Transmissible disease epidemiology & statistical science in public health, criminal justice & performance monitoring
Lead Research Organisation:
MRC Biostatistics Unit
Abstract
Statistical science can solve problems posed by transmissible diseases. Can you name whom you met 2 days ago? Your answer could save lives in pandemic flu. The human form of mad cow disease is vCJD. It threatens our blood supply and operating theatres because there is no blood test and imperfect decontamination of surgical instruments. Yet, we need to estimate how many of us, by age-group, are carriers of vCJD. And what the risk is to others of operations on us. Autopsy studies hold important answers, but require public trust. Sexual transmission of HIV disease is a concern. Some infectors have been put in prison for reckless sexual transmission of HIV. Many more do so with impunity. Criminalisation has not solved HIVs sexual transmission. Better public health science, using molecular techniques and contacting partners of those recently HIV infected, can. Nine out of 10 people infected with hepatitis C have injected drugs, most have been in prison, and some drink heavily, which hastens cirrhosis. Criminal settings are a good location for testing interventions to improve the health of marginalised communities. We use record linkage to study transitions, some fatal, between health and criminal settings. Naive targets delay proper research on how to reduce re-offending and drugs-related deaths, and divert resources if institutions are wrongly judged as non-compliant.
Technical Summary
Statistical science is about well-designed data capture and disciplined study protocols as well as analytical techniques. We apply, and develop, statistical science at the interface of public health and other jurisdictions. In particular, we focus on transmissible diseases which transit other jurisdictions (BSE and vCJD, HIV and Hepatitis C, pandemic flu, and injecting drug use), on ethical database linkages, and cost-efficient formal designs (including randomisation) to test model assumptions and find out whether criminal justice or public health interventions work. Naively set targets often conceal a lack of basic understanding of how to improve performance. They delay research, and waste or divert resources, especially if institutional compliance is statistically mis-judged. Because the criminal justice system is enriched for clients who have a multiplicity of health problems, such as addictions, mental health and blood-borne viruses, criminal justice settings are a cost-efficient location for trialling and implementing interventions that ameliorate the (public) health of often marginalised communities. We work in 6 main areas, as follows: UK surveillance of secondary vCJD, including provision for autopsy surveillance, and database linkage studies to elucidate operative risks. Epidemiological mapping of avian flu and human H5NI outbreaks, together with design for, and trialling of, data acquisition (daily matrix of personal meetings), programs and analysis to test feasible social distancing strategies for limiting human flu. Efficient recall by diagnosed flu cases of their recent past contacts is needed if we are to estimate transmission rates robustly. Statistical exploitation of Scotlands key data-sources on heterosexually transmitted and drug-resistant HIV is also of interest. Testing, monitoring, and updating of our published projections on late liver sequelae of Scotlands injector-related Hepatitis C epidemic, with particular attention to debiased estimation of prognostic influences (notably: heavy alcohol consumption), and their prevalence. Database linkage designs to quantify demographic influences on drugs-related mortality; 12-week risk of suicide by recently-released prisoners; and quantification of transition rates (and time-dependent influences thereon) between healthcare settings, drug treatment and prison. Designs for evaluating criminal justice or public health interventions in criminal justice settings, with specific attention to performance monitoring, value-for-money, and cost-effectiveness.
Organisations
- MRC Biostatistics Unit, United Kingdom (Lead Research Organisation)
- Public Health England, Salisbury (Collaboration)
- University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
- Straight Statistics (Collaboration)
- Government of Scotland (Collaboration)
- COMBAT Stress (Collaboration)
- NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) (Collaboration)
- University of St Andrews, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
- Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
- University of Cambridge (Collaboration)
- University of the West of Scotland, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
- National Pharmacovigilance Centre (Collaboration)
- University of South Wales, Rhondda (Collaboration)
- NHS Health Scotland (Collaboration)
- Makerere University College of Health Sciences (Collaboration)
- Ministry of Justice, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
- University of Bristol, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
- University of Glasgow, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
- University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
- University of York, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
- Glasgow Caledonian University, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
- Medical Research Council (Collaboration)
- Information Services Division (ISD) (Collaboration)
- Makerere University, Uganda (Collaboration)
- University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
- Addenbrooke's Hospital (Collaboration)
- King's College London, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
People |
ORCID iD |
Sheila Macdonald Bird (Principal Investigator) |
Publications

Pierce M
(2017)
Insights into the link between drug use and criminality: Lifetime offending of criminally-active opiate users.
in Drug and alcohol dependence

Pierce M
(2015)
Quantifying crime associated with drug use among a large cohort of sanctioned offenders in England and Wales.
in Drug and alcohol dependence

Pierce M
(2018)
Effect of initiating drug treatment on the risk of drug-related poisoning death and acquisitive crime among offending heroin users.
in The International journal on drug policy

Pierce M
(2016)
Impact of treatment for opioid dependence on fatal drug-related poisoning: a national cohort study in England.
in Addiction (Abingdon, England)

Robertson R
(2019)
Drug-related deaths-a wider view is necessary.
in Addiction (Abingdon, England)

Senn S
(2007)
Statistical issues in first-in-man studies
in Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A (Statistics in Society)

Sharifi Far S
(2020)
Multiple Systems Estimation for Modern Slavery: Robustness of List Omission and Combination
in Crime & Delinquency

Strang J
(2013)
Take-home emergency naloxone to prevent heroin overdose deaths after prison release: rationale and practicalities for the N-ALIVE randomized trial.
in Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine

Strang J
(2014)
Take-home emergency naloxone to prevent deaths from heroin overdose.
in BMJ (Clinical research ed.)

Strang J
(2010)
Impact of supervision of methadone consumption on deaths related to methadone overdose (1993-2008): analyses using OD4 index in England and Scotland.
in BMJ (Clinical research ed.)
Description | Adhoc TSE/BSE subgroup of the European Scientific European Unions Scientific Steering Committee |
Geographic Reach | Asia |
Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guidance committee |
Impact | Cessation of UK's over 30 months scheme for cattle. UK's surveillance in appendices for subclinical carriage of vCJD was published in autumn 2013 and showed higher subclinical carriage-rate for older birth-cohort and for males, which was anticpated by Cooper & Bird in their estimation of UK's dietary exposure to BSE by gender and birth-cohort. |
Description | Chair of the RSS Working Party on Performance Monitoring in the Public Services |
Geographic Reach | Asia |
Policy Influence Type | Participation in advisory committee |
Impact | Chair of the RSS working party on performance monitoring in the Public Services; Follow-up by Statistics Commission, greater use of confidence intervals and funnel plots, and recognition that setting targets is not the same as knowing 'what works' in how to achieve targets. Risk-assessed + randomly-selected inspection regimes by Healthcare Commission and others as per recommendations in RSS Working Party report. |
Description | Contribution to Office for National Statistics report on 'Deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales, 2014 registrations' |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Gave evidence to a government review |
URL | http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health3/deaths-related-to-drug-poisoning/england-and-wales... |
Description | Crime Statistics Review Board of the UK Statistics Authority |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Participation in advisory committee |
Description | DEFRA (Department of Environmental Food and Rural Affairs) |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Participation in a advisory committee |
Description | DEFRA Science Advisory Council |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
Description | Home Office statistical reporting standards in press releases |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Participation in advisory committee |
Impact | Survey, Design and Statistics Subcommittee (chaired by S M Bird) of Home Office's Scientific Advisory Committee published a statistical critique of 203 Home Office press releases from February to September 2008+2009, which led the Home Office to issue guidance for policy colleagues on statistical reporting in press releases. The new guidance was agreed between Home Office's Press Office, Head of Statistics and Chief Scientific Adviser -now implemented by Home Office. |
Description | How long to retain DNA profile from the innocent or those not proceeded against |
Geographic Reach | Asia |
Policy Influence Type | Participation in advisory committee |
Impact | Change in England's recommendations for how long to retain DNA profile from individuals who are innocent or not proceeded against. See analysis on Straight Statistics and aired on radio on 'More or Less' programme. Eventually, England and Wales met the requirements of the European Court on Human Rights re non-retention of DNA samples of those never convicted. |
Description | Invited consultee at Academy of Medical Sciences Meeting on Health of the Public in 2040 |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Participation in a advisory committee |
Description | Invited to serve on Committee for Strategic Advisory Board for Scotland's Rural and Environment Science & Analytical Services (RESAS) |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Participation in a advisory committee |
Description | Member of RSS working party on statistical issues in first in man studies |
Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guidance committee |
Impact | Duff Committee included in its recommendations statistical issues that RSS working party highlighted to it. MRC ensured statistical appraisal of applications to its call on Experimental Medicine; Annual pooling of information on design and outcome of 1st in man studies approved by EU regulatory authorities has NOT yet occurred. |
Description | Member of the Appraisal Committee for NICE (1999-2005) |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Participation in advisory committee |
Impact | Member of the Appraisal Committee for NICE (1999-2005) and co-instigated NICE's meta-analytic study on the efficacy of Alzheimer drugs so that its decisions on cost-effectiveness would be on a sounder footing |
Description | Ministry of Justice evaluations of reduced recidivism |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Participation in advisory committee |
Impact | improved design of how Social Impact Bond evaluation will proceed at HMP Peterborough and the analysis of how well HMP Doncaster is meeting before/after targets for reduction in recidivism. Influenced how future targets will be designed. |
Description | Pandemic influenza preparedness programme: a report for the Chief Medical Officer |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Gave evidence to a government review |
Description | Report for Home Office on 21st Century Drugs and Statistical Science |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Participation in advisory committee |
Impact | Contributed to MRCs strategic call on addictions and to Home Office's cross departmental co-ordination of research to inform drugs policy. 2010: Drug Data Warehouse - a recommendation of the above report - has been set up and SMB is a member of the DDW project advisory board. Publication submitted which quantifies initiations into injecting drug use by addition of new questions -as recommended in 21st Century Drugs and Statistical Science- to Scotland's Needle Exchange Surveillance of Injectors: White SR, Taylor A, Allen E, Hutchinson SJ, BIRD SM. Injectors' initiation of others: who initiates, how often and shared responsibility. Addiction 2011. |
Description | Report of the Lord Cullen's Review of Fatal Accident Inquiry Legislation, an independent review |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Citation in other policy documents |
Impact | Recommendations made by SMB in peer-reviewed paper on Fatal Accident Inquiries into prisoner deaths in Scotland which was published by Howard Journal in 2008 have been incorporated into the Lord Cullens report which also references the paper. Recommendations included the collection of statistics on waiting times for FAIs to report |
Description | Scientific Pandemic Influenza (SPI) Advisory Committee |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Participation in advisory committee |
Impact | SPI was in abeyance during swine flu and there was no statistician member on the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (SAGE). RSS wrote to chief medical officer about statistical reporting standards and epidemic monitoring during the swine flu on which CMO took action (e.g. HPA began to report incident hospitalization for swine flu, and the set up of CMO's Statistical Legacy Group) CMO, of which S M Birsd is a member, will report in November 2010. S M Bird also gave evidence on behalf of the RSS to Science and Technology Committee inquiry into scientific advice and evidence in emergencies. |
Description | Scotland's National Naloxone Advisory Group |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Participation in a advisory committee |
Impact | Adoption of the monitoring statistics recommended by S M Bird for measuring the impact of Scotland's public health policy on take-home naloxone. In addition new results on the high drugs-related deaths rate in the 4 weeks after discharge from hospital of drug-treatment clients prompted Scotland's Chief Medical Officer to write to hospital doctors about whether take-home naloxone should be prescribed for opiate-dependents clients on discharge from hospital. 3-year outcomes from Scotland were reported as official statisrics in 28 October 2014 and show 36% reduction in % of opioid-related deaths with a 4-week ante4cedent of prison-release (down from 193/1970 (9.8%) in 2006-10 to 76/1212 (6.3%) in 2011-2013; and 22% reduction in secondary outcome (down from 19% to 14.9%), both highly statisrtically significant. See Strang J, Bird SM, Dietz P, Gerra G, McLellan AT. Take-home emergency naloxone to prevent deaths from heroin overdose. British Medical Journal 2014; 349: g6580. Two subsequent publications by Bird et al and by McAulay et al. See publications list. |
Description | Statistical Expert panel for UK#s Infected Blood Inquiry |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Participation in a advisory committee |
Impact | Appointed to serve on Statistical Expert panel for UK#s Infected Blood Inquiry |
Description | Surveillance for subclinical vCJD |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Gave evidence to a government review |
Impact | House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee recommended major improvements in how persons caught up in at-risk vCJD networks are informed about their risk and asked to give permission in life for vCJD-informative testing in the event of their death. Better use to be made of scarce resources at NIBSC for evaluation of potential blood tests for vCJD. Research funding to be made available for blood-based surveillance if suitable prototype test is available (which it is). |
URL | http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselect/cmsctech/327/32702.htm |
Description | Alborada |
Amount | £3,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Alborada Trust |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 02/2018 |
End | 07/2018 |
Description | MRC Addictions Cluster grant |
Amount | £600,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | G1000021 |
Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start |
Description | MRC Strategic grant |
Amount | £181,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | MR/J013560/1 |
Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start |
Description | MRC Trial grant |
Amount | £1,000,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | G0800012 |
Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 07/2008 |
End | 08/2014 |
Title | Linkage of Scottish Drug Misuse Database (SDMD) cohort to hospitalizations, HCV diagnosis & deaths |
Description | Probabilistic, no-names linkage of Scottish Drug Misuse Database (SDMD) cohort to hospitalizations, HCV diagnosis & deaths to investigate rates of and risks factors for cause specific morbidity and mortality in national cohort of nearly 70000 drug users who accessed drug treatment or services in 1996-2006. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of Data/Biological Samples |
Provided To Others? | No |
Impact | Publications due in 2010-2011. ADD PUBS LISTED AS SDMD!!! |
Title | Serial alpha-fetoprotein levels for patients undergoing surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) |
Description | Using serial log AFP, Bayesian hierarchical linear model to identify patients at higher risk of HCC - with validation by case-controls study. Publication pending - 1st author is Dr Tom G. Bird with BSU team including Dr Rebecca Turner, Dr David Lunn and Professor Sheila M. Bird. |
Type Of Material | Computer model/algorithm |
Year Produced | 2013 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | Potential impact on guidelines for HCC surveillance particularly in patients whose aetiology is Hepatitis C virus |
Title | Serial methadone doses in Scotland by gender and age-group linked across prescription episodes and to mortality |
Description | Record-linkage with required privacy access approval in Scotland - this took a year to obtain . . . |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Provided To Others? | No |
Impact | Provided annual upper bound for the number of methadone clients in Scotland - the first time this has been available. Evidenced lower quantity of methadone prescribed for females and age-differentiation in quantity of methadone prescribed. Publication pending. |
Description | 3-year outcomes from Scotland's national naloxone programme |
Organisation | Government of Scotland |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Study design and subsequent drafting of report for peer-review publication. See publications list |
Collaborator Contribution | Monitoring of the impact of national naloxone programme and design of the Patient Group Directive used therein. 1 published paper, another accepted. |
Impact | See publications list for Bird et al in Addiction. - Bird SM. McAuley A, Perry S, Hunter C. Effectiveness of Scotland's National Naloxone Programme for reducing opioid-related deaths: a before (2006-2010) versus after (2011-2013) comparison. Addiction 2016; 111: 883-891. (doi: 10.1111/add.13265). And also 5 year follow-up by Bird et al in Lancet (2017). Bird SM, McAuley A, Munro A, Hutchinson SJ, Taylor A. Prison-based prescription of take-home naloxone for persons who inject drugs contributes to the effectiveness of Scotland's National Naloxone Policy, 2011-2015. Lancet 2017: 389: 1005-1006. |
Start Year | 2014 |
Description | AFP screening for hepatocellular carcinoma |
Organisation | University of Edinburgh |
Department | College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Design and test methodology for statistical diagnostic aid to alert clinician to when extra screening tests may be required to check for early hepatocellular carcinoma; determine performance in new screening cohort; and consider cost-effectiveness |
Collaborator Contribution | Collaboration with Dr Tom G Bird (Edinburgh) and Drs Lunn and Dimitropoulou in MRC-BSU. Inspiration for statistical approach came from clinical observatrions by TGB, who also collated the Lothian AFP screening data. |
Impact | Research paper pbulished in Plos Medicine - Bird TG, Dimitropoulou P, Turner RM, Jenks SJ, Cusack P, Hey S, Blunsum A, Kelly S, Sturgeon C, Hayes PC, Bird SM. Alpha-fetoprotein detection of hepatocellular carcinoma leads to a standardized analysis of dynamic AFP to improve screening based detection. PLOS One 2016; http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0156801. Further grant appplications submitted to continue this work using cohorts besides the lothian cohort. The statistical team is now Edinburgh based. |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | Alcohol related deaths in Scotland |
Organisation | Liverpool John Moores University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Alcohol related deaths in Scotland with Liverpoool John Moore's University and Health Protection Scotland |
Collaborator Contribution | Intention is to assess zaridze classification of alcohol-related deaths specifically for Scotland's hepatitis C diagnosed individuals |
Impact | No published outputs. |
Start Year | 2011 |
Description | Alcohol related deaths in Scotland |
Organisation | NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) |
Department | Health Protection Scotland |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Alcohol related deaths in Scotland with Liverpoool John Moore's University and Health Protection Scotland |
Collaborator Contribution | Intention is to assess zaridze classification of alcohol-related deaths specifically for Scotland's hepatitis C diagnosed individuals |
Impact | No published outputs. |
Start Year | 2011 |
Description | Bayesian capture-recapture analysis of current injectors in England, 2009 |
Organisation | Glasgow Caledonian University |
Department | Public Health and Epidemiology |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We have been developing Bayesian capture-recapture methods to allow for different capture-propensities across English regions and to make comparison between estimates from 2005 (already published) and 2009 (in preparation) |
Collaborator Contribution | As above - joint development of methods and ideas. |
Impact | See publications list |
Start Year | 2011 |
Description | Bayesian capture-recapture analysis of current injectors in England, 2009 |
Organisation | University of St Andrews |
Department | School of Mathematics and Statistics |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We have been developing Bayesian capture-recapture methods to allow for different capture-propensities across English regions and to make comparison between estimates from 2005 (already published) and 2009 (in preparation) |
Collaborator Contribution | As above - joint development of methods and ideas. |
Impact | See publications list |
Start Year | 2011 |
Description | Database linkage (e-health) studies |
Organisation | Addenbrooke's Hospital |
Department | Department of Pharmacy |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Hospitals |
PI Contribution | Database linkage (e-health) studies of discharge - summary - prescribing and other risk factors for re-admission to hospital and / or serious adverse events, with Cambridge Health Partners and Addenbrookes Pharmacy |
Collaborator Contribution | TBA |
Impact | No outputs, other than to re-direct attention to Scotland's prescribing data |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | Database linkage (e-health) studies |
Organisation | University of Cambridge |
Department | Cambridge University Health Partners |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | Database linkage (e-health) studies of discharge - summary - prescribing and other risk factors for re-admission to hospital and / or serious adverse events, with Cambridge Health Partners and Addenbrookes Pharmacy |
Collaborator Contribution | TBA |
Impact | No outputs, other than to re-direct attention to Scotland's prescribing data |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | Do you know what's good for you? |
Organisation | University of Cambridge |
Department | Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP) |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | SM Bird is a member of the project team, but is NOT a grant holder. Publications and podcasts |
Collaborator Contribution | Intellectual contribution |
Impact | Publications and podcasts Plus podcast 22, February 2010: Evaluating a medical treatment: ... David Spiegelhalter (Winton Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk), Sheila Bird (Professor at the Medical Research Council Biostatistics Unit), and ... Podcasts - plusadmin - 19 Jul 2010: Do you know what's good for you? ... viruses. Beating bird flu with bills - Travelling bank notes mimic the spread of diseases. ... of the Public Understanding of Risk), Sheila Bird (Professor at the Medical Research Council ... Packages - mf344 - 8 Oct 2010: Do you know what's good for you - what's the best medicine? ... (Winton Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk), Sheila Bird (Professor at the Medical Research Council Biostatistics Unit), and ... Packages - mf344 - 20 Jul 2010: News from the world of maths: The Plus podcast: Evaluating a medical treatment ... (Winton Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk), Sheila Bird (Professor at the Medical Research Council Biostatistics Unit), and ... Blog - plusadmin - 6 Apr 2010: Monitoring the monitors ... Grieve (President of the Royal Statistical Society) and Sheila Bird (Chair of the Performance Indicators Working Group) Let's start ... News - plusadmin - 7 Jul 2010: Biostatistics - From cradle to grave ... body of statistical research. We talk to Professor Sheila Bird of the Biostatistics Unit in Cambridge about her work in public health and ... Podcasts - plusadmin - 13 Jul 2010: News from the world of maths: The Plus podcast: Biostatistics ... body of statistical research. We talk to Professor Sheila Bird of the Biostatistics Unit in Cambridge about her work in public health and ... Podcasts - plusadmin - 5 Sep 2011: Do you know what's good for you - what's the best medicine? Evaluating a medical treatment: The podcast We talk to David Spiegelhalter (Winton Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk), Sheila Bird (Professor at the Medical Research Council Biostatistics Unit), and Nigel Hawkes (journalist and director of Straight Statistics) about why randomised controlled trials are used and how they test if a new treatment works. Podcasts - plusadmin - 9 Sep 2011: Do you know what's good for you? ... viruses. Beating bird flu with bills - Travelling bank notes mimic the spread of diseases. ... of the Public Understanding of Risk), Sheila Bird (Professor at the Medical Research Council ... |
Start Year | 2009 |
Description | Drugs-related death rates by sex, age and region |
Organisation | King's College London |
Department | Addictions Department |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Drugs related death rates by sea, age and region |
Collaborator Contribution | Recognition of the scientific work of the programme |
Impact | Articles in Straight Statistics |
Start Year | 2010 |
Description | Drugs-related death rates by sex, age and region |
Organisation | University of Edinburgh |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Drugs related death rates by sea, age and region |
Collaborator Contribution | Recognition of the scientific work of the programme |
Impact | Articles in Straight Statistics |
Start Year | 2010 |
Description | Drugs-related deaths soon after prison-release: before/after introduction of opiate substitution |
Organisation | Information Services Division (ISD) |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | SMB propsed the research question and identified the data already held by a CSO-funded study by which the question could be answered; built collaboration with the data-holders; designed analysis plan; and anaylsis was performed according to this plan by CSO-funded colleagues, notably Dr Colin Fischbacher |
Collaborator Contribution | Obtain CSO funding for a broader study on Scottish prisoners' mortality ; collaborated in obtaining variation in permissions to enable SMB-proposed analyses, analyses run, & joint-paper is in preparation, |
Impact | See publications list |
Start Year | 2013 |
Description | Hepatitis C with Health Protection Scotland |
Organisation | NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) |
Department | Health Protection Scotland |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Co-grant applicant involved in record-linkage study design and analysis |
Collaborator Contribution | Record-linkage study to determine the past and current burden of diagnosed hepatitis C in Scotland and the influence of a hepatitis C diagnosis on alcohol-related hospitalisation has been a highly productive collaboration in terms of papers and in quantifying the mortality and morbidity of HCV diagnosed injections drug-users in Scotland. |
Impact | doi:10.3109/16066350903267520 PMID: 19723361; PMID: 20587118; PMID: 19773667; PMID: 20460092; PMID: 20472416; PMID: 20587118; PMID: 21029257 Paper in abeyance: - Ischaemic heart disease deaths at ages 15-44 years: increased on account of Hepatitis C, heroin addiction, or unmeasured confounders? Journal of Public Health or Scottish Medical Journal. |
Start Year | 2006 |
Description | Insights on the natural history of problem drug use offending |
Organisation | University of Bristol |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Insight on the natural history of problem drug use offending with Manchester University |
Collaborator Contribution | Part of Niquad addictions cluster work and part of PhD of Matthias Pierce |
Impact | See publications list |
Start Year | 2011 |
Description | Insights on the natural history of problem drug use offending |
Organisation | University of Manchester |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Insight on the natural history of problem drug use offending with Manchester University |
Collaborator Contribution | Part of Niquad addictions cluster work and part of PhD of Matthias Pierce |
Impact | See publications list |
Start Year | 2011 |
Description | Insights on the natural history of problem drug use offending |
Organisation | University of St Andrews |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Insight on the natural history of problem drug use offending with Manchester University |
Collaborator Contribution | Part of Niquad addictions cluster work and part of PhD of Matthias Pierce |
Impact | See publications list |
Start Year | 2011 |
Description | Insights on the natural history of problem drug use offending |
Organisation | University of Strathclyde |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Insight on the natural history of problem drug use offending with Manchester University |
Collaborator Contribution | Part of Niquad addictions cluster work and part of PhD of Matthias Pierce |
Impact | See publications list |
Start Year | 2011 |
Description | Institute of Criminology - University of Cambridge |
Organisation | University of Cambridge |
Department | Institute of Criminology |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Conducted a series of statistical investigation into sentencing decisions in England and Wales |
Collaborator Contribution | Intellectual contribution and access to sentencing data |
Impact | A key finding has been the use (by judges and magistrates) of a limited number of sentences which for incarceration were easily calculated multiples of the 30 days up to 180 days and thereafter multiples of 90 days, 180 days or a year, lead unto a viewpoint in the British Medical Journal: doi: 10.1136/bmj.d612 ((Published 2 February 2011) PMID: 20479212; Papers submitted: Sentencing in small doses? Sentence lengths in England and Wales. Journal of Quantitative Criminology 2010. |
Start Year | 2008 |
Description | MPhil in Public Policy |
Organisation | University of Cambridge |
Department | Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | New 8 hour course, now 6 hours following an introductory statistical course for social scientists, on Statistical Thinking for new MPhil on Public Policy |
Collaborator Contribution | Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS), & Dr Finbarr Livesey in particular as course tutor, devised the MPhil which has 23 students in its first year |
Impact | To follow |
Start Year | 2013 |
Description | MRC-funded prison-based pilot N-ALIVE Trial |
Organisation | King's College London |
Department | Addictions Department |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Pioneered record-linkage research on drugs related deaths soon after release from prison, proposed the N-ALIVE intervention and fundamentals of N-ALIVE trial design. More recently undertook a record linked study that identified high rate of of drug-related deaths on the first 4 weeks after hospital discharge for drug-treatment in Scotland, 1996-2006. This has implications for possible prescribing of take-home naloxone when such opiate dependent clients are discharged from hospital. |
Collaborator Contribution | Facilitation.IntellectualIntellectualIntellectual/practical contribution |
Impact | MRC funding for N-ALIVE pilot trial. See publications list. 3 papers due for submission in 2016 |
Start Year | 2006 |
Description | MRC-funded prison-based pilot N-ALIVE Trial |
Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
Department | MRC Clinical Trials Unit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Pioneered record-linkage research on drugs related deaths soon after release from prison, proposed the N-ALIVE intervention and fundamentals of N-ALIVE trial design. More recently undertook a record linked study that identified high rate of of drug-related deaths on the first 4 weeks after hospital discharge for drug-treatment in Scotland, 1996-2006. This has implications for possible prescribing of take-home naloxone when such opiate dependent clients are discharged from hospital. |
Collaborator Contribution | Facilitation.IntellectualIntellectualIntellectual/practical contribution |
Impact | MRC funding for N-ALIVE pilot trial. See publications list. 3 papers due for submission in 2016 |
Start Year | 2006 |
Description | MRC-funded prison-based pilot N-ALIVE Trial |
Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Pioneered record-linkage research on drugs related deaths soon after release from prison, proposed the N-ALIVE intervention and fundamentals of N-ALIVE trial design. More recently undertook a record linked study that identified high rate of of drug-related deaths on the first 4 weeks after hospital discharge for drug-treatment in Scotland, 1996-2006. This has implications for possible prescribing of take-home naloxone when such opiate dependent clients are discharged from hospital. |
Collaborator Contribution | Facilitation.IntellectualIntellectualIntellectual/practical contribution |
Impact | MRC funding for N-ALIVE pilot trial. See publications list. 3 papers due for submission in 2016 |
Start Year | 2006 |
Description | MRC-funded prison-based pilot N-ALIVE Trial |
Organisation | Ministry of Justice |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Pioneered record-linkage research on drugs related deaths soon after release from prison, proposed the N-ALIVE intervention and fundamentals of N-ALIVE trial design. More recently undertook a record linked study that identified high rate of of drug-related deaths on the first 4 weeks after hospital discharge for drug-treatment in Scotland, 1996-2006. This has implications for possible prescribing of take-home naloxone when such opiate dependent clients are discharged from hospital. |
Collaborator Contribution | Facilitation.IntellectualIntellectualIntellectual/practical contribution |
Impact | MRC funding for N-ALIVE pilot trial. See publications list. 3 papers due for submission in 2016 |
Start Year | 2006 |
Description | Military fatalities in Afghanistan |
Organisation | Combat Stress |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | Intellectual - bring quantitative methods to bear when comparing military fatality rates in Afghanistan by nationality and cause. |
Collaborator Contribution | Intellectual contribution and military expertise |
Impact | Since 1st May 2006, Bird and Fairweather post a 20 week updated analysis of military fatalities in Iraq and Afghanistan on MRC BSU website. 8 postings were summarised in an article in Journal of the Royal United Services Institute 2009 and methodology had been reported in International Journal of Epidemiology in 2007. Several articles on Straight Statistics and also on the MRC Biostatistics Unit website (see http://www.mrc-bsu.cam.ac.uk/Publications/addmaterial.html#Reports) Cited by media including acknowledgement of SMB in recently published book 'Bomb Hunters: In Afghanistan with Britain's Elite Bomb Disposal Unit' (2011) by Sean Rayment (Defence correspondent of The Telegraph) |
Start Year | 2006 |
Description | Morbidity and mortality of drug users with University of Strathclyde |
Organisation | University of Strathclyde |
Department | Department of Mathematics and Statistics |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Contribution to study design and analysis including as PhD supervisor. |
Collaborator Contribution | A separate suite of record-linkage studies into the morbidity and mortality of drug treatment clients in Scotland, 1996-2006 (the Scottish Drug Misuse Cohort) |
Impact | doi:10.3109/16066359.2010.490310 Published paper: Over 1200 drugs-related deaths and 190,000 opiate-user-years of follow-up: Relative risks by sex and age group. Addiction Research & Theory 2010 18:2, 194-207. Commentary: missing targets on drugs-related deaths, and a Scottish paradox. International Journal of Drug Policy 2010; 21: 155 - 159. Papers in preparation: - Projections of Scottish injectors' drug-related deaths to 2015 under a range of possible scenarios. |
Start Year | 2008 |
Description | NIQUAD |
Organisation | Information Services Division (ISD) |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Two BSU staff members co-grant holders for NIQUAD whose objective is to enable key public health questions about addiction to be addressed by: - Improving, integrating, and harmonising the information base - Assessing the quality, precision, validity and consistency of available information - Making data accessible to a wider range of expertise - Developing methods to better exploit existing and new information sources This requires parallel work on developing micro (record linkage) and macro (evidence synthesis) integration of available information. The former strand will integrate administrative and research data at the individual case level to create statistically powerful 'virtual' cohorts that track pathways in and out of treatment, criminal justice, and healthcare, sequencing key events. Evidence synthesis will develop models that link all the available evidence to link and test its consistency and to examine the relationships between parameters. NIQUAD includes: key experts in surveillance and substance use epidemiology; non-addiction scientists with high-level skills in relevant statistical, mathematical modelling and health economic techniques; and health informatics experts to support the development of data resources to fuel the planned work. |
Collaborator Contribution | Intellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual/ Practical contributionIntellectual/ Practical contributionPractical collaborationPractical collaborationIntellectual/ Practical contribution |
Impact | Several publications in press and in preparation, notably i) on cause-specific mortality of opiate users in England {Pierce M, BIRD SM, Hickman M, Millar T. National record-linkage study of mortality for a large cohort of opiate users ascertained by drug treatment or criminal justice sources, 2005-2009. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2014: in press.} ii) on impact of treatment modality on drugs-related deaths and of criminal-justice referral into treatment. See publications list |
Start Year | 2010 |
Description | NIQUAD |
Organisation | King's College London |
Department | Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Two BSU staff members co-grant holders for NIQUAD whose objective is to enable key public health questions about addiction to be addressed by: - Improving, integrating, and harmonising the information base - Assessing the quality, precision, validity and consistency of available information - Making data accessible to a wider range of expertise - Developing methods to better exploit existing and new information sources This requires parallel work on developing micro (record linkage) and macro (evidence synthesis) integration of available information. The former strand will integrate administrative and research data at the individual case level to create statistically powerful 'virtual' cohorts that track pathways in and out of treatment, criminal justice, and healthcare, sequencing key events. Evidence synthesis will develop models that link all the available evidence to link and test its consistency and to examine the relationships between parameters. NIQUAD includes: key experts in surveillance and substance use epidemiology; non-addiction scientists with high-level skills in relevant statistical, mathematical modelling and health economic techniques; and health informatics experts to support the development of data resources to fuel the planned work. |
Collaborator Contribution | Intellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual/ Practical contributionIntellectual/ Practical contributionPractical collaborationPractical collaborationIntellectual/ Practical contribution |
Impact | Several publications in press and in preparation, notably i) on cause-specific mortality of opiate users in England {Pierce M, BIRD SM, Hickman M, Millar T. National record-linkage study of mortality for a large cohort of opiate users ascertained by drug treatment or criminal justice sources, 2005-2009. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2014: in press.} ii) on impact of treatment modality on drugs-related deaths and of criminal-justice referral into treatment. See publications list |
Start Year | 2010 |
Description | NIQUAD |
Organisation | Ministry of Justice |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Two BSU staff members co-grant holders for NIQUAD whose objective is to enable key public health questions about addiction to be addressed by: - Improving, integrating, and harmonising the information base - Assessing the quality, precision, validity and consistency of available information - Making data accessible to a wider range of expertise - Developing methods to better exploit existing and new information sources This requires parallel work on developing micro (record linkage) and macro (evidence synthesis) integration of available information. The former strand will integrate administrative and research data at the individual case level to create statistically powerful 'virtual' cohorts that track pathways in and out of treatment, criminal justice, and healthcare, sequencing key events. Evidence synthesis will develop models that link all the available evidence to link and test its consistency and to examine the relationships between parameters. NIQUAD includes: key experts in surveillance and substance use epidemiology; non-addiction scientists with high-level skills in relevant statistical, mathematical modelling and health economic techniques; and health informatics experts to support the development of data resources to fuel the planned work. |
Collaborator Contribution | Intellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual/ Practical contributionIntellectual/ Practical contributionPractical collaborationPractical collaborationIntellectual/ Practical contribution |
Impact | Several publications in press and in preparation, notably i) on cause-specific mortality of opiate users in England {Pierce M, BIRD SM, Hickman M, Millar T. National record-linkage study of mortality for a large cohort of opiate users ascertained by drug treatment or criminal justice sources, 2005-2009. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2014: in press.} ii) on impact of treatment modality on drugs-related deaths and of criminal-justice referral into treatment. See publications list |
Start Year | 2010 |
Description | NIQUAD |
Organisation | NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) |
Department | Health Protection Scotland |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Two BSU staff members co-grant holders for NIQUAD whose objective is to enable key public health questions about addiction to be addressed by: - Improving, integrating, and harmonising the information base - Assessing the quality, precision, validity and consistency of available information - Making data accessible to a wider range of expertise - Developing methods to better exploit existing and new information sources This requires parallel work on developing micro (record linkage) and macro (evidence synthesis) integration of available information. The former strand will integrate administrative and research data at the individual case level to create statistically powerful 'virtual' cohorts that track pathways in and out of treatment, criminal justice, and healthcare, sequencing key events. Evidence synthesis will develop models that link all the available evidence to link and test its consistency and to examine the relationships between parameters. NIQUAD includes: key experts in surveillance and substance use epidemiology; non-addiction scientists with high-level skills in relevant statistical, mathematical modelling and health economic techniques; and health informatics experts to support the development of data resources to fuel the planned work. |
Collaborator Contribution | Intellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual/ Practical contributionIntellectual/ Practical contributionPractical collaborationPractical collaborationIntellectual/ Practical contribution |
Impact | Several publications in press and in preparation, notably i) on cause-specific mortality of opiate users in England {Pierce M, BIRD SM, Hickman M, Millar T. National record-linkage study of mortality for a large cohort of opiate users ascertained by drug treatment or criminal justice sources, 2005-2009. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2014: in press.} ii) on impact of treatment modality on drugs-related deaths and of criminal-justice referral into treatment. See publications list |
Start Year | 2010 |
Description | NIQUAD |
Organisation | Public Health England |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Two BSU staff members co-grant holders for NIQUAD whose objective is to enable key public health questions about addiction to be addressed by: - Improving, integrating, and harmonising the information base - Assessing the quality, precision, validity and consistency of available information - Making data accessible to a wider range of expertise - Developing methods to better exploit existing and new information sources This requires parallel work on developing micro (record linkage) and macro (evidence synthesis) integration of available information. The former strand will integrate administrative and research data at the individual case level to create statistically powerful 'virtual' cohorts that track pathways in and out of treatment, criminal justice, and healthcare, sequencing key events. Evidence synthesis will develop models that link all the available evidence to link and test its consistency and to examine the relationships between parameters. NIQUAD includes: key experts in surveillance and substance use epidemiology; non-addiction scientists with high-level skills in relevant statistical, mathematical modelling and health economic techniques; and health informatics experts to support the development of data resources to fuel the planned work. |
Collaborator Contribution | Intellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual/ Practical contributionIntellectual/ Practical contributionPractical collaborationPractical collaborationIntellectual/ Practical contribution |
Impact | Several publications in press and in preparation, notably i) on cause-specific mortality of opiate users in England {Pierce M, BIRD SM, Hickman M, Millar T. National record-linkage study of mortality for a large cohort of opiate users ascertained by drug treatment or criminal justice sources, 2005-2009. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2014: in press.} ii) on impact of treatment modality on drugs-related deaths and of criminal-justice referral into treatment. See publications list |
Start Year | 2010 |
Description | NIQUAD |
Organisation | University of Bristol |
Department | School of Social and Community Medicine |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Two BSU staff members co-grant holders for NIQUAD whose objective is to enable key public health questions about addiction to be addressed by: - Improving, integrating, and harmonising the information base - Assessing the quality, precision, validity and consistency of available information - Making data accessible to a wider range of expertise - Developing methods to better exploit existing and new information sources This requires parallel work on developing micro (record linkage) and macro (evidence synthesis) integration of available information. The former strand will integrate administrative and research data at the individual case level to create statistically powerful 'virtual' cohorts that track pathways in and out of treatment, criminal justice, and healthcare, sequencing key events. Evidence synthesis will develop models that link all the available evidence to link and test its consistency and to examine the relationships between parameters. NIQUAD includes: key experts in surveillance and substance use epidemiology; non-addiction scientists with high-level skills in relevant statistical, mathematical modelling and health economic techniques; and health informatics experts to support the development of data resources to fuel the planned work. |
Collaborator Contribution | Intellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual/ Practical contributionIntellectual/ Practical contributionPractical collaborationPractical collaborationIntellectual/ Practical contribution |
Impact | Several publications in press and in preparation, notably i) on cause-specific mortality of opiate users in England {Pierce M, BIRD SM, Hickman M, Millar T. National record-linkage study of mortality for a large cohort of opiate users ascertained by drug treatment or criminal justice sources, 2005-2009. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2014: in press.} ii) on impact of treatment modality on drugs-related deaths and of criminal-justice referral into treatment. See publications list |
Start Year | 2010 |
Description | NIQUAD |
Organisation | University of Glasgow |
Department | School of Social and Political Sciences Glasgow |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Two BSU staff members co-grant holders for NIQUAD whose objective is to enable key public health questions about addiction to be addressed by: - Improving, integrating, and harmonising the information base - Assessing the quality, precision, validity and consistency of available information - Making data accessible to a wider range of expertise - Developing methods to better exploit existing and new information sources This requires parallel work on developing micro (record linkage) and macro (evidence synthesis) integration of available information. The former strand will integrate administrative and research data at the individual case level to create statistically powerful 'virtual' cohorts that track pathways in and out of treatment, criminal justice, and healthcare, sequencing key events. Evidence synthesis will develop models that link all the available evidence to link and test its consistency and to examine the relationships between parameters. NIQUAD includes: key experts in surveillance and substance use epidemiology; non-addiction scientists with high-level skills in relevant statistical, mathematical modelling and health economic techniques; and health informatics experts to support the development of data resources to fuel the planned work. |
Collaborator Contribution | Intellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual/ Practical contributionIntellectual/ Practical contributionPractical collaborationPractical collaborationIntellectual/ Practical contribution |
Impact | Several publications in press and in preparation, notably i) on cause-specific mortality of opiate users in England {Pierce M, BIRD SM, Hickman M, Millar T. National record-linkage study of mortality for a large cohort of opiate users ascertained by drug treatment or criminal justice sources, 2005-2009. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2014: in press.} ii) on impact of treatment modality on drugs-related deaths and of criminal-justice referral into treatment. See publications list |
Start Year | 2010 |
Description | NIQUAD |
Organisation | University of Manchester |
Department | Community-Based Medicine |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Two BSU staff members co-grant holders for NIQUAD whose objective is to enable key public health questions about addiction to be addressed by: - Improving, integrating, and harmonising the information base - Assessing the quality, precision, validity and consistency of available information - Making data accessible to a wider range of expertise - Developing methods to better exploit existing and new information sources This requires parallel work on developing micro (record linkage) and macro (evidence synthesis) integration of available information. The former strand will integrate administrative and research data at the individual case level to create statistically powerful 'virtual' cohorts that track pathways in and out of treatment, criminal justice, and healthcare, sequencing key events. Evidence synthesis will develop models that link all the available evidence to link and test its consistency and to examine the relationships between parameters. NIQUAD includes: key experts in surveillance and substance use epidemiology; non-addiction scientists with high-level skills in relevant statistical, mathematical modelling and health economic techniques; and health informatics experts to support the development of data resources to fuel the planned work. |
Collaborator Contribution | Intellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual/ Practical contributionIntellectual/ Practical contributionPractical collaborationPractical collaborationIntellectual/ Practical contribution |
Impact | Several publications in press and in preparation, notably i) on cause-specific mortality of opiate users in England {Pierce M, BIRD SM, Hickman M, Millar T. National record-linkage study of mortality for a large cohort of opiate users ascertained by drug treatment or criminal justice sources, 2005-2009. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2014: in press.} ii) on impact of treatment modality on drugs-related deaths and of criminal-justice referral into treatment. See publications list |
Start Year | 2010 |
Description | NIQUAD |
Organisation | University of St Andrews |
Department | School of Mathematics and Statistics |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Two BSU staff members co-grant holders for NIQUAD whose objective is to enable key public health questions about addiction to be addressed by: - Improving, integrating, and harmonising the information base - Assessing the quality, precision, validity and consistency of available information - Making data accessible to a wider range of expertise - Developing methods to better exploit existing and new information sources This requires parallel work on developing micro (record linkage) and macro (evidence synthesis) integration of available information. The former strand will integrate administrative and research data at the individual case level to create statistically powerful 'virtual' cohorts that track pathways in and out of treatment, criminal justice, and healthcare, sequencing key events. Evidence synthesis will develop models that link all the available evidence to link and test its consistency and to examine the relationships between parameters. NIQUAD includes: key experts in surveillance and substance use epidemiology; non-addiction scientists with high-level skills in relevant statistical, mathematical modelling and health economic techniques; and health informatics experts to support the development of data resources to fuel the planned work. |
Collaborator Contribution | Intellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual/ Practical contributionIntellectual/ Practical contributionPractical collaborationPractical collaborationIntellectual/ Practical contribution |
Impact | Several publications in press and in preparation, notably i) on cause-specific mortality of opiate users in England {Pierce M, BIRD SM, Hickman M, Millar T. National record-linkage study of mortality for a large cohort of opiate users ascertained by drug treatment or criminal justice sources, 2005-2009. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2014: in press.} ii) on impact of treatment modality on drugs-related deaths and of criminal-justice referral into treatment. See publications list |
Start Year | 2010 |
Description | NIQUAD |
Organisation | University of Strathclyde |
Department | Department of Mathematics and Statistics |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Two BSU staff members co-grant holders for NIQUAD whose objective is to enable key public health questions about addiction to be addressed by: - Improving, integrating, and harmonising the information base - Assessing the quality, precision, validity and consistency of available information - Making data accessible to a wider range of expertise - Developing methods to better exploit existing and new information sources This requires parallel work on developing micro (record linkage) and macro (evidence synthesis) integration of available information. The former strand will integrate administrative and research data at the individual case level to create statistically powerful 'virtual' cohorts that track pathways in and out of treatment, criminal justice, and healthcare, sequencing key events. Evidence synthesis will develop models that link all the available evidence to link and test its consistency and to examine the relationships between parameters. NIQUAD includes: key experts in surveillance and substance use epidemiology; non-addiction scientists with high-level skills in relevant statistical, mathematical modelling and health economic techniques; and health informatics experts to support the development of data resources to fuel the planned work. |
Collaborator Contribution | Intellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual/ Practical contributionIntellectual/ Practical contributionPractical collaborationPractical collaborationIntellectual/ Practical contribution |
Impact | Several publications in press and in preparation, notably i) on cause-specific mortality of opiate users in England {Pierce M, BIRD SM, Hickman M, Millar T. National record-linkage study of mortality for a large cohort of opiate users ascertained by drug treatment or criminal justice sources, 2005-2009. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2014: in press.} ii) on impact of treatment modality on drugs-related deaths and of criminal-justice referral into treatment. See publications list |
Start Year | 2010 |
Description | NIQUAD |
Organisation | University of York |
Department | Department of Health Sciences |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Two BSU staff members co-grant holders for NIQUAD whose objective is to enable key public health questions about addiction to be addressed by: - Improving, integrating, and harmonising the information base - Assessing the quality, precision, validity and consistency of available information - Making data accessible to a wider range of expertise - Developing methods to better exploit existing and new information sources This requires parallel work on developing micro (record linkage) and macro (evidence synthesis) integration of available information. The former strand will integrate administrative and research data at the individual case level to create statistically powerful 'virtual' cohorts that track pathways in and out of treatment, criminal justice, and healthcare, sequencing key events. Evidence synthesis will develop models that link all the available evidence to link and test its consistency and to examine the relationships between parameters. NIQUAD includes: key experts in surveillance and substance use epidemiology; non-addiction scientists with high-level skills in relevant statistical, mathematical modelling and health economic techniques; and health informatics experts to support the development of data resources to fuel the planned work. |
Collaborator Contribution | Intellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual contributionIntellectual/ Practical contributionIntellectual/ Practical contributionPractical collaborationPractical collaborationIntellectual/ Practical contribution |
Impact | Several publications in press and in preparation, notably i) on cause-specific mortality of opiate users in England {Pierce M, BIRD SM, Hickman M, Millar T. National record-linkage study of mortality for a large cohort of opiate users ascertained by drug treatment or criminal justice sources, 2005-2009. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2014: in press.} ii) on impact of treatment modality on drugs-related deaths and of criminal-justice referral into treatment. See publications list |
Start Year | 2010 |
Description | Scotland's injector incidence on the basis of NESI surveillance |
Organisation | NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) |
Department | Health Protection Scotland |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Scotland's injector incidence on the basis of NESI surveillance with the University of West Scotland and the Health Protection Scotland |
Collaborator Contribution | Statistical research method led by Dr Simon White |
Impact | See publications list |
Start Year | 2010 |
Description | Scotland's injector incidence on the basis of NESI surveillance |
Organisation | University of the West of Scotland |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Scotland's injector incidence on the basis of NESI surveillance with the University of West Scotland and the Health Protection Scotland |
Collaborator Contribution | Statistical research method led by Dr Simon White |
Impact | See publications list |
Start Year | 2010 |
Description | Scotland's methadone prescription cohort (2009 - 2015) |
Organisation | University of Cambridge |
Department | MRC Biostatistics Unit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Record linkage study design and ongoing analysis of opiod specific drug deaths and of non-drugs related deaths by quantity of prescribed methadone and age group. |
Collaborator Contribution | Prof Roy Robertson (Uni of Edinburgh) contributes clinical expertise in the care of methadone clients and chairs Scotland's national forum on drugs-related deaths. Lu Gao (MRC BSU) contributes data management expertise and statistical analysis. |
Impact | Papers in preparation. |
Start Year | 2017 |
Description | Scotland's methadone prescription cohort (2009 - 2015) |
Organisation | University of Edinburgh |
Department | College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Record linkage study design and ongoing analysis of opiod specific drug deaths and of non-drugs related deaths by quantity of prescribed methadone and age group. |
Collaborator Contribution | Prof Roy Robertson (Uni of Edinburgh) contributes clinical expertise in the care of methadone clients and chairs Scotland's national forum on drugs-related deaths. Lu Gao (MRC BSU) contributes data management expertise and statistical analysis. |
Impact | Papers in preparation. |
Start Year | 2017 |
Description | Straight Statistics |
Organisation | Straight Statistics |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | Bird S M and Spiegelhalter D J are NOT grant holders but members of the Board of directors and contributors of published statistical notes to Straight Statistics. Co-working with member of British Parliament on statistical methods the results of which are then published on Straight Statistics. |
Collaborator Contribution | Intellectual contribution as grant holderIntellectual and practical contribution |
Impact | Around 100 statistical notes on Straight Statistics authored or co-authored by Bird S M. |
Start Year | 2009 |
Description | Study of non-fatal overdoses in Wales |
Organisation | University of South Wales |
Department | Centre for Criminology |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Statistical consultancy on design and analysis of study to quantify non fatal overdoses rate in Welsh injection drug users |
Collaborator Contribution | Intellectual collaboration |
Impact | See publications list |
Start Year | 2011 |
Description | THRIVE PhD supervision on pharmacovigilance and antibiotic prescribing in Uganda with Ronald Kibuga |
Organisation | Makerere University College of Health Sciences |
Country | Uganda |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | PhD supervision and co-writing of papers for submission to peer-review journals (one accepted, one submitted, one in preparation) with eventual follow-up via National Pharmacovigilance Centre (NPC) in Uganda to improve their analysis routines and with mulago Hospital to put in place in random months prospective surveillance, reporting & analysis of adverse drug reactions. Visit to Uganda's NPC to be co-ordinated with Cambridge univiersity's pro vice-chancellor for stRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS. This work was showcased at the university's first Cambridge-Africa day, |
Collaborator Contribution | Ronald Kiguba wrote THRIVE application and together we finalized the design and analysis routines for Studies 1 and; 2. Ronald's local PhD supervisors will assist in implementing the study-designs prospectively at Mulago Hospital. |
Impact | 7 published papers, 6 with SMB as co-author. Dr Ronald Kiguba defended his PhD thesis successfully in March 2016 at Makerere University. |
Start Year | 2011 |
Description | Time to move to presumed consent for organ donation with Manchester University |
Organisation | University of Manchester |
Department | Faculty of Life Sciences |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Quantifying the lightly increase in cadaveric solid organs if refusal date decreased from 40% to 30% - as it was in 1990 when SMB conducted confidential audit of all deaths in intensive care units - and if UK adopted presumed consent. |
Collaborator Contribution | Joint paper published by British Medical Journal (2010): Bird SM, and Harris J (2010) Time to move to presumed consent for organ donation BMJ 340: c2188. As a follow up (October 2010) the Centre for Study of Incentives in Health organised a debate 'Paying for blood and organs is not so bad' at the Wellcome Trust. With prof. Heather Widows, Sheila Bird debating against the motion, which was proposed by Dr Evan Harris & prof Martin Wilkinson. The report 'Human bodies: donation for medicine and research' by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics quoted the above paper as reference 620. |
Impact | Published paper: PMID: 20442244 Several articles published in Straight Statistics (http://www.straightstatistics.org/) |
Start Year | 2009 |
Description | Uganda's pharmacovigilance centre - illustrations of pharmacovigilant analyses on 1000 adverse drug reaction onsets in 2012-2015 |
Organisation | Makerere University |
Department | Department of Pharmacology |
Country | Uganda |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Research team of Bird and Kiguba was given access to 1000 adverse drug reaction onsets in 2012-2015 that had been reported to Uganda's pharmacovigilance centre and registered on Vigi-base by 31st December 2017 in order to illustrate a range of pharmacovigilant analyses for Uganda's data. Paper in preparation. |
Collaborator Contribution | Facilitation by Uganda's pharmacovigilance centre and our co-authors at Uganda's NPC. |
Impact | Draft paper in preparation. |
Start Year | 2017 |
Description | Uganda's pharmacovigilance centre - illustrations of pharmacovigilant analyses on 1000 adverse drug reaction onsets in 2012-2015 |
Organisation | National Pharmacovigilance Centre |
Country | Uganda |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | Research team of Bird and Kiguba was given access to 1000 adverse drug reaction onsets in 2012-2015 that had been reported to Uganda's pharmacovigilance centre and registered on Vigi-base by 31st December 2017 in order to illustrate a range of pharmacovigilant analyses for Uganda's data. Paper in preparation. |
Collaborator Contribution | Facilitation by Uganda's pharmacovigilance centre and our co-authors at Uganda's NPC. |
Impact | Draft paper in preparation. |
Start Year | 2017 |
Description | record-linkage study on methadone prescribing in Scotland by gender and age-group |
Organisation | Information Services Division (ISD) |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Study design with Stuart McTaggART & Marion Bennie, drafting of Privacy Access Committee application; eventual analysis withih MRC Biostatistics Unit |
Collaborator Contribution | Pharmacist-input to study design |
Impact | multi-disciplinary team but ananlysis at BSU; paper under review (not accepted). Report on MRC BSU website. |
Start Year | 2013 |
Description | record-linkage study on methadone prescribing in Scotland by gender and age-group |
Organisation | University of Strathclyde |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Study design with Stuart McTaggART & Marion Bennie, drafting of Privacy Access Committee application; eventual analysis withih MRC Biostatistics Unit |
Collaborator Contribution | Pharmacist-input to study design |
Impact | multi-disciplinary team but ananlysis at BSU; paper under review (not accepted). Report on MRC BSU website. |
Start Year | 2013 |
Description | record-linkage study on risk factors for the opioid-specificity of drugs-related-deaths for Scotland's cohort of methadone clients, 2009 - 2013 |
Organisation | NHS Health Scotland |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Record linkage design with Stuart McTaggart and Marion Bennie, drafting of Privacy Access Committee application; eventual analysis according to SMB's analysis plan is within MRC Biostatistics Unit |
Collaborator Contribution | Pharmacist-input to study design; addictions input to interpretation of age-related high risk for methadone specific deaths |
Impact | One published paper by Gao et al (2016), and a follow-up paper to validate the Scottish results which were a first, has been accepted for publication by Pierce, Millar, Robertson and Bird (2018) in International Journal of Drug Policy. |
Start Year | 2015 |
Description | record-linkage study on risk factors for the opioid-specificity of drugs-related-deaths for Scotland's cohort of methadone clients, 2009 - 2013 |
Organisation | University of Edinburgh |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Record linkage design with Stuart McTaggart and Marion Bennie, drafting of Privacy Access Committee application; eventual analysis according to SMB's analysis plan is within MRC Biostatistics Unit |
Collaborator Contribution | Pharmacist-input to study design; addictions input to interpretation of age-related high risk for methadone specific deaths |
Impact | One published paper by Gao et al (2016), and a follow-up paper to validate the Scottish results which were a first, has been accepted for publication by Pierce, Millar, Robertson and Bird (2018) in International Journal of Drug Policy. |
Start Year | 2015 |
Description | record-linkage study on risk factors for the opioid-specificity of drugs-related-deaths for Scotland's cohort of methadone clients, 2009 - 2013 |
Organisation | University of Strathclyde |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Record linkage design with Stuart McTaggart and Marion Bennie, drafting of Privacy Access Committee application; eventual analysis according to SMB's analysis plan is within MRC Biostatistics Unit |
Collaborator Contribution | Pharmacist-input to study design; addictions input to interpretation of age-related high risk for methadone specific deaths |
Impact | One published paper by Gao et al (2016), and a follow-up paper to validate the Scottish results which were a first, has been accepted for publication by Pierce, Millar, Robertson and Bird (2018) in International Journal of Drug Policy. |
Start Year | 2015 |
Description | 19th Herstmonceux Castle conference on Statistics, Science and Public Policy - Invitee |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited guest and see publications list |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011,2012,2013,2014,2015 |
Description | Armitage Lectures |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Annual workshop and lecture created and hosted by the MRC Biostatistics Unit, to honour the immense contributions of Professor Peter Armitage who was at the unit from 1947 to 1961, and whose work is recognised throughout the world as achieving a successful balance between methodological rigour and applied commonsense, to which all statisticians aspire. An eminent medical statistician visits for a week and works with members of the unit. The highlight is the Armitage Lecture, where more than 100 delegates attend. This event raises the unit research profile and creates new collaborations. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | Pre-2006,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016 |
URL | https://www.mrc-bsu.cam.ac.uk/news-and-events/armitage-lectureships-and-workshops/ |
Description | Australian lecture tour: 2 lectures in Melbourne, 3 in Sydney, and one in Brisbane on what pharmaceutical industry has done to reduce the mortality and morbidity of injectors, on record-linkage studies of the morbidity and mortality of drug-users and N-AL |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Sparked Australian interest in checking out the merrall finding of high drugs-related death risk in the 4-weeks after hospital-discharge for drug-users, especially those who have ever injected. After Brisbane talk, a half-day worksahop was scheduled to discuss take-home naloxone interventions in Australia. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
Description | BBC Scotland - Article on Drugs-related Deaths |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Article on Drugs-related Deaths following Hospital Discharge - In December 2015, policy decision was made by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde that its hospitals should prescribe take-home naloxone at hospital discharge for heroin users with a history of injecting. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-34738815 |
Description | Battle of Ideas |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Introductory 5-7 minute talks by panellists sparked public debate and questions for 45+ minutes. Lively, well-informed audience participation. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
URL | http://www.battleofideas.org.uk/ |
Description | CMO's H1N1 Statistical Legacy Group: Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Programme |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Statistical Legacy Group was set up by Sir Liam Donaldson in response to intervention by the Royal Statistical Society's president and vice-president (SMB) on the need to improve how data were collected for monitoring swine flu. One of several recommendations was the need to end the delay in England's registration of deaths. Delay in England's registration of deaths is not yet closed. However, Science and Technology Select Committee recommended to Department of Health that there should be a statistician-member of Scientific Advisory Group in Emergencies (SAGE) in any future pandemic. CMO's H1N1 Statistical Legacy Group: Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Programme and policy statement by Royal Statistical Society - January 2012 which call for an end to late registration of deaths in England and Wales. With engagement and also support of the CMO, Dame Sally Davies, National Statistician, UK Statistics Authority; and Patrick Mercer MP subsequently wrote to the Prime Minister for his assistance in resolution. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2010 |
Description | CRUK Beatson Institute on Experimental design: trials and tribulations |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | • Teaching/ Talks to clinicians and or non-statisticians -CRUK Beatson Institute in Glasgow in 28 June 2019 on Experimental design: trials and tribulations; |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Cambridge Science Festival |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Families, schools and general public from all around the Cambridge region attend Cambridge Science Festival interactive displays, exhibist, talks and other related events. For the 2015 edition, the Festival welcomed over 30,000 visitors to over 200 events and received extensive national and local media coverage. The BSU stand was presented at two separate venues over two dates reaching out to hundreds of children and adults and communicating basic statistical methods, based on BSU research. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015 |
Description | Cambridge Science Festival |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Annual Cambridge Science Festival. The Science Festival aims to provide the public with opportunities to explore and discuss issues of scientific interest and concern and to raise aspirations by encouraging young people to consider a career in science, technology, engineering or mathematics. Organised and participated in the unit display for Cambridge Science Festival aimed at local school children aged 5-18. MRC Biostatistics Unit's stand (organized by Dr Simon White) at Cambridge Science Festival 2012, 2013, 2014. For the 2013 edition, the Festival welcomed over 30,000 visitors to over 200 events and received extensive national and local media coverage. For the 2014 edition, the Festival had two separate venues (Cambridge Corn Exchange and the Clinical School of Medicine on Addenbrookes' Biomedical Campus) and it received extensive national and local media coverage. Through activities, engaging children and families in how biostatistics is fun, affects their lives, and is great science. Raised awareness of the Unit's work in the local schools community Very good feedback from festival attendants. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2007,2008,2009,2011,2012,2013,2014 |
URL | http://www.cam.ac.uk/science-festival |
Description | Chair of Biostatistics, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Board of Electors: Chair of Biostatistics, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine - Using knowledge and expertise to influence fellow academics and researchers in the field of biostatistics |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Chair of Data Safety Monitoring Committee for Best? Trial |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Chair of committee |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
Description | Chaired session at 2nd Cambridge University Africa Day (St Johns College) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Chaired session |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
Description | Contributed talk at International Naloxone Conference, Bergen Norway |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Contributed talk |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
Description | Debating Matters Competition |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Hundreds of schools from all UK participate in this competition each year. Increasingly, schools who take part in the Debating Matters Competition want to try the format out for themselves within their schools to get more students involved - or those new to schools debating just want to know how to get started! Debating Matters has produced two Resource Packs designed to support teachers in organising a debate club within their schools, or to establish their own Debating Matters style events for themselves. Raised the profile of the Unit among the local schools community |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011,2012 |
URL | http://www.debatingmatters.com/ |
Description | Drugs related deaths to the Specialist Clinical Addiction Network |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Health professionals |
Results and Impact | About 40 attendees Raised epidemiological awareness |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2007 |
Description | Editorial Board for the Royal Statistical Society magazine; Significance |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Editorial Board |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015,2016 |
Description | Feature Article in Recovery Research Institute Monthly Recovery Research Review |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Wrote feature article called 'Does providing opioid substitution therapy in prisons reduce the risk of death after release?'. Relaying the facts of this important area of research which has led to Scottish policy makers changing decisions on use of opoid substitution therapy following release from prison. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
URL | http://www.recoveryanswers.org/pressrelease/does-providing-opioid-substitution-therapy-in-prisons-re... |
Description | Four contributed talks at Farr Instiute 1st International Conference St Andrews |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Four contributed talks |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
Description | Government Social Research Unit Workshop |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Government Social Research Unit Workshop on the need for Randomised Controlled Trials Subsequent invitations to do similar workshop at Home Office and to Scotland's Justice Analysts |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2007,2008,2009 |
Description | Invited Chair of Royal Statistical Society Meeting on 'Statisticians and the Media', organsied by General Applications & Young Statisticians Section |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Chaired meeting |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
Description | Invited Lecture to Bristol University Colloquium |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited talk - 'Biostatistician behind bars' |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
Description | Invited speaker (2 presentations) at Royal Society of Medicine FORENSIC conference, June 2014 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Talks were about i) the design and background to pilot N-ALIVE Trial which tests whether naloxone-on-releease can reduce by 30% drugs-related deaths in the 4-weeks after rpison-release; and ii) audit of fatal accident inquiries into 97 prisoner deaths in Scotland which had been influential in the Lord Cullen's recommendations. Prompted discussion |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
URL | https://www.rsm.ac.uk/events/events-listing/2013-2014/sections/clinical-forensic-legal-medicine-sect... |
Description | Invited speaker at A Celebration of 70 Years of the Sheffield RSS Local Group |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited speaker - 'Biostatistician behind bars' |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
Description | Invited speaker at Annual Conference for Society for the Study of Addiction, in session on science and politics - synergy or conflict? |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Talk on 'Naloxone on prison-relsease saves lives in Scotland but why not else where?' |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
Description | Invited speaker at Greenford High School, sixth form |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Invited talk - 'Biostatistician behind bars' |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
Description | Invited speaker at Royal Statistical Society Conference: primary health care special interest group session |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited speaker |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
Description | Invited speaker at Scotland's National Forum on Drugs-Related Deaths where I was asked to address what I considered to be the key research questions. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Sparked requests for ppt on which I'd set out at least 10 research questions Research-in-confidence results were presented, some of wehich have not yet appeared in print but I receive regular follow-up requests fro notification about when they shall appear through the editorial mill. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
Description | Invited speaker for 'Statistics Meets the Public's Health' seminar series |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited speaker - 'Biostatistician behind bars' |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
Description | Invited speaker for Inaugural Seminar Series at Queens University Belfast |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited speaker - 'Biostatisttcian behind bars' |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Invitied to serve on Royal Statistical Society Honours Committee - 3 year invitation |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited to serve on Committee |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015,2016 |
Description | Judge for regional final on Debating Matters (topic - Liberalising Drugs Policy) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Judge for regional final on Debating Matters (topic - Liberalising Drugs Policy) |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
Description | MRC Biostatistics Unit Centenary Celebrations: conference organization re Clinical trials: Past, Present & Future which included 2014 Bradford Hill Lecture at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicineand co-hosting of scientific session |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
Results and Impact | Thus far, organization of the scientific meeting to take place on the afternoon of 4 June 2014 at LSHTM. Besides the 2014 Bradford Hill Lecture (to be given by Prof Stuart Pocock, the current professor of medical statistics at LSHTM), there will be a conversation between Prof Peter Armitage, Prof Vern Farewell and Sir Iain Chalmers on the history of British controlled trials and the central role of MRC Biostatistics Unit in that history. yet to occur but excellent line-up of speakers. meeting is also co-badged with British and Irish Region of Biometrics Society, Royal Statistical Society and Statisticians in the Pharmaceutical Industry who have all contributed to choice of the afternoon's speakers. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
URL | http://www.mrc-bsu.cam.ac.uk/bradford-hill-memorial-lecture/ |
Description | MRC Centenary & International Year of Statistics |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
Results and Impact | More than 600 people attended a series of Free Public Lectures co-hosted by the MRC BSU and the Cambridge Statistical Laboratory : - Professor Sir Michael Rawlins, of NICE, "Failings in hierarchies of evidence for controversial health-policy decisions" (29 April 2013) - Tim Harford, of More or Less, "Numbers are weapons: a self defence guide" (22nd May 2013) - Professor Sir John Beddington FRS FRSE, "What's happening to the world?" (28th May 2013) - Professor David J. Spiegelhalter OBE FRS, "Putting life into numbers - how statistical science has transformed health care" (20th June 2013) Raised the profile of the Unit in the local region |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
URL | http://www.mrc-bsu.cam.ac.uk/NewsandEvents/mrccentenary.html |
Description | MRC Centenary Open Day |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | 50 + people attended an exhibition about the history, pioneers and discoveries of the MRC Biostatistics Unit, and a series of talks/discussions series of talks and lectures as part of the BSU contribution to MRC Centenary Open Days Raised the profile of the Unit in the local region |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
URL | http://www.mrc-bsu.cam.ac.uk/NewsandEvents/mrccentenary.html |
Description | Media enquiry - BBC Scotland |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Sheila Bird provided quote for article in BBC Scotland online, on rise in anti-overdose naloxone kits to cut drug deaths - based on drugs-related deaths research led by Sheila Bird http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-37761184 |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Media interviews about military fatalities in Afghanistan |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Since 1st May 2006, Bird and Fairweather post a 20 week updated analysis of military fatalities in Iraq and Afghanistan on MRC BSU website. 8 postings were summarised in an article in Journal of the Royal United Services Institute 2009 and methodology had been reported in International Journal of Epidemiology in 2007. Bird and Fairweather adopted 10 weekly reporting during 2009/2010 because UK military fatality rate had been particularly high. They also drew attention to disproportionately many deaths of UK explosive experts in IED incidents which led (directly or indirectly) to a change in tactics in favour of detonation rather than exploitation of IEDs when possible. Continued media interest. All reports pre circulated to colleagues in Ministry of Defence for their attention before public release. Reports have been forwarded to Field Commanders in Afghanistan. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2006,2007,2008,2009,2010 |
Description | Medical Research Council Centenary Conference on Biostatistics, Queens' College, Cambridge: March 24-26th 2014 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
Results and Impact | Coverage in Lancet; and Prof Pocock's lecture formed the baSIS OF A SUBSEQUENT PUBLICATION BY HIM. Publication by Pocock on the basis of his 2014 Bradford Hill lecture and publication by Bird in James Lind Library BIRD SM. Review of Controlled Clinical Trials (1960). James Lind Library 2014; April (http://www.jameslindlibrary.org/illustrating/articles/the-1959-meeting-in-vienna-on-controlled-clinical-trials-a-met). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
URL | http://www.mrc-bsu.cam.ac.uk/medical-research-council-conference-on-biostatistics-ended-with-a-bang/ |
Description | National Drugs-Related Death Conference, Dundee in Scotland |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | better understanding of the powerful but non-randomized design of Scotland's before/after evaluation of its National Naloxone programme, the 3-year outcomes for which were to be released as official statistics on 28 October 2014. Artist impression drawn up of the main themes! |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
URL | http://naloxone.org.uk/index.php/programme-report/11-naloxoneinformation/304-national-drug-related-d... |
Description | Nature & British Medical Journal - Online or print cite Prof Bird on the need for French regulator to release minimally redacted version of investigator brochure for the French trial in healthy volunteers in which one volunteer died tragically |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Nature & British Medical Journal - Online or print cite Prof Bird on the need for French regulator to release minimally redacted version of investigator brochure for the French trial in healthy volunteers in which one volunteer died tragically. Bird has commented as a member of the RSS Working Party on Statistical Issues in First in Man Studies which was convened in the aftermath of the UK's TGN1412 Tragedy |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | New Scientist Instant Expert: Mathematics |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Lecture entitled: 'Vital Statistics' about the Royal Statistical Society and the vital importance of statistical science. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | Parliamentary film on how Select Committees work |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Video posted online on Youtube (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLvNmMJmD0w) includes footage of SMB giving evidence to Science and Technology Select Committee inquiry into scientific advice in emergencies and explaining how she prepared for giving evidence. Select Committees are an integral part of the scrutiny function of the House of Commons. The short film explains what their role and impact is, their membership, how the conduct inquiries, what it's like to be a witness and how you can get involved. The video was posted in Youtube in July 2011, by October it has had more than 2200 hits. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
URL | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLvNmMJmD0w |
Description | PhD talk at Big Data, Multimodality & Dynamic Models in Biomedical Imaging Meeting |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | MP PhD student gave talk, on behalf of the BSU Imagaing Group, on neuroimaging analysis workflow. Talk was well attended and well received. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
URL | http://www.turing-gateway.cam.ac.uk/dmb_mar2016.shtml |
Description | Plenary Lecturer to Mathematics teachers attending conference organsied by Princes Teaching Institute |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Invited Lecture - 'Biostatistician behind bars' to Mathematics Teachers |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
Description | Podcast on N-ALIVE for Plus Podcasts - Maths on the move |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Podcast interview about N-ALIVE trial and the work leading up to it Subsequently SMB and DJS are project member in support of a successful application to the Wellcome Trust for £30,000 funding for dissemination on " How mathematics and statistics are used to make decisions about our health?" |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2008 |
Description | Public Policy Application of Multiple Systems Equations |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Finally, co-hosted 2-day workshop on 21+22 March 2019 @ Edinburgh University on Public Policy Application of Multiple Systems Equations (with particular reference to Modern Slavery) - proceedings to appear.] |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Quintessential 'Counting for Health' for Parliamentarians and their researchers |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Policy-relevant topical examples in 'Counting for Health' were used to illustrate how cost-effectiveness is worked out for screening programmes, key epidemiological questions and how to answer them, formal experiments and why we need them, institutional performance and public understanding of risk and infectious disease epidemics Some co-working with Dr Evan Harris MP |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
Description | RSS Seminars to Journalists |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Royal Statistical Society Seminar for Journalists Now in its 7th run and there is a waiting list of journalists wanting to attend |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013 |
Description | Radio Interviews - Drug-related deaths research |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Sheila Bird gave radio live interviews for BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Radio 2 Drive Time, about Scotland's expected high numbers of drug-related deaths http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0910lbz |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | Reducing overdose and drug-related deaths; |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | • Teaching/ Talks to clinicians and or non-statisticians on 5 Dec 2019 at 1-day conference on treating Addiction, talk on Reducing overdose and drug-related deaths; |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Research into Scotland's rising tide of opioid-related deaths |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | • Teaching/ Talks to clinicians and or non-statisticians on 16 Oct 2019 at Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh on Research into Scotland's rising tide of opioid-related deaths. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Royal Statistical Society Obituaries Panel |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | 3 year appointment on panel |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015,2016 |
Description | Royal Statistical Society lead on need for legislation to end late registration of deaths in E and W |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
Results and Impact | Audience of 150 at Royal Society included Science Minister David Willetts whose attention I thereby drew to the delays in registration of inquest-deaths. Conference @ RS was entitled: Foundation debate on maximising the use made of public and research data - 10Jul13 2014 Open Letter to Prime Minister (with Sense about Science and six Charities including INQUEST, SAMARITANS) to press for legislation in the current parliament. Request declined by Simon Hughes on behalf of government but he did engage in a helpful correspondence. Support also from PQs by Dr Julian Huppert , Cambridge MP. The report by Professor David Wilkie CBE on the Foundation round-table discussion and debate on the theme "Maximising the use of public data - should research and publically acquired data be made more accessible" has now been posted on the Foundation web site together with the speakers presentations where available and audio files of what they said. The speakers were Professor Geoffrey Boulton OBE FRS FRSE, Chair, The Royal Society Inquiry into Science as an Open Enterprise, Professor Sir Nigel Shadbolt FREng, Chairman and Co-Founder of the Open Data Institute, The Rt Hon David Willetts MP, Minister of State for Universities and Science, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Professor Sheila M Bird OBE FRSE, Programme Leader, MRC Biostatistics Unit, Institute of Public Health, Cambridge, joined the panel in the discussion sessions. The Foundation site is at: www.foundation.org.uk The round-table discussion was held at The Open Data Institute and the debate was held at The Royal Society. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013,2014 |
URL | http://www.rss.org.uk/uploadedfiles/userfiles/files/18%20June%202014%20Open%20Letter%20to%20PM%20Lat... |
Description | Scientific liaison with Patrick Mercer MP |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Paper Presentation |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Scientific liaison with Patrick Mercer MP who 1)subsequently posed questions on the results of compulsory drugs testing in the British Army by weekday of sample (2007); 2) posed questions to elicit waiting times for military inquests and got Ministry of Justice to publish waiting times for Boards of Inquiry (2008/9); 3) co-authored article for Straight Statistics on need for resourcing of military inquests to be increased again; 4) co-authored Straight Statistics article with Clive Fairweather and Patrick Mercer MP on the need to count Afghani military fatalities in Afghanistan, about which Patrick has asked parliamentary questions; 5) having worked with Patrick Mercer on waiting time for military inquests to reach verdict, SMB has recently enlisted his help on legislation to reduce the delay in registering England's coroner-referred deaths. Published paper in Journal of the Royal United Services Institute in December 2007 which had major media coverage including an interview on the Today programme and led to collaboration with CDTHQ team in British Army to conduct the suggested analysis. Further paper in RUSI in June 2008 on results of analysis. 2008 analysis in JRUSI re compulsory drugs testing in the british army was followed up by letter to Minister & Ministry of Defence subsequently 'followed the evidence' by extending to class A drugs (notably, cocaine and ecstasy) commanding officers' discretion NOT to dismiss soldiers who tested positive but instead put them on the military's drugs rehabilitation programme. Still no reporting Afghani military fatalities. Too early to know if there will be legislation to reduce registration delays. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2007,2008,2009,2010,2011 |
Description | Scottish Government (Justice Department, Drug Policy Unit) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Type Of Presentation | Paper Presentation |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Seminar on 'The case for RCTs in Criminal Justice'. Since mid 2010 SMB has been member of Scotland's National Naloxone Advisory Group, which monitors the impact of Scotland's public health policy on take-home naloxone (implemented from January 2011) Second invitation which arose out of a previous seminar on related material. SMB provided scientific background and study size considerations for Scotland's before-after comparison of percentage of opiate-related deaths that occur within 4 weeks of release from prison. This is a key outcome measure in monitoring the impact of take-home naloxone. SMB also arranged for 3 naloxone related questions to be added to Scotland's Needle Exchange Surveillance of Injectors (NESI) in 2011 to assist in monitoring the carriage of naloxone. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009,2010,2011,2012,2013 |
Description | Sir David King's review of Science at the Home Office (and Ministry of Justice) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Served on the review panel for Sir David King's review of Science at the Home Office (and Ministry of Justice) Positive Impacts on the use of Science in the Home Office, including being appointed to chair the Surveys, Design and Statistics Subcommittee of Home Office Scientific Advisory Committee |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2007 |
Description | Sit on Committee for Senior Academic Promotions Committee (Mathematics and Statistics) for Cambridge University |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Sit on committee - 4 year appointment |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014,2015 |
Description | Speaker at Australia Young Statisticians Conference |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Public lecture - 'Biostatistician behind bars' Plenary lecture - 'Changing face of statistics' Debate on big data |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
Description | Start of 4 year appointment as Postgraduate External Examiner at Imperial College London MSc in Epidemiology |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Postgraduate External Examiner |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
Description | Straight Statistics |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Several articles on each of: swine flu; random mandatory drugs testing of prisoners; retention of innocent DNA profiles; redress for remand prisoners who do not subsequently receive a custodial sentence; military matters; drug-specific mortality; mephedrone; Peterborough Prison Pilot study on reducing recidivism; delayed registration of deaths in England. President of the Royal Statistical Society wrote to Sir Liam Donaldson about the need to improve data quality and reporting of H1N1. More or Less interviewed Nigel Hawkes and Chief Medical Officer for England on data quality and statistical reporting standards re H1N1. Revised Government proposals of retention of innocent DNA profiles. SMB interviewed on More or Less about problematic analyses underlying previous proposals. SMB has got the support of UK Statistics Authority for the need for the registration delay in England's deaths to end. SMB has had extensive discussions with Ministry of Justice to improve how controls are selected for the Peterborough Prison Pilot study on reducing recidivism. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009,2010,2011 |
Description | The Times Internship |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | The Times Online approached Sheila Bird, at the BSU, to see whether there was a way for the paper to work with statisticians to improve our understanding of some of statistical issues and, hopefully, provide statisticians with some insight into the challenges - and opportunities - of the journalistic publishing environment. BSU scientists spent a week at The Times Online offices in London sharing expertise between statisticians and journalists, as well as promoting understanding of statistics and best practice in their use in reporting. Raised awareness of the work of the Unit in the media There have been organised 3 interships so far. Several articles have been produced after workshops and published online, among them: - Which Britons own the most guns? Posted by: Jonathan Richards (September 4th, 2009) - The popularity of train travel over the past 100 years. Posted by: Jonathan Richards (September 1st, 2009) |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009,2010 |
URL | http://www.mrc-bsu.cam.ac.uk/NewsandEvents/July2010_6_Times.html |
Description | The importance of forensic science capability at Glasgow university |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | letters with Prof Roy Robertson to Scottish Ministers about the importance of forensic science capability at Glasgow university, which underpins toxicology of Scotland's drug-related deaths; and meeting with former Home Secretary, Charles Clarke, in May 2019 about how to progress Royal Statistical Society's case for legislation to end the late registration of deaths in E&W |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Training Health Researchers into Vocational Excellence in East Africa - Attended AGM and final PhD supervision for Ronald Kiguba |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Attended AGM and final PhD supervision for Ronald Kiguba |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
Description | Update lecture for the Official Statistics Section of Royal Statistical Society on progress towards ending the late registration of deaths in England and Wales |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Sparked questions and suggestions on how else to bring influence to bear! Wrote to 5 party leaders ahead of conference season to request that ending late registration of deaths be made a manifesto commitment. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
Description | Warwick University public lecture |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Public lecture - 'Biostatistician behind bars' - Podcast of lecture available via University website |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
Description | Working visit - Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
Results and Impact | Visiting scholar at University of Edinburgh for 2 - 3 days per month, providing knoweldge on medical statistics to students |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | invited speaker at GETSTATS/Home Office meeting on How data and statistics can radically change policy outcomes |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Bird presented on how the robust design of EU's surveilance data for late-stage transmissible spongiform encephalopathies had transformed our understanding of the epidemiology of scrapie and led UK to be recognised as a moderate (no longer HIGH) risk country for BSE. And yet the very surveillance that UK had relied upon was initially resisted by UK! Raised the important question of the need for blood test for vCJD for as extensive surveillance in humans - ei beyond that which testing of appendices could offer. Better understanding by civil servants of interplay between design, evidence and empirically-informed policy-decisions |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
URL | http://www.statslife.org.uk/events/eventdetail/145/-/- |
Description | invited speaker at RUSTAT conference on Risk at Jesus College, Cambridge on 4 March 2014. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Talk on risk re BSE and subclincial carriage of vCJD sparked discussion, including from former minister of agriculture who spoke in the same session. issues raised in the talk formed part of my written, and invited oral, evidence to House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee Inquiry into vCJD risks to safety of blood supply. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
URL | http://www.rustat.org/Home.php |
Description | invited speaker at annual conference of Statisticians in the Pharmaceutical Industry, May 2014. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Sparked questions and debate. Made statisticians in pharma thoughtful about, and wary of, payment by results schemes unless VERY WELL designed. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
Description | protocol for Scotland's evaluation of its National Naloxone Programme accepted for publication ahead of the relesase of 3-year outcomes as official statistics on 28 October 2014 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Scotland adopted the primary outcome suggested by Bird et al.; and likewise the suggested secondary outcome so that the 3-year evaluatino would have at least 80% power in respect of 30% reduction in primary outcome and 20% reduction in secondary outcome. Actual reductions were 36% (down from 193/1970 ORDs (9.8%) in 2006-2010 to 76/1212 (6.3%) in 2011-2013) and 22% respectively (down from19% to 14.9%). Monitoring proposals adopted in Scotland. First robust evidence (albeit non-randomized) on the effectiveness (and cost-effectiveness) of take-home naloxone and naloxone-on-release. Spur to England's adpotion of a similat public health policy as Norman Baker seemed to suggest in debate on UK drugs policy on 30 October 2014 (see Hansard). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2010,2012,2013,2014 |