bias and confounding within observational study designs, valuing non-health outcomes, taking multiple perspectives (e.g. a health care provider and societal approach to account for beneficial and unintended consequences), assessing equity impacts, and may involve multiple frameworks, for example cost-consequence analyses, as well as dynamic decision modelling.
The UK’s first sanctioned safer drug consumption facility (The Thistle) opened in Glasgow in 2025 and the NIHR have funded a natural experiment study including economic analyses to assess this: Evaluating the impact of the UK's first saNctioned sAfer drug Consumption faciliTy (ENACT). The ENACT research programme includes a detailed process evaluation (to study how The Thistle is implemented in real life), analyses of linked data to assess effectiveness, analyses of repeated surveys to assess potential unintended consequences and epidemiological and health economics modelling to explore the longer-term costs and benefits.
This PhD will build on the ongoing ENACT study foundations, contribute to the broader health economics analyses being conducted as part of the evaluation, and explore the various methodological and practical challenges for incorporating health economics into analyses of natural experiment studies. Drawing on the safer drugs consumption facility as a case study, the PhD student will ultimately seek to develop methodological guidance for conducting similar complex health economics analyses.
This fully funded PhD studentship will be undertaken alongside the ENACT study, based in the Health Economics & Health Technology Assessment (HEHTA) unit in the School of Health & Wellbeing at the University of Glasgow.
We're looking for applicants with:
- A Master's degree in Health Economics or a related quantitative discipline
- Research experience and knowledge of complex interventions and/or natural experiment
- Strong quantitative and communication skills
References
Skivington K, Matthews L, Simpson SA, Craig P, Baird J, Blazeby JM, Boyd KA, Craig N, French DP, McIntosh E, Petticrew M, Rycroft-Malone J, White M, Moore L. A new framework for developing and evaluating complex interventions: update of Medical Research Council guidance. BMJ. 2021;374:n2061. doi: 10.1136/bmj.n2061.
Craig P, Campbell M, Deidda M, Dundas R, Green J, Katikireddi SV, Lewsey J, Ogilvie D, de Vocht F, White M. Using natural experiments to evaluate population health and health system interventions: new framework for producers and users of evidence. BMJ. 2025;388:e080505. doi: 10.1136/bmj-2024-080505.
Deidda M, Geue C, Kreif N, Dundas R, McIntosh E. A framework for conducting economic evaluations alongside natural experiments. Soc Sci Med. 2019;220:353-361. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.11.032.
Funding Notes
UK student fees covered. £5,000 training support per year. Stipend UKRI rates.
Project start date: 01 October 2026.
