The Oxford Health Experiences Institute
The Ann McPherson Tribute Fund and how to give your support
The Oxford Health Experiences Institute (HEXI) aims to become the world’s first interdisciplinary academic research centre dedicated to understanding the attitudes, values and experiences of people coping with illness or making decisions about their health, and to use this to make a difference.
HEXI is currently being developed as a joint initiative between the University’s Department of Primary Health Care and Green Templeton College, supported by the DIPEx charity. GTC will fund Fellowships within the Institute and host activities relating to educational and policy development, to integrate the complementary skills of researchers from a range of backgrounds and research traditions.
HEXI is sad to announce the death of its founding Director Dr Ann McPherson on 28 May 2011 following a long illness after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2007. A memorial service was held at Balliol College on Friday 10 June. 
Click here for a PDF of Ann's memorial service and photographs. A tribute fund has been set up at Ann's request to continue her vision of creating the Institute as well as to support other initiatives close to her heart.
The Institute stresses the importance of patient-centric healthcare and on improving the quality of patient experience. The Institute believes in the power of sharing personal stories of illness to help others with major health problems - patients as well as family, friends and carers.
HEXI is focused on developing specific teaching and learning materials to improve the skills and knowledge of health professionals, through a deeper understanding of personal health experiences.
As an international centre within the University, it will study patients’ perspectives from around the world and will bring together different expertise and interests in patient experience research, including the involvement of patients themselves.
The Institute will play a pivotal role in international initiatives, including visiting fellowships and exchange programmes for research fellows, enabling comparative data studies to be carried out worldwide. Collaborations have been established with organizations in Japan, Germany, Spain, Korea and Australia.
See information about forthcoming and past HEXI events
Health Experience Research
The Institute will take forward the qualitative research work carried out over the past ten years by the Health Experiences Research Group within the University of Oxford's Department of Primary Care Health Sciences. This work is disseminated publicly on the award-winning websites www.healthtalkonline.org and www.youthhealthtalk.org.
During the first five years, the Institute will complete research into a further 50 health conditions. This number may increase depending on funding available from statutory organisations and health-related charitable trusts. Top priorities include multiple sclerosis, asthma, self harm and coeliac disease.
A recent HEXI initiative has been the development of Experience led commissioning (ELC), in partnership with Georgina Craig Associates. ELC is a new way of doing commissioning that involves the use of person-centred planning processes and builds on experience-based co‐design. It also includes patient perspectives drawn from a secondary analysis of interview data collected by the University of Oxford’s Health Experience Research Group (HERG).
The Department of Health funded a a pilot project to test the approach with Healthworks Clinical Commissioning Group in Sandwell, using interview data on end of life care. The pilot was independently evaluated by the University of Westminster and the results are available in this downloadable document .
The project also won the 2011 NHS Alliance Acorn Award for Patient and Public Involvement. More information.
A full list of health conditions to be researched is available here.
Contact and Links
If you are interested in finding out more about supporting the Oxford Institute for Health Experiences, contact the Director of Development at Green Templeton College by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or telephone on 01865 274777.