Over time, the Whitehall II Study has grown to include a team of Principal Investigators, Researchers, Support staff and PhD Students.ÌýThere are also a number of academic visitors from Finland, France, Sweden and other countries working on various collaborative projects.
Principal InvestigatorsÌý
- Professor Mika KivimakiÌý lÌý Study Director/Principal InvestigatorÌý
Chair of Social Epidemiology
Whitehall II Study Director
·¡³¾²¹¾±±ô:Ìým.kivimaki@ucl.ac.ukÌýÌýÌý
Background:ÌýProfessor Kivimaki is an epidemiologist and director of the Whitehall II study.
Current area of research:ÌýProfessor Kivimaki'sÌýresearch focuses on 3 broad topics: (1) risk factors for chronic conditions (type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression) and mortality; (2) prevention of Alzheimer’s disease and other late-onset dementias; and (3) multicohort omics and outcome-wide analyses to increase aetiological understanding.
A detailed biographical interview is available inÌý
- Professor Archana Singh-ManouxÌý lÌý Principal InvestigatorÌý
Research Director, INSERM
Honorary Professor, UCL
·¡³¾²¹¾±±ô:Ìýa.singh-manoux@ucl.ac.ukBackground:ÌýProfessor Singh-Manoux leadsÌýthe cognitive ageing programme of the Whitehall II study and heads a research team entitled "Epidemiology of ageing and neurodegenerative diseases"ÌýÌýatÌý, the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research.
Current area of research:ÌýOur overarching objective is to identify the drivers of health at older ages using a lifecourse approach. Key characteristics of this research includes study of functional decline as well as dementia, consideration of both cognitive & motor change in order to assess how central nervous system dysfunction impacts the sequence of age-related changes, repeat assessment of multiple risk factors (social, behavioural, cardiometabolic, inflammatory, etc.), strong methodological core in order to tackle limitations due to suboptimal consideration of missing data, competing risks, selection, & reverse causation biases.
- ProfessorÌýEric BrunnerÌý lÌý Principal Investigator
Ìý
Professor of Social and Biological Epidemiology
·¡³¾²¹¾±±ô:Ìýe.brunner@ucl.ac.ukÌý ÌýÌý
Background:ÌýProfessor Brunner is an epidemiologist, researching the nature and causes of health inequalities. He co-directed the Whitehall II study for many years. He is a visiting professor at Osaka Graduate School of Medicine.Ìý
Current area of research:ÌýProfessorÌýBrunner leads theÌýUK-China Health and Social Challenges Ageing ProjectÌýa 4-year study of ageing, dementia and health in China and UKÌýÌýfunded by Economic and Social Research Council.Ìý
Researchers
- Professor Annie Britton
Professor of EpidemiologyÌý
·¡³¾²¹¾±±ô:Ìý:Ìýa.britton@ucl.ac.ukÌý
Professor Britton's research focuses on the health consequences of alcohol consumption, with a particular emphasis on drinking across the life course.Ìý
Professor Britton uses data from several large cohort studies, including Whitehall II, with repeat measures of alcohol consumption to investigate how these relate to health outcomes such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and mortality.Ìý She is also researching the health needs of marginalised populations, working with colleagues at the UCL Collaborative Centre for Inclusion Health.
Additionally, Professor Britton is the Graduate Tutor for research students in the Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care.
- Professor Severine Sabia
ÌýÌý
Senior Research Associate Ìý
·¡³¾²¹¾±±ô:Ìýs.sabia@ucl.ac.ukAfter a degree in data sciences and a PhD in epidemiology at University of Paris-Saclay, Professor Sabia joined Õ¬ÄÐÊÓƵ in 2010 as a post-doctoral fellow. She is currently senior research associate both at UCL and the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research.
Professor Sabia's longstanding research interest is the impact of modifiable factors on health during ageing with focus on behavioural factors over the lifecourse – smoking, alcohol consumption, dietary behaviour, physical activity, and sleep. She is also interested in methods and statistical analysis such as longitudinal analyses with repeated data and missing data.
- ProfessorÌýDr Adam Tabak
ÌýÌý
Clinical Research Associate Ìý
·¡³¾²¹¾±±ô:Ìýa.tabak@ucl.ac.ukProfessorÌýTabák holds a medical degree and a PhD in diabetes epidemiology from Semmelweis University in Hungary. He shares his time as a research professor at Semmelweis University (Department of Internal Medicine and Oncology and Department of Public Health) and at UCL.
His research interests include clinical aspects of diabetes mellitus including the risk factors and consequences of diabetes complications and gestational diabetes as well as the efficacy of novel diabetes medications. His research in the Whitehall study focuses on the natural history of diabetes before and after the diagnosis of diabetes using the repeated measures available in this database. He is also interested in natural history of diabetic vascular complications.
- Dr Joni Lindbohm
Research Fellow Ìý
Email:Ìýj.lindbohm@ucl.ac.ukÌý- Dr Simon Chen
Senior Research Fellow Ìý
·¡³¾²¹¾±±ô:Ìýyuntao.chen@ucl.ac.uk- Dr Philipp Frank
Research Fellow Ìý
·¡³¾²¹¾±±ô:Ìýphilipp.frank.16@ucl.ac.ukÌý
Operational Staff
- Mrs Isabelle Wilson Ìý lÌý Programme ManagerÌý
Mrs Isabelle WilsonÌý
Programme Manager
·¡³¾²¹¾±±ô:Ìýisabelle.wilson@ucl.ac.ukIsabelle Wilson, Programme Manager for the Whitehall II Study, is responsible for the general oversight and management of the study.
Isabelle is an experienced manager of operations with an interest in translational research. She has worked at the University of Oxford, UCL Institute of Child Health, Lurie Children’s Hospital Chicago, and for the NHS. She is an accredited AHCS clinical research practitioner and certified SOCRA Clinical Research Associate.
She has an undergraduate degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge and an MSc. Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
- Dr Andy Ryan ÌýlÌý Senior Data Manager
- Dr Andy Ryan ÌýÌýÌý
Senior Data Manager ÌýÌý
Email:ÌýÌýa.ryan@ucl.ac.ukÌýÌý
Andy brings over 20 years of experience in clinical trial data management to the Whitehall II study team. He joined in November 2021 and has overall responsibility for the study data and data sharing.
- Ms Stephanie Smith ÌýlÌý Study & Data CoordinatorÌý
- Ms Stephanie SmithÌý
Study & Data Coordinator
·¡³¾²¹¾±±ô:ÌýÌýs.c.smith@ucl.ac.ukÌý
Stephanie joined the Whitehall II study team in 1995 and took up the senior role of Study and Data Co-ordinator in 2001.
Stephanie is responsible for managing and co-ordinating the study data collection and administrative related activities.ÌýShe also deals with participant and study related queries. - Mrs Beverly Milne ÌýlÌý Clinical Co-OrdinatorÌýÌý
Mrs Beverly MilneÌý
Clinical Co-OrdinatorÌý
·¡³¾²¹¾±±ô:ÌýÌýb.milne@ucl.ac.ukBeverly is the Senior Research Nurse responsible for co-ordinating the clinic and home visits during the study data collection. This includes developing standardized protocols for all measures and adapting these for the home visits.
Beverly is also responsible for the ethics applications and management of the study biological samples.ÌýÌý
Key CollaboratorsÌý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý ÌýPhD StudentsÌý
- Dr Tasnime Akbaraly
- Ìý
- Husnain Arshad