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Timothy Pickles BSc, MSc

Mr Timothy Pickles

(he/him)

BSc, MSc

Health and Care Research Wales NIHR Doctoral Fellow

School of Medicine

Email
PicklesTE@cardiff.ac.uk
Campuses
Neuadd Meirionnydd, Room Room 510, 5th floor, University Hospital of Wales, Heath Park, Cardiff, CF14 4YS
Comment
Media commentator

Overview

Research Themes

I work in the Centre for Trials Research (CTR) at Cardiff University. I was granted an NIHR Doctoral Fellowship in 2019 and am working on Psychometrics, patient reported outcome measures (PROMs), Rasch measurement theory and computer adaptive test in the field of Rheumatoid Arthritis. I am supervised by Professor Ernest Choy (Cardiff University), Dr Mike Horton (University of Leeds), Dr Karl Bang Christensen (University of Copenhagen), Dr Rhiannon Phillips (Cardiff Metropolitan University) and Dr David Gillespie (Cardiff University).

I have previously held posts in the Cardiff Regional Experimental Arthritis Treatment and Evaluation (CREATE) Centre and had a secondment in the School of Dentistry, which as well as research, involved teaching statistics and SPSS to BDS students, and providing statistical support to MOrth and PhD students.

Until 2019, my work in CTR principally involved being the statistician on multiple and differing clinical trials, across many varied disciplines. I have developed an interest in diabetes, urinary tract infections, rheumatology and skin conditions, as well as dental caries from my previous work in the School of Dentistry. The interventions I have focussed on are behaviour change counselling, shared decision making tools and devices/aids for appropriate antibiotic prescribing.

In my role within the CREATE centre, I was researching the use of early phase clinical trial methodology in the field of rheumatology. I had already begun looking into techniques to explore the psychometric properties of various Quality of Life Instruments, and I was fortunate to spend my MSc dissertation learning about, and undertaking, Rasch analyses, which is a continuing research theme.

I have also undertaken meta-analyses and epidemiological research, and advised PhD students and relevant staff members. I am the statistical lead for CTR Standard Operating Procedures.

Following a succesful application, I joined the 2019 cohort of the GW4 Crucible on Digital Innovation and received seedcorn funding for the GW4-PATH study.

I hold a BSc (Hons) Natural Sciences from the University of Bath and a MSc (distinction) in Operational Research and Appiled Statistics from Cardiff University.

Further links:

SOCRATES study: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/centre-for-trials-research/research/studies-and-trials/view/socrates

CTR Blogs: https://blogs.cardiff.ac.uk/centre-for-trials-research/author/wpptep/

GW4-PATH: https://gw4.ac.uk/gw4-crucible-seed-projects-2019/ 

GW4 blog: https://gw4.ac.uk/experience-of-gw4-crucible-from-trepidation-to-triumph/ 

publons: https://publons.com/author/1193132/timothy-pickles#profile

Publication

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Articles

Conferences

Research

I am completing a Health and Care Research WAles NIHR Doctoral Fellowship and PhD focussed on psychometrics, patient reported outcome measures (PROMs), Rasch measurement theory and computer adaptive test in the field of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

This fellowship aims to improve treatment, management and outcomes for people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by developing an online patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) tool for symptom severity. This will be done using modern statistical techniques, guided by expert supervision and international collaboration.

This fellowship is important because the developed online PROMs tool will provide true measurements of symptom severity over time to a person’s clinical team. This will allow treatments to be managed more effectively and sensitively to the person’s needs.

RA is a chronic, disabling, autoimmune disease that can attack the entire body, causing joint pain, loss of motion, inflammation, swelling and redness in affected areas. About 1% of the population have RA and approximately 15% of these people have severe disease. Women are three times more likely to have this disease than men, with onset most likely between the ages of 40 and 60. No cure is available, so treatment and management are key, and regular monitoring is vital.

People with RA have expressed a desire to have a straightforward online PROM tool for monitoring their own disease at home. However, whilst there are many PROMs for people with RA, they were validated using standard techniques and do not meet strict modern criteria suggested by experts. With the advent of electronic health in the NHS, an online PROM tool has the potential to transform clinical care.

Research aims

  • Determining the quality of existing PROMs.
  • Exploring individual questions and discussing their relevance with people with RA.
  • Building the online PROM tool that is in the best interests of people with RA.

Study design

The existing literature will be reviewed for relevant PROMs for people with RA and reviewed for quality. The questions from these PROMs, plus others suggested by PPI collaborators will be put to local people with RA in a survey to provide necessary data.

Once collected, the study will focus on:

  • Research Phase 1: Analyse data from relevant PROMs using modern statistical techniques to see which questions most relevant.
  • Research Phase 2: Assess the content validity in discussion with people with RA.
  • Research Phase 3: Design and build a prototype online PROM tool, including initial user testing with people with RA.

Patient and public involvement
People with RA are involved throughout the whole life-cycle of this fellowship, from helping to design the research phases, overseeing the running of the fellowship, and helping to understand the meaning of the results.

Dissemination
Results will be distributed through journal articles and at conferences, and through National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) outlets including their newsletter, webinars and ‘Rheum for You’ events, with a dissemination event at the conclusion.

I am supervised by Professor Ernest Choy (Cardiff University), Dr Mike Horton (University of Leeds), Dr Karl Bang Christensen (University of Copenhagen), Dr Rhiannon Phillips (Cardiff Metropolitan University) and Dr David Gillespie (Cardiff University).

Biography

Career Profile

2009 - 2014: Research Assistant, South East Wales Trials Unit and School of Dentistry, Cardiff University

2014 - 2019: Research Associate, Centre for Trials Research and Cardiff Regional Experimental Arthritis Treatment and Evaluation Centre

2019 - present: Health and Care Research Wales NIHR Doctoral Fellow, Centre for Trials Research

Education and Qualifications

2009: 1st Class BSc (Hons) Natural Sciences with Industrial Placement, University of Bath

2014: MSc (Distinction) Operational Research and Applied Statistics, Cardiff University

Teaching Profile

BDS Dental Public Health Statistics Lectures and SPSS Sessions

Honours and awards

GradStat, Royal Statistical Society, 2016

CStat, Royal Statistical Society, 2019

Travel Scholarship, ISOQOL 2021 Conference, 2021

Professional memberships

Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society

ISOQOL Member, chair elect of ISOQOL UK & Ireland SIG from October 2021 onwards

Academic positions

Career Profile

2009 - 2014: Research Assistant, South East Wales Trials Unit and School of Dentistry, Cardiff University

2014 - 2019: Research Associate, Centre for Trials Research and Cardiff Regional Experimental Arthritis Treatment and Evaluation Centre

2019 - present: Health and Care Reserch Wales NIHR Doctoral Fellow, Centre for Trials Research

External profiles