I am an epidemiologist by training with a particular interest in evidence synthesis.
My degree in Natural Sciences at Cambridge was followed by work on various projects in Bangladesh, UK and Nigeria and covering child health, mortality and eye disease (onchocerciasis). After completing the Masters in Epidemiology at LSHTM, I continued to work in eye health thereafter, publishing on vision impairment in the UK and completing my PhD on the epidemiology of age-related macular degeneration in the UK. I worked with the Cochrane Eyes and Vision Group for many years as an author, editor and coordinating editor. Since the Eyes and Vision UK editorial base closed, I have maintained my interest in evidence synthesis at the International Centre for Eye Health, coordinating the Evidence Synthesis Group and portfolio of reviews in the Centre.
Affiliations
Teaching
I teach on epidemiology and evidence synthesis to the Masters on Public Health for Eye Care and, in 2023-2024, will be part of the faculty for the new ICEH 18-month fellowship training programme aiming to strengthen individual capacity in public health and clinical skills.
Previous roles have included module organiser and tutor for two distance learning modules: 'epidemiology and control of infectious diseases in developing countries' (MSc Infectious Diseases) and 'fundamentals of epidemiology' (MSc Epidemiology).
Research
I am interested in the application of evidence synthesis methods to questions specific to global eye health. Review topics cover specific interventions for eye health, including nutritional interventions for age-related macular degeneration, laser trabeculoplasty for glaucoma, and interventions for cataract including use of NSAIDs around surgery, different types of intraocular lenses and reviews of the prevalence of eye disease, for example diabetic retinopathy in pre-diabetes. I have been involved in prognostic reviews - for example, for diabetic retinopathy. More recently, I have contributed to a number of scoping review with diverse topics including identifying barriers and solutions for access to community health services, interventions to promote access to eye care for disadvantaged group, prevalence and impact of dual sensory loss. I was involved in the development of the WHO package for eye care interventions, supporting the group in the identification and critical appraisal of evidence for interventions to be included in the package. Identifying which systematic and scoping reviews need to be done is a particular interest. I was part of the team that considered the Grand Challenges in Global Eye Health and also lead the Cochrane Eyes and Vision Priority Setting Exercise.