Dr Lorna Aucott

Biography

I am the Senior Statistician within HSRU having joined the Unit in November 2017, managing the Unit statisticians and all statistics commitments.   I graduated (BSc Hons in Applied Statistics) from Hallam University, Sheffield in 1984, then went on to complete a PhD ("Analysis of Near Infra Spectra: For Compound Feeds") as a split Statistical/Biometrics discipline from the University of Aberdeen in 1991.  Between 1984 -2017 I lectured statistics to mathematical/non-mathematical students at undergraduate/postgraduate levels in Preston and then back in Aberdeen.  Since 2008 I have been a Senior Lecturer in medical statistics initially with the Medical Statistics Team, University of Aberdeen before joining the Unit. I have been a Royal Statistical Society (RSS) fellow since 1984 and  been actively involved over the years where-ever I have been.  Currently I am the chair of the local Highlands RSS group.  I have had a particular interest in obesity prevention projects especially those directed towards young adults, although more recently my interests have move to be more trial methodologically based.  I have a current and historical interest in using routinely collected data with an epidemiological perspective, but hope to redirect this to explore ways of embedding BIG data into new trial study designs.

External Memberships

• Fellow of the Royal statistical Society 1981-   (Current chair of local group)
• Statistician on the NIHR Public Health PHR funding board (PHR) (2017- )
• Statistician on several DMC panels for external verification of trials (2017- )

Research Overview

Epidemiological and statistical aspects of longitudinal data.  Specifically related to obesity prevention/treatment and associated lifestyle factors including nutrition, physical exercise, behaviour and attitude. 

Current Research

Obesity prevention particularly for the 16-25 year olds as a hard to reach group with many of the known weight gain trigger points experienced during a lifecourse.  We are currently in the process of developing suitable healthy lifestyle intervention programs for specific communities starting with participatory action research approaches.

The effect of fetal growth trajectories on later health outcomes is of particular interest and being investgated in partnership with computer science methodologies

Funding and Grants

Lorna Aucott,  Amudha Poobalan, Edwin van Teijlingen. ‘Young People For Young People’ Seminar/Workshops/public Engagement Events, 2013 – 2014:  funded by NHS Grampian

Dr  S. Turner (PI) Dr N Miln-Tagiyeva, Prof G Devereux, Dr L Aucott.  ‘Childhood Asthma Prevalence in 2014 – How and why has this changed over the past 50 years’ March 2014- Feb 2015 funded by Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland (CH019 RGB4456)
 
Drs  Margret Watson (PI) Dr L Aucott  ‘Community pharmacy weight management referral feasibility study’Feb 2014- Oct 2014 funded by NHS-Grampian
 
Prof Helen Galley, Dr Lorna Aucott 2015-2018, BJA/RCoA ‘Melatonin in doctors and nurses working nightshifts (MIDNIGHT) trial’

Professor Nigel Webster (PI)  Prof Helen Galley, John Norrie, Lorna Aucott, Lee Allen, Patricia Cooper. ‘ Dose assessment of melatonin in sepsis trial DAMSEL2’  2017–2019 CSO(ETM/358)

Dr Gareth Jones, Dr Lorna S. Aucott (statistician); Prof Gareth Macfarlane; Wing Commander Alexander Bennett; Dr Raj Sengupta Alison MacDonald Clinical Trial Unit Representative March 1^st 2017 – 31^st August 2021: Arthritis Research Uk ‘Do non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) reduce the appearance of sacroiliac joint bone marrow oedema on MRI, in spondyloarthritis’ Grant reference 21022. 

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