Centre for Health Technology
Bringing together digital health and technology experts from industry and the University to co-produce, implement and evaluate innovative technological products and services in health care
Healthcare systems worldwide are striving for the 'quadruple aim' of better population health and reducing inequalities, improved experience of care, healthcare team wellbeing (including that of carers) and lower system costs.
Many technological solutions exist to support this ambition. However, health and care systems are not making the most of the technological revolution, due to a range of architectural, evidential and cultural challenges.
A particular strength of the Centre for Health Technology is that it brings together a team with expertise not just across a range of technologies but in the barriers to digital transformation in health and social care.
Our priority at the Centre for Health Technology aligns with the Government's 10-year plan, which focuses on prevention rather than sickness. We want to support people in keeping themselves healthy for longer, at home and in their communities.
Digital health technologies, virtual reality, robotics, AI and machine learning make this possible, and we continue to work with end-users as well as clinicians and industry to make sure we're developing these tools in the best possible way for patients.
Professor Sheena Asthana
Director of Centre for Health Technology
Our mission
- Support industry to co-design, develop, evaluate and embed digital health technologies (DHTs) within the NHS by addressing institutional enablers and barriers.
- Generate robust empirical and qualitative evidence on the usability, acceptability, effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and system fit of DHTs to inform policy and practice.
- Investigate and demonstrate the potential of AI (including language models) and robotics in predicting, preventing and managing disease.
- Promote the adoption of DHTs in community and home settings in line with the government's 10-year prevention-focused health strategy.
- Refine and generalise co-design and evaluation methodologies for wider use across academia and industry.
- Foster interdisciplinary collaboration across faculties and support PhD and masters students working on cutting-edge innovations in health and social care.
Research themes
Recent achievements
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The Centre's first, NIHR-funded, nation-wide social care review (2026) – 'An evidence review of Technology Enabled Social Care in the UK'
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16 new grants awarded and 94 journal publications since the last report – read the CHT's 2025 Year in Review report
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?Published 180 academic articles since 2022
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?Received major external funding (over £34 million) from UK and European research bodies to advance technological innovation in healthcare, since 2022
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Established the first Living Lab of its kind in the world in 2024
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Developed lasting relationships with over 40 SMEs by supporting them with co-design, feedback and funding
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?Launched cross-interdisciplinary collaborations with colleagues in mechanical engineering, music, clinical education, social work and psychology
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?Recruited a multidisciplinary research team including postdoctoral scientists, clinical fellows and PhD students contributing expertise across digital healthcare from conception to clinical trials
Research team
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![Professor Sheena Asthana Professor]( "Professor Sheena Asthana")
Professor Sheena Asthana
Professor
Director of CHT
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![Professor Shang-Ming Zhou Professor of e-Health]( "Professor Shang-Ming Zhou")
Professor Shang-Ming Zhou
Professor of e-Health
Deputy Director of CHT
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![Dr Michael Loizou Associate Professor in Digital Health]( "Dr Michael Loizou")
Dr Michael Loizou
Associate Professor in Digital Health
Deputy Director of CHT
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![Dr Rory Baxter Digital Health Research Fellow]( "Dr Rory Baxter")
Dr Rory Baxter
Digital Health Research Fellow
ICONIC project
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![Dr Leonie Cooper Digital Health Research Fellow]( "Dr Leonie Cooper")
Dr Leonie Cooper
Digital Health Research Fellow
GOALD project
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![Dr Oliver Beer Associate Professor of Social Work]( "Dr Oliver Beer")
Dr Oliver Beer
Associate Professor of Social Work
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![Dr Hossein Ahmadi EPIC Research Fellow in eHealth (Data Science or Robotics)]( "Dr Hossein Ahmadi")
Dr Hossein Ahmadi
EPIC Research Fellow in eHealth (Data Science or Robotics)
Kernow Data Lab
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![Dr John Downey Lecturer in Digital Health]( "Dr John Downey")
Dr John Downey
Lecturer in Digital Health
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![Kieran Green Research Fellow in Technology-enabled care]( "Kieran Green")
Kieran Green
Research Fellow in Technology-enabled care
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![Professor Ray Jones MBE Professor of Health Informatics]( "Professor Ray Jones MBE")
Professor Ray Jones MBE
Professor of Health Informatics
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![Dr Mahrukh Mirza Associate Professor in Clinical Education]( "Dr Mahrukh Mirza")
Dr Mahrukh Mirza
Associate Professor in Clinical Education
GOALD and EPIC projects
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![Dr Om Prakash Singh Lecturer in Digital Health]( "Dr Om Prakash Singh")
Dr Om Prakash Singh
Lecturer in Digital Health
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![Dr Marius Varga Research Fellow in Healthcare Technology & Social Care]( "Dr Marius Varga")
Dr Marius Varga
Research Fellow in Healthcare Technology & Social Care
ICONIC project
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