Dr Maria Lange

Department of Metabolism and Systems Science
Clinical Research Fellow

Contact details

Address: Department of Metabolism and Systems Science
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Maria's passion for academic medicine began during a medical school elective in Endocrinology
at the National Institute of Health, USA. She subsequently undertook an Academic Foundation
programme post in Medical Education and was awarded an NIHR Academic Clinical
Fellowship in Endocrinology at the University of Warwick. During this time, she balanced clinical
and research training. Her projects ranged from lab-based epigenetic projects, cohort studies
in the weight management service, to rapid reviews and meta-analysis. MSc degrees in
Health Research and Nutritional Sciences further strengthened her research skills in various
methodologies.

Maria is also an Endocrinology trainee (ST5) in the West Midlands. She previously completed Internal
Medicine Training (IMT) and MRCP (UK). Her clinical practice has provided her with a deeper
understanding of the lived experience of obesity, enriching her research perspective. She is
passionate about medicine and research that unites diverse specialities. She believes that patients do not live within the boundaries of medical specialities and that collaborative, inter-disciplinary research is crucial for driving meaningful, real-world impact.

Qualifications

MSc (Distinction) in Nutritional Sciences, University of Nottingham
MSc (Distinction) in Health Research, University of Warwick
MRCP (UK)
MBChB (Commendation), University of Glasgow

Doctoral research

PhD title: An interdisciplinary exploration of Tirzepatide’s therapeutic role in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension.

Research

At an early stage of her career, Maria developed a research interest in obesity, pursuing research projects that would allow her to explore the breadth of this condition from diverse perspectives. Sustainable
weight management is the only disease modifying therapy in Idiopathic Intracranial hypertension (IIH), a disease widely accepted to have a metabolic aetiology. GLP1 receptor agonists have transformed the
management of non-IIH obesity with promising data for their use in IIH, with evidence of improvement in IIH outcomes dependent and independent of weight loss. Her central research question is: What
are the effects of GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist tirzepatide on patient attitudes, sleep parameters and glucocorticoid phenotype in an IIH cohort?

Maria's PhD supervisors are Professor Alexandra Sinclair, Professor Lisa Hill, and Dr Jonathan Hazelhurst.

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Gew, J, Tsermoulas, G, Berman, G, Dinkin, M, Hill, LJ, John, S, Lange, MG, McHugh, JA, Mollan, SP, Takeshima, T, Winters, S, Yiangou, A & Sinclair, AJ 2026, 'Cerebrospinal fluid shunting and venous sinus stenting in sight-threatening idiopathic intracranial hypertension: a practical review of current evidence', Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp-2026-339185

Yiangou, A, Phu Do, T, Grech, O, Mugo, CW, Thomas, CN, Gew, J, Lange, MG, Gee, M, Mollan, SP, Hill, LJ, Lucas, SJE, Ashina, M & Sinclair, AJ 2026, 'CGRP-provoked headache is associated with a neuroimmune signature in idiopathic intracranial hypertension', The Journal of Headache and Pain, vol. 27, no. 1, 159. https://doi.org/10.1186/s10194-026-02385-0

Lange, MG, Vickers, A, Hill, LJ, Mollan, SP, Mitchell, J, Sinclair, AJ & Lee, AG 2026, 'Pro-Con: Antiobesity Drugs Such as Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists Should Be a First-Line Treatment in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension', Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology, vol. 46, no. 1, pp. 117-127. https://doi.org/10.1097/WNO.0000000000002431

Review article

Lange, MG, Neophytou, C, Cappuccio, FP, Barber, TM, Johnson, S & Chen, YF 2024, 'Sex differences in the association between short sleep duration and obesity: A systematic-review and meta-analysis', Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, vol. 34, no. 10, pp. 2227-2239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.numecd.2024.06.008

View all publications in research portal