Research conducted by students and staff in Health Services and Population Research (HSPR) aims:

• to improve coverage and access to evidence-based mental health treatment and care
• drive-up the quality of mental health services, and achieving the best outcomes for those that use them
• understand the effect of social and cultural contexts on the delivery and use of mental health services;
• expose and challenge stigma and discrimination, promoting recovery and rights;
• develop and test methods to improve the design, analysis, evaluation and implementation of mental health treatment and care;

Academics use a range of methodologies across their epidemiological and health services research, including randomised controlled trials, cohort studies, cross-sectional studies, clinical informatics, and qualitative studies.

Graduate research students work closely with their supervisors and enjoy regular meetings to discuss their progress. They also liaise with other members of staff with relevant research interests and are encouraged to attend and participate in departmental research presentations, the annual three-minute thesis competition, and seminars from across the IOPPN. There is a full departmental induction for new graduate students on commencing their studies.

Training courses run by the department, the IOPPN, or through the KCL Graduate School can be utilised as required to provide training in a wide variety of topics, from transferable skills to academic areas directly relevant to the student's thesis. Many students find it useful to attend the department’s annual summer schools and short-courses, which provide introductions to research methodologies (epidemiology and statistics, implementation science, health economics, and qualitative research), technical and conceptual aspects of global mental health research and women’s mental health research, and provide unrivalled opportunities to attend lectures by experts in the field.

Each full-time graduate research student is allocated their own workspace in HSPR; facilities for part-time students can be arranged according to their needs.

Students are supported to submit papers based on their research findings to peer-reviewed academic journals.