Hilary Watt CStat FHEA MSc MA(Oxon) BA

I lead this collaboration with Dr Renata Medeiros Mirra and Dr Damian Farnell and (co-organisers of Burwalls statistics teaching conference in 2020 & 2021) and Dr Kay Leedham-Green (teaching research expert). Dr Kate Honeyford, Katherine Davis and Dr Jane Warwick, Dr Henock Taddese and Dr Matt Harris are also involved. We have data from around 60 medical statisticians/ teachers of medical statistics, who have interpreted p-values and confidence intervals. We have analysed these interpretations for use of language, clarity of expression, for errors and for links with misconceptions. We have had 3 resulting abstracts accepted for the Royal Statistical Society annual conference in 2022, and led 2 discussion forums at Burwalls annual statistics teaching conference 2022.

I am responsible for overseeing her quantitative analysis. Her primary supervisor is Dr Sue Smith and Dr Ana Madeira Teixeira Baptista is her qualitative co-supervisor. Kay’s PhD focuses on the development and validation of two measures: (1) the Intentional Educational Value Scale, which measures a healthcare professional's intention to apply what they have learned in practice, and (2) the Personalised Care Measure, which measures personal engagement with health and wellbeing.

Guanfacine acts by increasing levels of noradrenaline. It is sometimes used to treat ADHD in children, since this drug may enhance attention. There is reason to believe that guanfacine may have a synergistic effect when combined with memory-enhancing drugs that are often prescribed in Alzheimer’s disease. Dr Paresh Malhotra is CI, a Clinical Reader in the Division of Brain Sciences and Consultant Neurologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. I also support members of his team with their statistical analyses and publications.

We are investigating Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (iNPH), which is a common treatable condition of the elderly in which progressive gait impairment, cognitive decline and urinary incontinence. Hence the intention is to improve diagnostic accuracy in this area.

I successfully supervised Dr Federica Amati’s PhD and Richard Adjei’s MPH dissertations to completion, and are now publishing related articles. Both dissertations looked at the role of ethnic group and deprivation and their association with (1) severity of anxiety and depression when entering IAPS, and (2) the outcomes of the IAPS intervention, with each dissertation using different data sources. Dr John Green is Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Academic and Clinical Director Anxiety Stress and Trauma, CNWL NHS Foundation Trust.

This fellowship was awarded by RM Partners cancer alliance. Qualitative project. Laura is the National lead nurse for Lynch Syndrome Project (hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer). Genetic counselling services are currently being introduced for patients who undergo genetic screening. Jai Vairale, Dr Sondus Hassounah and myself are collaborating with Laura on projects that inform her clinical national lead role. We have undertaken a systematic review of extent of anxiety and depression amongst people who are undergoing genetic screening for cancer. Such screening determines whether they carry a gene that puts them and potentially other family members at high risk of developing cancer and/or of recurring cancer amongst those already diagnosed.