PHIL DAVIES

Biography: Philip Davies is currently Deputy Director of the Government Social Research Unit which is part of the UK Cabinet Office. Philip is a graduate of the universities of London, Oxford and California.  

Previously he was Director of Social Sciences in the Department for Continuing Education at Oxford University and a Fellow of Kellogg College, Oxford.   Philip was responsible (with colleagues in the University of Oxford Medical School) for developing the University of Oxford Master's Programme in Evidence-Based Health Care.   He has held a number of teaching and research positions in American and British universities.

Philip is a founder member of the Campbell Collaboration ( www.campbellcollaboration.org ) and is on its international steering committee. He has also been a Visiting Honorary Fellow of the UK Cochrane Centre.   He has published extensively in the areas of health sciences, evidence-based health care, education and policy evaluation.

Title: How Research Supports Evidence-Based Policy

Summary: This presentation will consider the ways in which research can help policy makers make well informed decisions about policy and service delivery.   Harnessing existing research evidence, critically appraising it, and making it accessible to policy makers is at the heart of this role.   This requires librarians, information specialists and researchers to work together and share expertise and professional competence.

The presentation will also consider factors other than research evidence that influence policy making. These include experience, expertise, judgement, resources, habit, lobbyists, pressure groups and political ideology.