Please use the links below to contact the organisations and individuals who are collaborating in the MedCHAMPs project
- Professor Julia Critchley, Professor of Epidemiology, has considerable experience in CVD epidemiology and modelling. With Professor Simon Capewell at Liverpool University, she developed the original IMPACT model (UK), has since applied it to Finland, and has developed a version for use in an urban middle-income setting (Beijing). She also has expertise in research synthesis, and tobacco control.
- Professor Nigel Unwin, Professor of Epidemiology, has extensive experience in epidemiology and public health aspects of diabetes and CVD, and a particular interest in these conditions in low and middle income countries (especially Africa). He has worked in Tanzania, Cameroon and Jamaica, and has been a Medical Officer with the Diabetes Unit at the WHO in Geneva, where he headed a joint WHO-IDF programme of work. He is now joint-head of the Newcastle University WHO collaborating Centre for Diabetes, and continues to work closely with the Diabetes Unit at WHO, and with the International Diabetes Federation.
- Professor Simon Capewell, Chair in Clinical Epidemiology, manages a research programme on the clinical epidemiology of CVD. Outputs include a hundred peer-reviewed papers in the last decade, plus recent funding of some £4million. Recent work includes a programme examining why coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality rates have recently halved in the UK, the USA and elsewhere, and how we might help planners and policy makers develop future strategies. He has examined trends in CHD and stroke incidence, prevalence and survival. He also directs the research strategy for the Heart of Mersey primary prevention programme, promoting evidence-based health food and smoke-free interventions.
- Dr Kathleen Bennett, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacolepidemiology, has considerable experience in biostatistics and cardiovascular disease epidemiology. Together with Professor Simon Capewell she developed the IMPACT model for Ireland, and has collaborated on IMPACT models in Italy and Sweden.She has expertise in statistics, and is involved in various different research studies, both randomised and observational. She is also leading and EC Marie Curie Training project on cardiovascular disease epidemiology and modelling across Europe.
- Dr Belgin Unal, Associate Professor in Public Health, has experience in cardiovascular disease epidemiology and modelling. She developed the IMPACT model for England together with Professor Simon Capewell (UoL) and Professor Julia Critchley (IHS, Newcastle) and has published widely in this field. She also has expertise in conducting observational and interventional research.
- Dr Wasim Maziak, Associate Professor at the University of Memphis and Director of the SCTS, has a considerable track record in investigating cardiovascular health in developed and developing countries setting, as well as training local researchers in Syria on conducting epidemiological studies of cardiovascular risk factors. He has produced the first reliable population-based estimates on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, as well as the prevalence of associated risks, in Syria. He has also studied hypertension and smoking in Germany as part of the WHO-MONICA project in Germany.
- Dr Fouad Fouad is a researcher and co-ordinator of the Syrian Center for Tobacco Studies, in Aleppo. He has several years' experience with the coordination and planning of research activities at SCTS, including surveys on CVD risk factors and smoking. He has also extensive experience with the collection of qualitative data, including key informant interviews and focus groups. Fouad was the former Director of Primary Health Care in the Syrian Ministry of Health.
- Dr Abdullatif Husseini, is Assistant Professor of Public Health (Epidemiology) and Coordinator of the epidemiology unit at ICPH, and his research interests include epidemiology of NCDs and smoking. Dr Abdullatif has taught classical and advanced epidemiology to public health students and has also conducted training courses for health professionals in various epidemiological topics and health programme evaluation. He is also a health programme/project evaluator.
- Professor Habiba Ben Romdhane, Senior Lecturer in Epidemiology and Director of the CAVEPLA, has considerable experience in cardiovascular disease epidemiology and prevention. she coordinated the national surveys on CVD risk factors, the Registry of CHD, the national strategy on CVD prevention and control. She participated, as an expert from a middle income country, to the elaboration of two WHO guidelines, one on secondary prevention of coronary heart disease, and cerebrovascular disease, the second on an integrated approach to primary prevention of heart attacks and strokes. She runs the community-based Initiative (CBI, EMRO) project, and coordinates the Ariana Healthy Urbanization project (WHO).
- Dr Helen Mason is a Lecturer in Health Economics with expertise in economic evaluation of health care interventions, using economics in health care priority setting and measuring the benefits of health care mainly using stated preferences techniques. She has worked with Professor Simon Capewell on the MRC NPRI funded Prevention IMPACT study in the UK.
