Professor Devin Peipert

A former Visiting Fellow at the University of Birmingham, Professor of Health Outcomes Measurement Devin Peipert describes his appointment to one of the University’s 125^th Anniversary Chairs as a privilege that is ‘the highest honour of my career’.

His work is focused on person-centre health care improvement. ‘I work extensively on work extensively on applying patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in drug trials. I also have a line of research examining new tools and methods to quantify and manage drug intolerability across multiple therapeutic areas, including oncology and solid organ transplantation.’

In his previous post at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois, he was the Director of Psychometrics and Statistics and quantitative lead of the Northwestern University Center on Outcomes Research and Education, heading efforts around study design and statistical and psychometric analyses.

‘I was clear from the start that this new role at Birmingham would allow me to amplify and advance my work globally,’ he says. ‘The Anniversary Chairs are a clear investment from the University in being a global research leader, and it is so exciting to be part of that. I see my appointment as a significant opportunity to join in partnership with my new colleagues to confront the world’s greatest challenges.’

The University of Birmingham will be an ideal place to be based, he believes. ‘It already has in place a number of rich resources that will enhance my work, including the Centre for Patient Reported Outcomes Research (CPROR), multiple clinical trials units and the BHP Centre for Regulatory Science and Innovation, to name only a few.’

On previous visits to the University, he observed that the research groups based in the College of Medicine and Health were positioned to make real impact with their close ties to medical centres and clinics within NHS trusts, both in the UK and internationally. The emergence of the Precision Health Technologies Accelerator (PHTA), as part of the Birmingham Health Innovation Campus, alongside proven strengths in precision and cellular therapies, positions the University as hub for innovation in health, and will be ‘important tools in having the positive impact I aim for in my work’. Impressed by the diversity of the City of Birmingham, and its excellent connections, he felt it was a ‘natural choice’ for bringing people together from within the UK and from across the world.

‘The staff at the University, and people throughout Birmingham, have been so welcoming to me and my family as we have settled in,’ he says; ‘making it so easy to call Birmingham our home.’

At Birmingham, Professor Peipert will be continuing his research programme in applying patient reported outcomes measures in regulatory decision-making, clinical trials and routine clinical care. These measures capture key aspects of health, such as daily functioning, symptoms, treatment side effects and quality of life. ‘A big part of the programme is in evolving how we understand treatment tolerability and drug side effects to come from a patient’s point of view. Patient reported outcome measures tend to capture aspects of health that patients prioritise and can help with making decisions about which treatments are best.’

Such information is critical for testing new treatments in trials as well as for improving discussion between patients and clinicians, he says, pointing to the many groups at the University which will be good partners for this work. ‘There is no better place to lead this work than from the Centre for Reported Outcomes Research (CPROR), led by Professor Melanie Calvert. In addition, the BHP Centre for Regulatory Science and Innovation will be a critical partner for engaging regulators.

‘I also see the NIHR Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre, the Birmingham Clinical Trials Unit and the Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit, just to name a few, as groups where I have strong alignment and would seek collaboration.’