The Health Inequalities, Ageing and Life Course Group brings together a multidisciplinary team of scholars committed to advancing understanding of how inequalities in health and wellbeing emerge, persist, and transform across the life course, and how these processes intersect with population ageing. Our work is grounded in the conviction that health is not merely a matter of individual choice or biology, but is deeply embedded in the social, economic, and policy contexts in which people’s lives unfold.
Our group integrates expertise from economics, epidemiology, demography, gerontology and social policy. Together, we examine how structural inequalities—such as those based on socioeconomic position, gender, ethnicity, and place—shape trajectories of health, care needs, and wellbeing from early life into old age.
Our research agenda is inherently comparative and longitudinal. By linking large-scale cohort studies, administrative records, and survey data with in-depth qualitative and policy analysis, we are able to trace how disadvantage and privilege accumulate over time, influencing patterns of morbidity, disability, mental health, and caregiving in later life. This life-course perspective allows us to ask not only when and where inequalities arise, but also how social policy can intervene to mitigate them.
Health and social care systems are a central focus of our work. As populations age, questions of equity in access to prevention, treatment, and long-term care become increasingly urgent. We investigate how different policy arrangements—whether in the UK, Europe, Asia, or low- and middle-income contexts—shape the distribution of resources and responsibilities across families, states, and markets. By situating empirical findings within a broader social policy framework, we generate evidence that speaks directly to contemporary debates about sustainability, fairness, and the role of the welfare state in supporting healthy longevity.
Our research programme is organised around three interrelated concerns:
- Understanding inequalities across the life course, including the long-term impact of childhood conditions, education, labour market participation, and family structures on health and wellbeing in older age.
- Exploring ageing and care, including the distribution of chronic illness, disability, cognitive decline, and caregiving responsibilities, and how these reflect wider social stratification.
- Informing social policy, by identifying points where intervention is most effective in reducing inequalities, strengthening systems of care, and promoting healthy and equitable ageing trajectories.
Crucially, our work is not only descriptive but action-oriented. We collaborate with policymakers, international organisations, and community partners to translate research into practice, ensuring that our findings inform strategies for tackling health inequalities and designing more inclusive social policies. By integrating rigorous academic research with policy engagement, the group seeks to generate knowledge that both deepens theoretical understanding of inequalities and contributes to shaping fairer, healthier societies for ageing populations worldwide.