Dexter Canoy is Senior Lecturer in Epidemiology and Public Health at Newcastle University. His research interests include investigating determinants of population health and cardiovascular disease using large-scale biomedical data as discovery tools. He explores questions relating to healthy ageing, women’s health, and health inequalities. He contributes to several research collaborations involving the application of artificial intelligence to characterise the dynamics of multimorbidity and polypharmacy in the AI-Multiply and characterise eye images to help understand ageing of the brain, neurodegenerative disease and glaucoma (OCTAHEDRON). He is also involved in a global consortium pooling individual patient-level data to investigating stratified effects of antihypertensive drugs (BPLTTC).

Professor Barbara Hanratty will co-lead work package 3 and support patient and public involvement work, contributing expertise in mixed methods and older adult care, overseeing the work of the qualitative researcher, and bringing insights from general practice. As lead for the Multimorbidity research theme in the Applied Research Collaboration North East and North Cumbria, she will provide links to a network of interested practitioners and commissioners to support development and implementation of findings.

Soraia Sousa is a Consultant in Liaison Psychiatry and an Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer at Newcastle University. She is interested in the interface of mental and physical health conditions and big data analysis and co-leads mental health within work package 3. She provides mental health expertise to inform study design, data interpretation and guide the direction of trial emulations.

Professor McAllister-Williams will lead mental health within workpackage 3, providing psychiatric and psychopharmacology expertise to study design and data interpretation, and supporting the study as Deputy Medical Director for Research (CNTW mental health Trust) facilitating access to the CRIS system for interrogating electronic records. He will co-ordinate an informal group to provide expertise in severe mental illness, mood disorders and anxiety, and liaison psychiatry; mental health pharmacy; and representing East London and North East England.

Professor John Isaacs will lead the inflammation research sub-theme of workpackage 3, seeking evidence for an impact of inflammation and anti-inflammatory therapies on the subsequent emergence of multiple long-term conditions (multimorbidity) (MLTC-M) and polypharmacy. He will seek signals of unrecognised interactions between drug classes which may contribute to MLTC-M and polypharmacy.

‘Dr Alexandra Thompson is a post-doctoral research fellow based at Newcastle University. Alex has two roles. She is evaluation lead for the cross cutting PPIE theme, responsible for collecting data linked to the implementation, process and outcomes of public involvement within AI-Multiply. These findings are used to shape and improve PPIE across all work packages and will be used to create guidance for PPIE within similar AI and Big Data Projects.

Alex is also responsible for conducting qualitative research for WP3. Here she collects and analyses data in the form of in-depth interviews with individuals living with multiple long-term conditions and taking multiple medications. The focus of this work is on uncovering perceptions of influences on health and health care trajectories’.

Professor Deborah Swinglehurst leads work package 4 with Dr Megan Clinch. She provides intellectual and methodological steer and line manages the post-doctoral social scientist leading the field work (Duncan Reynolds).  She is supporting qualitative data collection, theory development and analysis, working with the WP4 team on the design and delivery of regular interdisciplinary reflexive workshops which engage the wider consortium. As a GP she engages actively in regular Data Engineering meetings, Polypharmacy Whiteboard sessions and other interdisciplinary meetings, offering an expert generalist perspective on MLTC and polypharmacy. Deborah delivered a seminar on the contribution of ethnography to MLTC research in the AIM Research Support Facility seminar series early 2024.

Dr Megan Clinch co-leads work package 4 with Professor Deborah Swinglehurst. With Deborah she supports the work package 4 postdoctoral researcher, Duncan Reynolds, to conduct an ethnographic study of the interdisciplinary working practices that constitute AI MULTIPLY. These findings are then used to inform reflexive workshops for the AIM team, which provide productive spaces for them to consider the many knowledge making styles they collectively bring to the project. So far, these workshops have helped to shed light on the values, practicalities, tensions, and aspirations that are shaping the work of the AI-MULTIPLY team. These activities will eventually contribute to a better understanding and theorisation of how successful interdisciplinary working can be established when developing Artificial Intelligence for healthcare.

Dr Duncan Reynolds is the post-doctoral researcher responsible for data collection on work package 4. This involves Duncan undertaking ethnographic observations of interdisciplinary meetings across the AI-Multiply project and carrying out interviews with team members. Guided by the ongoing analysis, selected extracts of the data he gathers are used as a basis for interactive reflexive workshops which are delivered regularly with the wider consortium throughout the project. These occasions draw attention to how everyone in the project is working together to create ‘AI-in-health’ technologies. Duncan has presented findings from this work at the Oxford Global Bio Ethics and the European Association for the Study of Science and Technology (EASST) conferences, as well as the AIM Conference, and to PPIE groups.

Professor James Wason will co-lead WP5 (Health and social care outcomes: translation into practice) and will manage the PDRA focused on trial emulation and subsequent design of prospective trials. He is an internally recognised trials methodologist and is beginning a NIHR Research Professorship in late 2021. The planned research in the RP, including use of routinely collected data to emulate trials and design prospective pragmatic trials is highly aligned with this collaborative grant.

Professor Adam Todd will co-lead workpackage 5 as an experienced pharmacist and with expertise in “deprescribing” and managing patients with complex polypharmacy. He leads a programme of work exploring how pharmaceutical care can be used more appropriately in different populations, and is also interested how inequalities in pharmaceutical care can be addressed. He will support interpretation of the research findings and dissemination to ensure the programme of research is embedded in meaningful clinical practice.

Neil Watson is a Professor of Practice at the Faculty of Medical Sciences at Newcastle University and Director of Innovation at Newcastle Hospitals. He has extensive experience in both Medicines Optimisation and clinical informatics. He will contribute to the interpretation of the results from the machine learning AI modelling, specifically in relation to polypharmacy and prescription practice. He will co-lead workpackage 5 to further support the translation of data analysis findings into clinical practice.

Dr Ellen Moss is a postdoctoral researcher on WP5. She is an applied statistician with a background in biology. She also has lived experience of polypharmacy, long-term conditions, and being disabled. Ellen is responsible for conducting trial emulations, which involves using electronic health records from primary and secondary care to mimic clinical trials. These trial emulations will address treatment questions relating to long-term conditions and polypharmacy and some will be co-designed with the PPIE group.

Dr Vanessa Apea is a consultant physician in Sexual Health/HIV with expertise in access to healthcare by marginalised groups and implementing complex interventions in clinical settings. She has an established track record of utilising community participatory approaches to exploring health inequalities, particularly at the intersection of race and gender. Vanessa is also the deputy academic lead for equality, diversity and inclusion at QMUL’s school of medicine. She will be leading the cross-cutting ‘Inequalities’ theme.

Olivia Grant, OBE, DL, will contribute as a lay member, chairing the Steering Committee and will lead on PPIE and wider engagement. She has extensive experience chairing high-level boards, including Chair of Newcastle University (2002-2011), Board member (1995 -1998) then Vice Chair Newcastle Building Society (1998 to 2008) and over 30 years’ experience meeting with and consulting public bodies (e.g. local councils). Chair of Culture North East (2002-10) She was also the main carer for her late husband who experienced the health problems of multimorbidity and polypharmacy.

Victoria’s background is in retail, hospitality and welfare to work management and training. She has lived experience of being disabled, accessing primary, secondary and social care for herself and as a carer for a friend. She has been involved in PPIE work since leaving employment in 2016 due to the impact of multiple long term health conditions and polypharmacy.

She is leading on the PPIE design, delivery and evaluation ensuring a focus on public involvement in all aspects of the study from each decision and discussion to potential implementation and future research plans.

“I love being involved in research and believe that including the patient perspective is essential in ensuring research can truly benefit the people that it is designed to help. It also helps me by making me feel that I am contributing to society when I am unable to go back to my previous employment due to my health conditions..”

Dave is a patient representative contributing to research projects on multiple long-term conditions, polypharmacy and AI. He has lived with several long-term conditions since his teenage years. He was formerly Vice Chair for the Patients Association and has written for Springer on the Patient’s Perspective on AI in Medicine. He is the patient lead on the RSM’s digital health council, holds an honorary fellowship with Imperial’s Institute for Security Science and Technology and is a public member for an NIHR PGfAR funding committee.

Susan has lived with many long-term conditions and enjoys sharing her experience with researchers as a public contributor.  She is an avid campaigner to help with a smokefree 2030 and has spoken several times in Parliament and been involved in many smoking researches.   She is passionate about helping research and is on the programme board for the new Secure Data Environment (SDE) for North East and North Cumbria and hoping to be part of the Data Access Committee for the SDE.  To relax she likes to do cold water swimming.

Dr Alexandra Thompson is a post-doctoral research fellow based at Newcastle University. Alex has two roles. She is evaluation lead for the cross cutting PPIE theme, responsible for collecting data linked to the implementation, process and outcomes of public involvement within AI-Multiply. These findings are used to shape and improve PPIE across all work packages and will be used to create guidance for PPIE within similar AI and Big Data Projects.

Alex is also responsible for conducting qualitative research for WP3. Here she collects and analyses data in the form of in-depth interviews with individuals living with multiple long-term conditions and taking multiple medications. The focus of this work is on uncovering perceptions of influences on health and health care trajectories.

Dr Duncan Reynolds is the post-doctoral researcher responsible for data collection on workpackage 4. This involves Duncan undertaking ethnographic observations of interdisciplinary meetings on the project and carrying out interviews with team members. Duncan is closely involved with the PPIE group and has assisted in the PPIE design and delivery within the project. His work on the study’s Mission Statement was an opportunity to bring together the main PPIE group and contributors working with SAfH for a hybrid workshop to finalise the Mission Statement and ensure that it was understandable to the public and reflected the aims of the project and our goal for patient benefit. 

Lizzie is third year PhD candidate involved in WP1 and WP2. She is a mixed methods researcher, and her research looks at how we can build AI algorithms with members of the public and clinicians. In AI-MULTIPLY she helped develop accessible workshops to support the involvement and engagement from members of the public who are not normally involved in research. She also designed and delivered training on AI to the PPIE groups, and supported the development of early career research sessions, where ECR’s can book appointments to get feedback from and interact with the PPIE group.

Ceri Durham will contribute as a lay member through her role at Social Action for Health. She has extensive experience of contributing to research both in her personal and professional capacity. She has particular knowledge and expertise in encouraging and up-skilling others who are traditionally far away from academic discussion and policy decision-making, to have a “voice at the table”.

Grainne Colligan is Programmes Manager at Social Action for Health and has previous experience working in medical research and as a Practice nurse in General Practice in Hackney, East London. As someone who understands clinical, research and community environments she works to bring people from these different environments together in an equal and meaningful way to facilitate learning for everyone.