A first class honours degree in Mathematics, followed by a PhD in Statistics at Nottingham University, led to a short lecturer appointment at Newcastle University, where I became interested in statistical methods applied to clinical and public health data.
I spent 23 years as a non-clinical Scientist and then programme leader (from 2000) at the MRC Biostatistics Unit, Cambridge, during which time I collaborated widely with clinicians and scientists at Papworth Hospital, a specialist hospital in cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
In 2013, I took up a post as Professor of Statistics at Leeds University Clinical Trials Research Unit, leading the Comprehensive trials division and helping to establish a statistical methodology stream in the CTU.
When the opportunity to join the LSHTM as Professor of Medical Statistics arose in 2017, I could not resist. There I specialise in statistical methodology and applications related to evaluation of new health technologies, particularly in cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
I spent 23 years as a non-clinical Scientist and then programme leader (from 2000) at the MRC Biostatistics Unit, Cambridge, during which time I collaborated widely with clinicians and scientists at Papworth Hospital, a specialist hospital in cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
In 2013, I took up a post as Professor of Statistics at Leeds University Clinical Trials Research Unit, leading the Comprehensive trials division and helping to establish a statistical methodology stream in the CTU.
When the opportunity to join the LSHTM as Professor of Medical Statistics arose in 2017, I could not resist. There I specialise in statistical methodology and applications related to evaluation of new health technologies, particularly in cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
Affiliations
Department of Medical Statistics
Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health
Centres
Centre for Data and Statistical Science for Health
Teaching
I jointly organise the Applied Hierarchical and Other Dependent Data module on the MSc Medical Statistics course and teach Bayesian methods to students on the MSc in Health Data Science. I also contribute to a number of clinical trials courses.
I currently have 2 PhD students at LSHTM:
Kate Edgar - Exploring mechanisms of action of complex interventions using trial data and causal inference methods, to improve quality and safety of healthcare for older people,
Caroline Chesang - Estimating treatment effects on mortality and competing risks using real-world data, with application to prostate cancer.
I also co-supervise two NIHR-funded PhD students outside LSHTM:
Michael Fadel. - The colorectal breath analysis (COBRA2) study: non-invasive testing to detect colorectal cancer, Imperial College, London.
Kirsty James - Causal Mediation analysis of 2-level trial data structures with applications to individual participant data meta-analysis, cluster randomised trials, and trials with repeated mediator and outcome measures, Kings College, London.
I currently have 2 PhD students at LSHTM:
Kate Edgar - Exploring mechanisms of action of complex interventions using trial data and causal inference methods, to improve quality and safety of healthcare for older people,
Caroline Chesang - Estimating treatment effects on mortality and competing risks using real-world data, with application to prostate cancer.
I also co-supervise two NIHR-funded PhD students outside LSHTM:
Michael Fadel. - The colorectal breath analysis (COBRA2) study: non-invasive testing to detect colorectal cancer, Imperial College, London.
Kirsty James - Causal Mediation analysis of 2-level trial data structures with applications to individual participant data meta-analysis, cluster randomised trials, and trials with repeated mediator and outcome measures, Kings College, London.
Research
Research is focussed on applying rigorous statistical analysis to evaluation of interventions, particularly surgery, diagnostic strategies and other non-pharmacological interventions. I am the statistical expert for a range of trials and observational studies in cardiovascular conditions and cancer. Methodological research interests surround evaluation of novel health technologies using both randomised and non-randomised designs, including trial emulation. I also have long-standing interests in the assessment of clinical trial results within the wider context of epidemiological and routinely collected health data. Many of these studies involve synthesis of all relevant data, including electronic health records, and can incorporate changes in health status over time. As such they provide a more comprehensive picture of the way in which diseases and conditions develop, as well as the mechanisms that drive health outcomes. Emerging interests surround early diagnosis of cancer in collaboration with Professor George Hanna's group at Imperial College and investigation of the effectiveness of different follow up strategies in prostate cancer patients.
Research Area
Statistical methods
Applied statistics (medical)
Disease and Health Conditions
Cardiovascular diseases
Cancer
Selected Publications
Developing a reference protocol for structured expert elicitation in health-care decision-making: a mixed-methods study.
2021
Health technology assessment
Longitudinal health-related quality of life in people with thoracic aortic aneurysms.
2024
The British journal of surgery
Identifying distant metastases at diagnosis in routinely collected data: a national cohort study of colorectal cancer patients
2024
CRUK Data-driven cancer research conference
Improving risk models for patients having emergency bowel cancer surgery using linked electronic health records: a national cohort study.
2024
International journal of surgery
Costs of endovascular and open repair of thoracic aortic aneurysms.
2023
The British journal of surgery
Reply to García-Villarreal et al.
2022
European journal of cardio-thoracic surgery : official journal of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery
