Mike Clarke

Prof Mike Clarke is a Professor and Director of the MRC Methodology Hub at Queen's University Belfast's School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences. He leads the Northern Ireland Clinical Trials Unit and Methodology Hub, and serves as Coordinating Editor for the Cochrane Methodology Review Group and James Lind Library. His work focuses on improving clinical trial and systematic review methodologies, with particular emphasis on core outcome sets (via the COMET Initiative) and humanitarian health research through Evidence Aid.

Prof Clarke has over 35 years' experience in evaluating health/social care interventions, including large-scale trials in breast cancer, maternity care, and sub-arachnoid haemorrhage. He pioneered the SWAT/SWAR initiatives to embed methodological studies within trials/reviews. Current projects include vision care interventions in low-income countries (ENGINE/STABLE initiative) and myopia prevention strategies in Chinese schoolchildren.

Key collaborations span global health organizations, with recent work emphasizing SDG-aligned research in vision care and urban green space impacts on health. He has advised hundreds of trials, processed IPD from +1000 trials, and contributed to Cochrane's standards for reporting and accessibility.

Recent articles highlight methodological innovations (e.g., diagnostic classification validation) and global health interventions (e.g., cognitive enhancement via vision care). His work emphasizes improving trial accessibility in low-resource settings and addressing gaps in pregnancy trial inclusion criteria.

Prof Clarke teaches evidence-based healthcare methodologies at Oxford and advocates for standardized outcomes in clinical research. He has supervised 11 PhD students and actively recruits researchers interested in trial quality, health services research, and humanitarian health challenges.