Scottish Morbidity Record, which is invaluable for work on statistical assessment of health technology. A good example is the research currently under way on the Scotland-wide diabetes dataset, which uniquely links clinical information to the Scottish Morbidity Record.

Professor Briggs’s team also supports a variety of work within the Institute of Health & Wellbeing, including an economic analysis of the Keep Well health improvement project, which aims to reduce inequalities in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in the most deprived urban wards of Glasgow.

Research is often demand-led. ‘We’re asked by industry, charities and policymakers to measure the cost-effectiveness of particular interventions, whether it’s a drug or the provision of a service,’ says Professor Briggs. Alongside this work, there are plenty of opportunities for postgraduate researchers to explore methodological and applied issues relating to health technology asssessment, with college scholarships available.