Professor Peymané Adab MD, MPH, MBChB, FFPH, FHKCCM

Professor Peymane Adab

Department of Applied Health Sciences
Professor of Chronic Disease Epidemiology & Public Health

Contact details

Email
p.adab@bham.ac.uk
Twitter
@Peymane_Adab
View my research portal
Address
College of Medicine and Health
Murray Learning Centre
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham, B15 2TT

Peymané is a public health physician and Professor of Chronic Disease Epidemiology & Public Health in the Department of Applied Health Sciences, University of Birmingham.  She is also Lead of the PHRESH consortium, part of the NIHR School for Public Health Research.

Her research interests are in chronic disease epidemiology and behavioural medicine. This includes a portfolio of work on obesity prevention and management, particularly in children and minority ethnic groups, as well as research on the epidemiology, early identification and management of COPD. She has expertise in using mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative studies) to aid the development and evaluation of complex interventions.

Areas of research include:

-          School health promotion interventions (diet, physical activity, obesity)

-          Obesity prevention and management    

-          Evaluation of health policy interventions

-          Child wellbeing interventions

-          Screening and early diagnosis of chronic disease (undiagnosed COPD, cervical cancer and obesity)

-          Tobacco control (prevention and smoking cessation interventions)

-          Role of occupation and employment on health (including COPE-WM to examine the relative contribution of occupational, sociodemographic and clinical risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare workers.

She currently chairs the NIHR Public Health Research Committee and is a member of the Obesity Health Alliance Independent Obesity Strategy Working Group. She was an expert advisor to the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on obesity, a Trustee of the Association for the Study of Obesity (UK), member of the MRC-NIHR Methodology Advisory Group, and part of the College of Experts for the European Respiratory Society Standing Evaluation Committee.  

Peymané also takes an active role in teaching, having previously been director of the Graduate Entry Course in Medicine, and deputy director of the Birmingham MPH course.

Qualifications

  • Fellowship of the Faculty of Public Health (2007)
  • MD, University of Birmingham (2002)
  • Fellowship of the Hong Kong College of Community Medicine (1999)
  • MPH, University of Birmingham (1996)
  • MBChB, University of Liverpool (1990)

Teaching

Teaching Programmes

  • Medicine and Surgery MBChB (years 1, 2, 3)
  • Medical Science BMedSc
  • Public Health MPH/PG Diploma/PG Certificate (Epidemiology)

Postgraduate supervision

Peymané Adab’s research interests are twofold, including behavioural epidemiology (specifically childhood obesity prevention) and chronic disease epidemiology (focusing on the epidemiology of COPD). She holds major grants in these areas from the National Institute for Health Research and, in the past, from the Medical Research Council.

Professor Adab has successfully supervised five PhD students in the last few years, who have moved on to academic careers. She currently supervises four PhD students working in childhood obesity prevention and COPD epidemiology.

Research

Chronic disease epidemiology

Specifically: a) Behavioural medicine, focusing on childhood obesity prevention

b) Epidemiology of COPD

Other activities

Honorary clinical contract held with Public Health England

Honorary Professor of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong

Funding Boards:

  • Chair of NIHR PHR Funding Committee (July 2019--); deputy chair 2017- 2019; Member from 2014
  • Member NIHR COVID Recovery and Learning Committee (2020)
  • Member of ERS Standing Evaluation Committee for the review of fellowship applications (2013-17)
  • Member of NIHR RfPB committee, West Midlands (June 2009 – 2013)

Expert advisor:

  • Member of Obesity Health Alliance Independent Obesity Strategy Working Group, 2019-2020
  • Member of The Health Foundation Improvement Research Programme Scoping Panel, 2019-2020
  • Member of MRC-NIHR Methodology Advisory Group, 2019
  • Expert advisor to the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
  • Topic expert committee member for NICE Public Health Advisory Committee “Maintaining a healthy weight and preventing excess weight gain among children and adults” (2014-15)
  • Expert member on NICE Programme Development group on “Lifestyle weight management services for overweight and obese children and young people” (2012-2013)

Other Professional/expert roles:

  • Trustee for the Association for the Study of Obesity (ASO), UK (2014-2017)
  • Member of Cardiovascular Health Working Group, Faculty of Public Health (2008-2011) 

Clinical/monitoring:

  • Clinical appraiser for PHE
  • Chair TSC for NIHR PHR funded MapMe Trial (2020-)
  • Chair TSC for NIHR PHR funded feasibility study, Action 3:30 (2017-2019)
  • Chair TSC for NIHR funded fellowship, Leeds University – the HENRY study (2015-2018)
  • Chair Data Monitoring Committee for NIHR funded trial “Families for Health” Warwick University (2012-2015)
  • South Birmingham Local Research Ethics Committee (2004-2008)

Teaching related:

  • External panel member for Foundation degree programme development (Public Health in Practice) – Ipswich University, 2009
  • External examiner for UWE MSc in Public Health (2008 to 2012)

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Adams, R, Jordan, RE, Maher, A, Adab, P, Barrett, T, Bevan, S, Cooper, L, DuRand, I, Edwards, F, Hardy, P, Harris, C, Heneghan, N, Rowland, N, Jolly, K, Jowett, S, Marshall, T, O'Hara, M, Poyner, C, Rai, K, Rickards, H, Sadhra, S, Tearne, S, Walters, G & Sapey, E 2026, 'Enhancing the Health of NHS Staff: eTHOS - a randomised controlled pilot trial of an employee health screening clinic for NHS staff compared with usual care to reduce absenteeism and presenteeism', Pilot and Feasibility Studies.

Perry, SJ, Goodyear, VA, Pallan, M, Adab, P, Fenton, S, Michail, M, Patterson, P, Randhawa, A, Sitch, AJ, Wade, M & Al-Janabi, H 2026, 'Health economics analysis of restrictive school smartphone policies in secondary schools in England (SMART Schools)', BMJ Mental Health, vol. 29, no. 1, e301892. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjment-2025-301892

Goodyear, VA, Randhawa, A, Adab, P, Al-Janabi, H, Fenton, S, Michail, M, Patterson, P, Sitch, A, Wade, M & Pallan, M 2026, 'How school phone policies influence adolescent phone use and wellbeing (SMART Schools): a qualitative comparative case study', Social Science and Medicine, vol. 398, 119094. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2026.119094

Jordan, RE, Keene, SJ, Franssen, FME, Fitzmaurice, D, Adderley, NJ, Dickens, AP, Martin, JT, Sitch, AJ, Enocson, A, Jowett, S, Riley, RD, Miller, MR, Cooper, BG, Turner, A, Jolly, K, Ayres, JG, Stockley, R, Greenfield, S, Siebert, S, Daley, A, Cheng, KK, de Vries, F, Wouters, EFM & Adab, P 2026, 'Prognostic score for predicting respiratory admissions among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in primary care: development and validation in population cohorts (Birmingham Lung Improvement Studies (BLISS))', BMJ (Clinical research ed.), vol. 392, e084521. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2025-084521

Retzer, A, Adab, P, Fischer, NS, Frew, E, Jones, J, Makahleh, HY, Manna, A, Pallan, M, Pokhilenko, I, Rudge, G, Duff, R, Subdurally-Plon, MI & Jolly, K 2026, 'Stakeholder views on the installation and use of mile long tracks in community parks aimed at increasing physical activity in low-income minority areas: A qualitative evaluation in Birmingham UK', Public Health in Practice, vol. 11, 100758. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhip.2026.100758

Jordan, RE, Keene, SJ, Franssen, FME, Fitzmaurice, D, Adderley, NJ, Dickens, AP, Martin, J, Sitch, AJ, Enocson, A, Jowett, S, Riley, RD, Miller, MR, Cooper, BG, Turner, A, Jolly, K, Ayres, JG, Stockley, R, Greenfield, S, Siebert, S, Daley, A, Cheng, KK, de Vries, F, Wouters , EFM & Adab, P 2026, 'The Birmingham Lung Improvement Studies (BLISS) prognostic score for predicting respiratory hospitalisations among primary care COPD patients: development, internal and external validation in population cohorts', BMJ.

Murphy, M, Hewitt, T, Stewart, A, Morrison, B, Duff, R, Sitch, A, Hurley, K, Griffin, T, Adamson, A, Spence, S, Rowland, M, Adab, P & Pallan, M 2026, 'The distribution of school-aged adolescents’ free sugar intake across the day: A cross-sectional study', European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-026-01714-5

Pokhilenko, I, Pallan, M, Murphy, M, Adab, P, Morrison, B, Sitch, A, Adamson, A, Bartington, S, Duff, R, Griffin, T, Hurley, K, Lancashire, E, McLeman, L, Passmore, S, Rowland, M, Ravaghi, V, Spence, S & Frew, E 2025, 'Economic evaluation of the national school food standards across secondary schools in The Midlands, UK (the FUEL study): methodological challenges of undertaking health economics research within non-health settings', The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, vol. 22, 142. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-025-01840-6

Floredin, I, Husbands, S, Hancock, J, Mitchell, PM, Coast, J, Frew, E, Adab, P, Murphy, M, Clarke, J, Pallan, M & Peters, TJ 2025, 'Factors associated with changes in capability-wellbeing for children and young people of secondary school age during the first covid-19 lockdown', Child Indicators Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-025-10294-y

Alving-Jessep, E, Pallan, M, Ansell, E, Hamill, L, McConnell, C, McIlwee, D, McKinley, MC, Moore, SE, Murphy, M, Neville, C, O’Neill, C, Sevel, E, Adab, P, Bryant, M, Chambers, S, Cardwell, CR, Ensaff, H, Evans, C, Reid, S, Holford, A, Bradley, J, Spence, S & Woodside, J 2025, 'Free school meals, diet quality and food insecurity in secondary school students: protocol for a multiple-methods study – the CANTEEN study', BMJ Open, vol. 15, no. 10, e101428. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2025-101428

Retzer, A, Adab, P, Calvert, M, Campbell, N, Varney, J, Fisher, P, Arhin-Tenkorang, D, Merriman, J, Harris, IM, Khatsuria, F, Nayyar, P, Gay, C & Jolly, K 2025, 'Methodological development for core outcome sets in population health research: a mixed-methods study', Trials. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-025-09399-0

Guo, P, Efstathiou, N, Bailey, C, Adab, P & Glasby, J 2025, 'Priority setting in dementia palliative care research for people living with dementia and carers: A mixed methods consensus study', Palliative Care and Social Practice, vol. 19. https://doi.org/10.1177/26323524251392625

Goodyear, V, Randhawa, A, Adab, P, Al-Janabi, H, Fenton, S, Jones, K, Michail, M, Morrison, B, Patterson, P, Quinlan, J, Sitch, A, Twardochleb, R, Wade, M & Pallan, M 2025, 'School phone policies and their association with mental wellbeing, phone use, and social media use (SMART Schools): a cross-sectional observational study', The Lancet Regional Health - Europe. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanepe.2025.101211

Chapter

Adab, P 2025, Public health and global inequalities. in S Moralee, M Sidhu, J Smith & K Walshe (eds), Healthcare Management: Fourth Edition. 4 edn, McGraw Hill, England, pp. 58-83. <https://www.mheducation.co.uk/healthcare-management-4e-9780335252596-emea-group>

Abstract

Guo, P, Sharma, P, Efstathiou, N, Bailey, C, Adab, P & Glasby, J 2025, 'Priorities of integrating palliative care into dementia practice from the perspectives of underrepresented stakeholders: A qualitative study', Palliative Medicine, vol. 39, no. 2_suppl, pp. 56-57. https://doi.org/10.1177/02692163251335482

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