Using health economics to improve preconception care and reduce maternity disparities(code T1.2_Southampton)

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Inequalities Challenge: Maternity Disparities Consortium (MDC) is proud to announce its PhD Studentship competition. We are seeking the next generation of researchers to help us tackle persistent inequalities in maternity. 

The MDC brings together a UK wide collaboration of universities, NHS trusts, councils, charities, and industry partners. You can find information about our consortium members here. Our goal is to improve outcomes for women and babies before, during, and after pregnancy through inclusive, evidence-based research. 

Capacity Development

The MDC capacity development programme aims to build the next generation of maternity disparities research leaders, strengthen the workforce to deliver and sustain impact across the UK and deliver on the government priorities including the Women’s Health Strategy for England and 10 Year Health Plan for England.  

The Consortium focuses on growing long-term research capacity and expertise, especially within underrepresented disciplines, professions and underserved communities; inspiring and supporting the next generation of researchers with the right skills mix to work across clinical, practice and research sectors.  

The Opportunity

We are offering up to 13 funded PhD studentships across a range of potential projects at universities across our Consortium. We are specifically looking to grow research capacity in methodological areas, including but not limited to, health economics, statistics, trial design, digital research, data science, implementation science and co-production methods where expertise is currently limited. 

Start: January 2027 

Duration: Up to 3 years (Full-Time) or 4 years at 0.8WTE (Part-Time) 

Funding:  

• Full home tuition fees covered (at 2026/27 UK rates). 
• Tax-free annual stipend at UKRI rates (£21,805/£23,805 outside London/ inside London from 1^st October 2026). 
• £5,000 (per award) contribution towards research, travel, training and consumables. 
• International students are welcome to apply but must secure alternative funding for the difference between UK and Overseas tuition fees.

The Project

Rationale
Maternity disparities generate substantial economic costs to the NHS. Women from
Core20PLUS groups experience higher rates of unplanned pregnancy, sub-optimal management
of pre-existing conditions, and reduced access to timely care. The DHSC roadmap to eliminating
maternity disparities highlights the importance of health before pregnancy, but economic
evidence to guide integrated, preventive systems is lacking.
Embedded within Theme-1, this PhD project will focus on the health economics aspects of the
primary and community care components of a system-wide blueprint for preconception and
interpregnancy care that will be implemented and evaluated. Primary care is a critical entry point
for reducing maternity disparities, for example through pregnancy intention discussions,
medication optimisation, contraception pathways, and referral to community and third-sector
services. This project will develop and apply an economic framework to evaluate the costs, cost
effectiveness, and equity impacts of these preconception intervention components, strengthening
the economic case for action to reduce maternity disparities.

Methods
The project will use an iterative approach to develop and apply an economic modelling
framework to support the evaluation of the primary and community care components of the blueprint:

• Systematic reviews of economic evaluations of preconception and interpregnancy care, with
  particular attention to methods for capturing equity impacts and relevance to Core20PLUS
  groups.
• Secondary data analysis to estimate current patterns of service use, spending, costs and
  outcomes, including disparities across Core20PLUS groups.
• Stakeholder-engaged conceptual modelling, working with a Stakeholder Advisory Group to
  identify potential programmes for investment, and agree relevant outcomes and prioritisation
  criteria.

Expected impact

The development of an economic modelling framework will generate interim deliverables during
the PhD studentship, including:

• Estimates of current spending and inequities in preconception/interpregnancy care.
• Rapid evidence briefs for health and care boards, and primary care networks, on
  investment priorities.
• Interim economic metrics to support local commissioning and resource allocation
  decisions.

Longer-term scalable impact includes improved targeting of primary and community care resources
to reduce maternity disparities, stronger alignment of prevention spending with population needs,
and integration of economic evidence into wider system modelling.

Supervisor- Danielle Schoenaker: [email protected]

Who is a MDC PhD studentship for? 

We welcome applications from individuals passionate about maternal health equity with particular methodology knowledge and experience. We are committed to building a supportive, inclusive, and caring research community. We particularly encourage applications from: 

• People from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds. 
• People with disabilities, neurodivergent conditions, and long-term health requirements 
• Candidates of all genders, ages, and beliefs. 
• We encourage applicants with experience of a wide range of methodologies to apply if they believe they can bring valuable skills to research on maternity inequalities. If it is not immediately obvious, please use your cover letter to explain how your disciplinary background will allow you to carry out your research. 

Eligibility Criteria

Essential

• Masters degree in health economics or another relevant quantitative discipline.
• Understanding of and commitment to tackling maternity inequalities. 
• Relevant previous research experience – this experience may be relevant to either the research or methodological area. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. 
• Highly motivated. 
• Able to work both independently and as part of a team. 
• Able to plan and manage own work. 
• International applicants are welcome to apply for studentships, but applicants who are selected for interview must be able to provide proof of funding for international fees and immigration costs prior to their interview.   
• English language requirement which can be found on individual university postgraduate admission web pages.

Desirable

• Experience of literature reviewing.
• Experience of quantitative research methods and data analysis.
  

*All students will be expected to be based at their host university and meet the individual university PhD studentship regulations. Please check individual university postgraduate admissions.

Accessibility and Support

We want you to perform at your best. You may contact individual supervisors when asking for more details about the projects and your suitability for the project. General enquiries about the recruitment process and MDC, including if you require any reasonable adjustments for the application process or the interview (such as alternative formats, extra time, or specific technological needs), please contact:  [email protected].  

NIHR and DHSC have a duty as a public body to promote equality of opportunity.  We will contact all applicants throughout the application period with an Equality Monitoring Form. Monitoring ensures that all applications to NIHR MDC Programmes are treated equally in terms of gender, ethnicity and/or disability. Information will be anonymised and stored separately from your application, only be used for the purpose of monitoring equal opportunities and be kept securely and in confidence.