Ana Castro Avila

Ana Castro Avila is a Research Fellow at the University of York, affiliated with the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Health Services and Policy group. She works in the PREPARE policy research unit, delivering analyses for the Department of Health and Social Care, and contributes to the Wellcome-funded EQUIPOL program focusing on health inequalities.

• PhD in Health Sciences, University of York
• MSc in Evidence-based Healthcare, University of Oxford
• PGDip in Medical Teaching, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile
• PGDip in Research Methods and Evidence-Based Medicine, Universidad de Los Andes
• PGDip in Respiratory Therapy, University of Chile
• BSc in Physiotherapy, University of Chile

Her research spans health policy evaluation, health inequalities, and critical illness recovery. Projects include developing Local Equity Data Packs for commissioners, analyzing the impact of surgical hubs, and studying post-ICU care. Her 2024 NIHR award focuses on healthcare needs after ICU discharge.

Recent publications address health policy analysis, inequality in emergency hospitalisation, and methodological frameworks for surgical hub evaluation. She contributes to teaching post-registration nursing and health policy modules, and leads an MSc course in Chile. Collaborations span institutions like Universidad del Desarrollo, The King's Fund, and City University of London.

• NIHR award (2024) for healthcare needs post-ICU discharge
• Contributions to Wellcome-funded EQUIPOL program

Ana supervises PhD projects on health policy evaluation and collaborates with international teams. Her work integrates evidence synthesis, qualitative methods, and health economics to inform strategic policymaking.