Personal profile

Career

  • Consultant Rheumatologist
  • Epidemiologist

Academic Background

1995-2003: Arthritis Research Campaign Senior Fellow/ Senior Lecturer Kings College London; Honorary Consultant Rheumatologist Guy's and St Thomas’ Hospital Trust;

2003-Present: Professor of Chronic Disease and Genetic Epidemiology, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia; Honorary Consultant Rheumatologist, Norfolk and Norwich University Trust

Administrative Posts

Director the University of East Anglia’s Norwich Epidemiology Centre

Key Research Interests

Research focus: identifying the predictors of onset and outcome of common chronic diseases, translating insights into strategies for prevention and improved patient care.

Key projects as PI:

 

Norfolk Arthritis Register

NOAR

This is the largest longstanding inception cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis globally (5,500 patients; 20 years follow up). The register provides a definitive data source on inflammatory arthritis occurrence and has been referenced by NICE, NHSE and HQIP. NOAR data is available for sharing with the research community.

 

Investigation of inflammation and the risk of multimorbidity through artificial intelligence in 'big data'

InflAIM

Inflammatory drivers of long-term comorbidity trajectories: an AI investigation of mulitimorbidity (inflAIM)

NIHR Development Award 2020

Inflammation, nutrition, and the evolution of multiple long term conditions – an AI-based analysis of intersectionality in longitudinal health data (the InflAIM programme)

NIHR Programme Grant for Applied Research 2023

The programme centres on the investigation of chronic inflammation as a key biological driver underlying many chronic health conditions. Modifying the exposure to chronic inflammation offers a direct path to MLTC prevention. Chronic inflammation may also bridge the gap between nutrition and multiple long term conditions (MLTC), and explain social disparities. The programme will produce the tools, data, analytics and targeted interventions needed to improve the lives of people at risk of MLTC. Collaboration between UEA, Norfolk and Waveney ICB, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the Universities of Southampton, Exeter, Chester and Hertfordshire, and Evergreen Life.

 

Studies of nutritional bioactives and arthritis

BRIO

Dietary Intervention trial to examine the protective effect of broccoli bioactives (specifically sulforaphane) on osteoarthriti

Versus Arthritis Funded

DESIGNA

Identifying the dietary signatures of arthritis through metabolomics

Versus Arthritis Funded 2023

 

Outcomes of Ankle Joint Replacement

OARS

Prospective study of patient reported outcomes in ankle joint replacement

Versus Arthritis Funded

Dynamic risk modelling

Application of dynamic risk-adjusted CuSUM to National Joint Registry data

 

Predicting falls risk in rheumatoid arthritis

Prospective study and nested analysis

NIHR funded

 

The management of childhood hypermobility

BENDY

Pragmatic randomised trial

NIHR funded trial,

Career

2018-21: Senior Adviser for NHS Improvement’s Getting it Right First Time (GIRFT) programme in Rheumatology

2023: Report on the provision of clinical services for Fibromyalgia in Norfolk

Keywords

  • Genetics
  • Data Science and Statistics
  • Epidemiology
  • Rheumatology
  • Databases
  • Public Health, Health Services & Primary Care

Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or