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Blizard Institute - Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry

Our impact

We generate world-leading evidence that transforms care, shapes policy, and helps people recover faster, delivering measurable impact for patients, health systems and society.

Our impact
  1. Blizard Institute
  2. Centre for Bone and Joint Health
  3. Our impact

£47m +awarded

in research funding

NineDoctoral fellowships

from national funders 

FivePre-doctoral fellowships

from national funders

How we create change

Clinical care

We deliver definitive trials that answer the questions patients and health care professionals actually ask. Our evidence directly changes treatment pathways and national guidelines.

Delivering value

We reduce waste in healthcare systems embedding cost effectiveness in our research. We attract major industry and research council investment, and generate intellectual property with commercial potential. https://qminnovation.co.uk/project/refleks/.  Efficient trial research design is core to our work, leveraging routinely collected data to deliver answers at scale and speed.

Developing talent

We train the next generation of research leaders and act as a hub for interdisciplinary collaboration. Our people go on to lead international societies, sit on NIHR funding panels, and advise Parliament on health and social care policy. From our labs to global leadership - we shape the field.

Featured impact story: The WAX trial

Getting patients back on their feet

The Challenge

For decades, patients who had surgery for an ankle fracture were told to stay off their foot for six weeks. This meant patients needing walking aids, taking time off work and loosing their independence. We wanted to challenge the status quo to understand if this was necessary

The Evidence

*Led by Mr Christopher Bretherton and Professor Xavier Griffin, the NIHR-funded WAX trial was delivered across 23 NHS hospitals, we delivered the definitive answer, published in The Lancet (2024):*

Early, protected weight-bearing is safe, improves function, reduces time off work, and is cost-effective—with no increase in complications.

The Impact

  • For Patients “I could get back to my life sooner.” Patients told us early weight-bearing restored independence.
  • For the NHS - £0.9–£1.1 million estimated annual savings from reduced healthcare use. 68,000–86,000 workdays restored each year through faster recovery.
  • For Clinical Practice - The British Orthopaedic Association now recommends early weight-bearing in national guidance. A 2026 national audit will measure how far practice has changed since our 2017 baseline.
  • For Policy - Cited in BOA and NHS England trauma policy discussions. Planned for NICE surveillance review. An NIHR Evidence Alert (2025) has amplified findings to clinicians, commissioners, and the public.

What This Demonstrates

We delivered robust, generalisable evidence. And we are already seeing practice change at scale—across the UK and internationally. 

Follow this link to read the full WAX paper

Join our Mission in advancing care for people suffering with bone, joint and movement conditions.  

Partners and Investors: Drive lasting change in musculoskeletal research and care. Explore partnership opportunities with us 

Collaborators: Work with our team, we welcome new academic and industry colleaborations  

Future Talent: Launch and develop you research career. Find out more about fellowship opportunities here and current career opportunities here  

Public & Patients: Get involved and shape our work, join our public advisory group here

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