Photo of Em P Simon Capewell

Em P Simon Capewell DSc (2009); MD (1988); MB BS (Newcastle) 1977

Emeritus Professor Public Health, Policy & Systems

Research

Research Overview

My research programme has focused on the epidemiology and prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), mainly cardiovascular and heart disease, diabetes and common cancers; hence studies on the key NCD drivers: inequalities, tobacco, alcohol, inactivity and, crucially, poor diet (obesity, sugar, salt, saturated fats, transfats, inadequate fruit & veg, etc). He particularly enjoys mentoring colleagues, facilitating multidisciplinary research teams, and writing papers and grant applications.

My personal outputs thus far include over 400 publications (Google H index 80), and some £30 million in total funding (over £5m as Principal Investigator).

My recent research work (funded by NIH/ NIHR/ EU/ MRC/ BHF/ WHO) focused on:
a) Developing effective, equitable and cost-saving non-communicable disease prevention strategies regionally, nationally and internationally (majoring on healthy food and tobacco policies, and using computational modelling, policy appraisals and empirical analyses). Demonstrating that population-wide NCD prevention policies prioritising healthy food and tobacco control can be powerful, rapid, equitable and cost- saving.
b) An IMPACT Model programme helping to explain the factors driving the dramatic falls in cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality rates in the UK, USA and other high income countries; and conversely, rapidly increasing CVD mortality rates in China and some other low and middle income countries; plus the first comprehensive modelling of socio-economic gradients and trends in treatments and risk factors. Population-wide risk factor changes shaped by harmful commodities consistently drive disease trends more powerfully than modern treatments. This work has helped inform policies and strategies.

Non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention strategies

I manage a research programme focusing on the epidemiology and prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and particularly cardiovascular disease (including heart disease and stroke);
hence studies on food policy (obesity, salt, transfats, sugar, fruit, etc).

I enjoy mentoring colleagues, facilitating multidisciplinary research teams and writing papers and grant applications.

Personal outputs thus far include over 350 peer-reviewed papers and total joint funding exceeding £28 million (over £5m as Principal Investigator).

My recent research work (funded by NIH/NIHR/MRC/EU/BHF/WHO) includes:
a) developing effective, equitable and cost-saving non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention strategies regionally, nationally and internationally (majoring on food, tobacco and inequalities, and using mixed methods as appropriate: policy analyses, systematic reviews, empirical evidence and quantitative modelling).
b) an IMPACT model programme examining the dramatic falls in NCD and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality rates in the UK, the USA and other high income countries; and conversely, the rapidly increasing NCD and CVD mortality rates in China, the Middle East and many other low and middle income countries: why are population-wide risk factor improvements consistently more powerful than modern treatments?

Research Grants

Bidding to a Health Foundation ITT for a modelling partnership

THE HEALTH FOUNDATION (UK)

May 2020 - December 2026

NIHR ARC 2 national social care implementation projects

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE (UK), LCCG - LIVERPOOL CLINICAL COMMISSIONING GROUP (UK)

October 2019 - March 2026

Liverpool and Lancaster Universities Collaboration for Public Health Research (LiLaC 2)

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE (UK)

April 2017 - September 2022

Economic Analyses of Policy Strategies to Improve Diet and Reduce CVD

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (USA)

July 2016 - April 2020

QUEST: QUantifying Equitable Solutions To prevent non-communicable diseases

MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL

July 2018 - May 2026

Vascular Risk and Functional Decline in Old Age: From Discovery to Translation

BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION (UK)

April 2017 - September 2020

RESCAP-MED

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

January 2012 - December 2014

Developing a european policy model for cardiovascular disease

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

January 2007 - December 2008

Exploring the ability of layworkers to support health-related behaviour change in deprived areas through Heart of Mersey

MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL

October 2007 - February 2010

Extending the IMPACT coronary heart disease model to different policy contexts.

MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL

July 2006 - December 2008

MerseyBeat - Best Evidence, Application and Translation of research

LIVERPOOL PRIMARY CARE TRUST (UK)

March 2008 - September 2019

Nurse led heart failure clinics.

MERSEY PRIMARY CARE R&D CONSORTIUM

March 2001 - October 2001

CREATE (Clinical audit Research-Emergency Admission Trend Examination).

WIRRAL HEALTH AUTHORITY (UK)

February 2000 - January 2001

Health e-Research Centre (HeRC)

MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL

March 2013 - February 2018

Exploring socio-economic inequalities in coronary heart disease prevention.

LIVERPOOL PRIMARY CARE TRUST (UK)

September 2012 - August 2013

The effectiveness of home telecare in the management of acute exacerbations of Chronic Obstructive Airways Disease.

MERSEY PRIMARY CARE R&D CONSORTIUM

March 2001 - December 2005

Multi-centre evaluation of the role of chest pain units in the NHS.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE (UK)

December 2003 - November 2006

Coronary heart disease mortality modelling.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE (UK)

May 2001 - April 2004

Epidemiology and overall impact of stroke within the Scottish population and its health care system during 1986-2004.

CHIEF SCIENTIST OFFICE SCOTLAND (UK)

August 2006 - July 2008

Comparative-Effectiveness of Population Interventions to Improve Diet and Reduce CVD Mortality.

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (USA)

April 2013 - March 2018

A General Practice Nurse Intervention for Heart Failure Patients.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE (UK)

September 2001 - December 2004

Training Fellow in Epidemiology and Pharmocoepidemiology.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE (UK)

January 2001 - December 2003

Modelling the UK burden of cardiovascular disease to 2020

BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION (UK)

January 2008 - January 2009

MEDCHAMPS—MEDiterranean studies of Cardiovascular disease and Hyperglycaemia: Analytical Modelling of Population Socio-economic transitions

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

March 2009 - February 2013

Chest Pain Audit and Pilot Study for RCT: Effectiveness and Safety of Chest Pain Assessment to Prevent Emergency Admissions (ESCAPE).

LIVERPOOL HEALTH AUTHORITY (UK)

June 2000 - May 2002

Effectiveness and Safety of Chest pain Assessment to Prevent Emergency admissions (ESCAPE)

MERSEY PRIMARY CARE R&D CONSORTIUM

March 2001 - February 2002

Monitoring the implementation of the European Strategy for Nutrition and Physical Activity jointly with WHO (NOPA2)

WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (SWITZERLAND)

September 2013 - July 2014

Whitehall II - Vascular risk and functional decline in old age.

BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION (UK)

April 2013 - March 2017

EuroHeart II: Predicting future CVD trends under different policy scenarios in the EU: Impact CVD 2020

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

March 2011 - February 2014

Understanding of emergency medical admissions in RLUH.

ROYAL LIVERPOOL AND BROADGREEN UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS TRUST (UK)

February 2000 - December 2001

IMPACT: developing and evaluating economic models for planning optimal cardiovascular disease prevention strategies.

MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL

May 2010 - May 2014

Heart of Mersey Research Programme Manager/Research Fellow.

HEART OF MERSEY (UK), SEFTON PRIMARY CARE TRUST (UK)

January 2005 - June 2015