Kyla Thomas - Inaugural lecture

Abstract: This talk will cover the breadth of my public health research career which has focused on prevention as well as treatment. In my earlier years this has ranged from examining the microbial quality of bottled water in Trinidad and Tobago (my first ever research project as a medical student) to epidemiological investigations in cervical cancer, gestational age assessment in Karen newborns in Thailand and suicide and self-harm research. I then pivoted to pharmacoepidemiology and substance dependence where I investigated the safety and effectiveness of smoking cessation medicines and electronic cigarettes in addition to developing primary care-based interventions to prevent and treat opioid painkiller dependence. What’s the common theme for this pick and mix? I have used public health research methods including systematic reviews, network meta-analyses and observational study designs to carry out topical research.

Biography: Kyla is a Professor of Public Health Medicine at the University of Bristol and an honorary consultant in Public Health. She is also the Network Director for the NIHR South West Central Regional Research Delivery Network.

Kyla graduated with MBBS (Distinction) from the University of the West Indies in 2003 before obtaining an MSc by Research in Clinical Epidemiology and MSc Global Health Science (Distinction) from the University of Oxford while on a Rhodes scholarship (2003-2006). After foundation training in the Oxford Deanery (2006-2008), she completed her public health specialist training in the South West region (2008-2016), during which time she completed an NIHR academic clinical fellowship, NIHR doctoral fellowship (while out of programme for research) and NIHR academic clinical lectureship. More recently Kyla has completed an NIHR postdoctoral fellowship (December 2023) which she held while working as a Consultant in Public Health at South Gloucestershire Council (until March 2024) and as Clinical Director of the NIHR Clinical Research Network West of England (until September 2024).

Kyla’s research has been described as topical, difficult and neglected due to its complexity, and her findings have been used to inform the risk benefit analysis of smoking cessation medicines by regulators such as the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and to inform National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance. She was the 2019 joint winner of the Society for the Study of Addiction Fred Yates prize for researcher of the year.

If you have any queries about this event or require additional support, please contact Joanna, Amber, Sharon and Sarah at [email protected] at the earliest opportunity and we will endeavour to meet you.

Agenda

16:30 - Welcome

16:40 - Lecture starts

17:10 - Closing remarks

17:15 - 18:00 - Refreshments available

Info: Doors from 16:00
welcome 16:30 - 16:40
lecture 16:40 - 17:10
closing remarks 17:10 - 17:15
refreshments: 17:15 - 18:00

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