Professor Carl Heneghan
Professor of Evidence-Based Medicine and Director, Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences; Fellow of Kellogg College
Professor Heneghan is a trusted media commentator and advisor to national and international organisations, known for communicating complex medical evidence clearly to policymakers, clinicians and the public.
About
Carl Heneghan is Professor of Evidence-Based Medicine at the University of Oxford, Director of the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, and an NHS GP.
His media expertise includes evidence-based healthcare, diagnostics, respiratory infections, including influenza and COVID-19 policy, drug regulation and research transparency. He is a leading commentator on how medical evidence informs public health decisions and healthcare policy.
Professor Heneghan has advised the World Health Organization and UK parliamentary groups, and regularly contributes expert analysis across television, radio, podcasts, print and digital media. He is known for explaining complex health evidence clearly to the public and professional audiences.
Expertise
- Evidence-based medicine
- Primary care, general practice
- Evidence in influenza
- Cardiovascular disease
- Patient self monitoring and self management
- Diagnosis
Selected publications
- Characterisation of trials where marketing purposes have been influential in study design: A descriptive study (2016)
- Post-Marketing Withdrawal Of Medicines Because of Adverse Drug Reactions: An Analysis of Anti-Obesity Medications (2015)
- Cohort study of anticoagulation self-monitoring (CASM): A prospective study of its effectiveness in the community (2015)
Media experience
Professor Heneghan has extensive experience of both print and broadcast media. He is regular contributor to BBC Radio 4's Inside Health series and in 2016 worked with the BBC's Panorama on Inside Britain's Fertility Business.
Recent media work
- Finally, an admission our Covid response was a calamitous mistake (The Telegraph, 2026)
- Performance targets are the NHS’s original sin (The Telegraph, 2026)
- Calls for nightclub probe as scientists say Kent meningitis strain ‘more aggressive' (Express, 2026)
- Oxford professor says thousands of children harmed by drug used for epilepsy is a 'major scandal' (ITV Meridian, 2025)