A message from our Unit Lead
At EVIE, we believe women's health deserves research that is ambitious, rigorous and directly useful to the people making decisions every day: women, families, clinicians, guideline developers and health systems.
Too many important questions in women's health remain unanswered, and too often the available evidence does not fully reflect the realities of clinical practice or the priorities of patients. EVIE was established to help close that gap.
Our unit brings together expertise in evidence synthesis, clinical trials, advanced meta-analysis, health economics, diagnostic and predictive studies, qualitative methods and patient involvement. We use these methods to evaluate treatments, improve decision-making and support evidence-based care across women's health.
Our ambition is simple: to produce high-quality research that improves women's health locally, nationally and internationally. We welcome collaboration with people and organisations who share that goal.
Dr Bassel Wattar
Unit Lead, EVIE
Why women's health research matters
Women's health encompasses some of the most important and least adequately researched questions in medicine. Conditions like endometriosis, PMOS/PCOS, uterine fibroids, premenstrual disorders and infertility affect millions of women – and for most, the evidence base that should guide their care is incomplete, contested or out of date.
Beyond individual conditions, women's health research has wider significance. Reproductive health, maternal wellbeing and the management of long-term gynaecological conditions shape family formation, workforce participation and the demands placed on health systems. Getting the evidence right in this space matters for society as much as for individuals.
The evidence gap
Despite the scale and impact of women's health conditions, research investment and evidence quality lag behind the burden these conditions impose. Systematic reviews routinely conclude with 'insufficient high-quality evidence'. Clinical guidelines are built on weak foundations. Women making decisions about their care are often choosing between options whose comparative effectiveness is genuinely uncertain.
This is not inevitable. It is a consequence of historical under-investment in women's health research and a lack of the methodological rigour needed to produce trustworthy evidence at scale. EVIE was created to bring both investment and rigour to this space.
EVIE's approach
EVIE approaches women's health research with a combination of clinical insight and methodological depth. Our team includes experienced clinicians who understand the realities of women's health practice, alongside methodologists who can design and deliver the most rigorous forms of clinical evidence.
We work across the evidence pipeline: synthesising what is known, identifying what is uncertain, designing studies to answer important questions, evaluating interventions and supporting the translation of findings into guidelines and practice. Patient and public involvement is central to this work – not peripheral to it.
An invitation
EVIE is a collaborative unit. We welcome contact from researchers, clinicians, charities, patients, policymakers and partners who share our commitment to improving women's health. Whether you have a fully developed research proposal or an early-stage idea, we are happy to start a conversation.
