Lab profile: The Biomedical Research Centre, University of East Anglia

2012 ◽  
pp. 46-46
Author(s):  
Louise Cully
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rinita Dam ◽  
Syed Ghulam Sarwar Shah ◽  
Maria Julia Milano ◽  
Laurel D Edmunds ◽  
Lorna R Henderson ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTObjectiveScientific authorship is a vital marker of success in academic careers and gender equity is a key performance metric in research. However, there is little understanding of gender equity in publications in biomedical research centres funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). This study assesses the gender parity in scientific authorship of biomedical research.DesignA retrospective descriptive study.SettingNIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre.Data2409 publications accepted or published from 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2017.Main outcome measuresGender of authors, defined as a binary variable comprising either male or female categories, in six authorship categories: first author, joint first authors, first corresponding author, joint corresponding authors, last author and joint last authors.ResultsPublications comprised clinical research (39%, n=939), basic research (27%, n=643), and other types of research (34%, n=827). The proportion of female authors as first author (41%), first corresponding authors (34%) and last author (23%) was statistically significantly lower than male authors in these authorship categories. Of total joint first authors (n=458), joint corresponding authors (n=169), and joint last authors (n=229), female only authors comprised statistically significant smaller proportions i.e. 15% (n=69), 29% (n=49) and 10% (n=23) respectively, compared to male only authors in these joint authorship categories. There was a statistically significant association between gender of the last author(s) with gender of the first author(s) (χ 2 33.742, P < 0.001), corresponding author(s) (χ2 540.774, P < 0.001) and joint last author(s) (χ 2 91.291, P < 0.001).ConclusionsAlthough there are increasing trends of female authors as first authors (41%) and last authors (23%), female authors are underrepresented compared to male authors in all six categories of scientific authorship in biomedical research. Further research is needed to encourage gender parity in different categories of scientific authorship.Strengths and limitations of this studyThis is the first study to investigate gender parity in six categories of scientific authorship: first authors, first corresponding authors, last authors and three joint authorship categories i.e. joint first authors, joint corresponding authors and joint last authors in biomedical research.This study provides an important benchmark on gender equity in scientific authorship for other NIHR funded centres and organisations in England.The generalisability of the findings of this study may be limited due to differences in medical specialities, research areas, institutional cultures, and levels of support to individual researchers.Using secondary sources for determining the gender of authors may have limitations, which could be avoided by seeking relevant information from original authors and institution affiliation at the time of submission.


2010 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 679-679
Author(s):  
D. R. Lee ◽  
A. J. Thomas

The authors wish to add the following Acknowledgment:This work was supported by an award from the U.K. NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Ageing and Age-related Disease to the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.


2012 ◽  
Vol 136 ◽  
pp. S311
Author(s):  
Jason Tsang ◽  
Charlotte Gayer-Anderson ◽  
Francois Bourque ◽  
Jennifer O'Connor ◽  
Jonathan Garabette ◽  
...  

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. e047995
Author(s):  
Rosamund Yu ◽  
Bec Hanley ◽  
Simon Denegri ◽  
Jaber Ahmed ◽  
Nicholas J McNally

ObjectivesTo design, deliver and evaluate a programme of training workshops for biomedical researchers aimed at building confidence and skills in actively involving patients and the public (PPI) in research.DesignA bespoke programme of training workshops in PPI aimed at researchers.SettingA large National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre in London and several partner organisations.Participants721 scientists, clinicians and research managers attending dedicated training in PPI at a major London NHS (National Health Service)–university partnership.InterventionsA programme of 72 training workshops, designed to build practical skills and confidence for researchers working with patients and the public in research, was delivered at a major research-active NHS:university partnership. An iterative approach was taken to the programme, with the content of the workshops continually reviewed and refreshed to respond to the needs of researchers. Surveys before, immediately following and 6 months after training investigated the impact on researchers’ confidence and skills in PPI work, and the kind of PPI they subsequently carried out.ResultsTraining brought about immediate marked increases in researchers’ self-reported confidence to carry out PPI activities within their research, and in their knowledge of good practice. The evaluation indicates that workshop attendees were more likely to involve patients in their research following training. Researchers tended to involve patients and the public in a range of areas, including input to study design and patient information, in particular.ConclusionsWhen positioned within a broader organisational strategy for PPI in research, such training has an important role to play in progressing PPI in a major research partnership. Training appeared to provide the confidence needed to carry out PPI which enabled further development of confidence and skills. Involving researchers who have attended the training in the ongoing development of the programme and bringing in patients to the training programme are key next steps.


2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 1-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sobha Sivaprasad ◽  
Philip Hykin ◽  
A Toby Prevost ◽  
Joana Vasconcelos ◽  
Amy Riddell ◽  
...  

Background Panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) has been the standard of care for patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) for the last 40 years. It prevents severe visual loss in PDR but is also associated with adverse effects on visual functions. Objectives The clinical efficacy and mechanistic evaluation of aflibercept for proliferative diabetic retinopathy (CLARITY) trial evaluated the clinical efficacy, mechanisms and cost-effectiveness of intravitreal aflibercept (Eylea®, Regeneron, Tarrytown, NY, USA/Bayer Pharma AG, Berlin, Germany therapy for PDR. Design A multicentre, prospective, individually randomised, single-masked, active-controlled trial with concurrent economic evaluation that tested the non-inferiority of intravitreal aflibercept versus standard care PRP at 52 weeks. A subset of the participants enrolled in a mechanistic evaluation substudy. Setting 22 UK NHS clinical sites. Participants Patients aged at least 18 years having either treatment-naive PDR or active retinal neovascularisation (NV) despite prior PRP requiring treatment and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of 54 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) letters or better in the study eye were included. Eyes with evidence of macular oedema at baseline confirmed by central subfield thickness > 320 µm on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography were excluded. Intervention In the intervention arm, intravitreal aflibercept injections were given at baseline, 4 and 8 weeks and patients were subsequently reviewed every month and injected pro re nata based on the treatment response defined by degree of regression of retinal NV. In the comparator arm, PRP was completed in 2-weekly sessions and then supplemented if necessary at 8-weekly intervals. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was the mean change in BCVA at 52 weeks utilising a linear mixed-effects model incorporating data from both week 12 and week 52. Results A total of 232 participants (116 per arm) were recruited between August 2014 and November 2015. A total of 221 and 210 participants contributed to the intention-to-treat (ITT) model and per-protocol (PP) analysis, respectively. Economic evaluation was undertaken on 202 participants (101 per arm) with complete cost and outcome data. Aflibercept was non-inferior and superior to PRP in both the ITT population [mean BCVA difference 3.9 letters, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.3 to 5.6 letters; p < 0.0001] and the PP population (difference 4.0 letters, 95% CI 2.4 to 5.7 letters; p < 0.0001). From a public sector multiagency perspective that covers health and social care services, treatment with aflibercept costs more in terms of total resource use (mean adjusted total additional cost per patient = £5475, bootstrapped 95% CI £5211 to £5750) than PRP over a 12-month follow-up period. There were a small number of important safety events in each arm. Patients were more satisfied with aflibercept than PRP. Limitations This study is limited to 1 year of follow-up. Conclusions At an additional cost, the study shows that intravitreal aflibercept is an effective alternative treatment option for PDR in the first year. Future work Future research is needed to evaluate the long-term benefits of aflibercept in comparison with PRP and other anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agents for this condition. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN32207582. Funding This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Efficacy and Mechanistic Evaluation programme, a Medical Research Council and NIHR partnership. Aflibercept was supplied by Bayer Plc (Reading, UK). The study was sponsored by NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre and supported by the UK Clinical Research Network. The research was supported by the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and University College London Institute of Ophthalmology, the NIHR Moorfields Clinical Research Facility and the UK Clinical Reasearch Collaboration-registered King’s Clinical Trials Unit at King’s Health Partners, which is partly funded by the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London.


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