Staff in BESTEAM

Professor Jon Deeks

Jon Deeks is Professor of Biostatistics and leads the Biostatistics, Evidence Synthesis and Test Evaluation Research Group in the Department of Applied Health Sciences.

Richard Riley is a Professor of Biostatistics at the University of Birmingham, leading a team of statisticians undertaking applied and methodology research for healthcare, especially in regard to prognosis, prediction models, and evidence synthesis.

Ridhi Agarwal

Medical Statistician with primary interests in evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of medical tests in clinical trial setting and risk prediction modelling.

Esther Albon

Esther works as a systematic reviewer in the BESTEAM team conducting evidence syntheses, systematic reviews, meta-analysis and health technology assessments (HTA) to aid decision making within local and national healthcare.

Lucinda Archer

Assistant Professor in Biostatistics, Tests and Prediction group.

Lucinda’s research focuses on prediction modelling research, both prognostic and diagnostic, with a particular interest in statistical methods development and improving methodological quality of published research.

Sophie Beese

Systematic reviewer with specialist knowledge in evidence synthesis and research methods.

Sarah Berhane

Medical statistician working in diagnostic and prognostic modelling, and test accuracy evaluation.

Bircan Ciytak

Research Fellow, DTCT Project. Bircan is a qualitative and mixed-method researcher specialising in Migration, Community Engagement, and Equity, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EEDI), with a particular focus on the identity and belonging of migrants without migration experience, and consensus methodology. Currently her focus is on developing guidance for the evaluation, regulation, marketing, and monitoring of digital technologies.

April Coombe

Information specialist developing search strategies to identify appropriate research literature for systematic reviews.

Clare Davenport

Consultant in Public Health specialising in methods for undertaking systematic reviews of test accuracy, methods for development of evidence based testing policy and the process of diagnostic decision making.

Jac Dinnes

Senior methodologist and systematic reviewer with a special interest in the evaluation of medical tests used for diagnostic and monitoring purposes.

Janine Dretzke

Senior Systmatic Reviewer with considerable experience in conducting evidence syntheses, systematic reviews, meta-analyses and health technology assessments (HTA) to inform local and national healthcare decision making.

Christina Easter

Medical statistician specialising in cluster randomised trials and prognostic modelling

Joie Ensor

Associate Professor in Biostatistics.

Miriam Hattle

Associate Professor in Biostatistics.

Sayeed Haque

Senior Lecturer in Medical Statistics.

Karla Hemming

Karla Hemming leads a research programme related to stepped wedge trials, this includes both theoretical and applied research.

Beth Hillier

Bethany is finishing her MSc Medical Statistics at the University of Leicester. Once complete, Bethany will be exposed to a variety of projects, methods and techniques under the guidance of the research group.

Amardeep Legha

Research Fellow in Biostatistics

James Martin

Medical Statistician specialising in designing and analysing cluster randomised trials and statistical lead of the Research Support Service Birmingham Hub.

David Moore

Associate Professor specialising in directing multidisciplinary teams of researchers undertaking systematic reviews, health technology assessments and associated research.

Breanna Morrison

Breanna Morrison is a Research Fellow in the Department of Applied Health Sciences. Breanna has an MSc in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and a PhD in Educational Statistics and Research Methods.

Laura Quinn

Medical statistician with main research interest in diagnostic test evaluation, including interobserver variability and time to diagnosis studies.

Katie Scandrett

Katie is a NIHR Pre-Doctoral Fellow and a member of the test evaluation research group. Last year she completed an MSc in Medical Statistics.

Alice Sitch

Biostatistician specialising in designing and evaluating monitoring tests and studies of biological variability

Kym Snell

Associate Professor in Biostatistics. Kym’s interest is in applied and methodology research relating to risk prediction models. Kym also leads the 3-day CPD course “Statistical Methods for Risk Prediction and Prognostic Models” and is an associate editor for the BMC Journal Diagnostic and Prognostic Research.

Yemisi Takwoingi

Biostatistician with primary interests in systematic review methodology, especially meta-analyses of diagnostic test accuracy studies, and applied health research projects related to diagnostic test evaluation.

Hayley Walton

Senior Administrator for BESTEAM

PA to Jon Deeks

Rebecca Whittle

Medical statistician. Becky’s main research interests lie in prognosis and prediction, with a focus on improving the reporting and development of prediction modelling, she has also been involved in many Department of Applied Health Sciences projects, mainly using large data from electronic health records.

Honorary Researchers:

Sian Taylor-Phillips

Methodologist and systematic reviewer specialising in developing methods and conducting reviews for the evaluation of screening programmes and screening tests

PhD students:

Simon Baldwin

PhD title: 'Opportunities and Challenges in Using Routine Data Sources to Evaluate Biomarkers'

Expected year of completion: 2024

Supervisors: Professor Jon Deeks; Professor Yemisi Takwoingi; Dr Alice Sitch

Siwanon Rattanakanokchai

PhD title: 'Methods of induction of labour at or beyond term: evidence synthesis and exploration of challenges in evidence-based health care'

Expected year of completion: 2024Supervisors: Dr Malcolm Price ; Dr David Moore and Professor Arri Coomarasamy