1. UCL Department of Epidemiology & Public Health
Dr Amina Aitsi-Semi
Academic Clinical Fellow & StR in Public Health
Epidemiology & Public Health, UCL

2. Research Groups www.ucl.ac.uk/epidemiology Clinical Epidemiology
Prof Harry Hemingway
Central and Eastern Europe Research
Prof Martin Bobak
Health and Social Surveys Research (ELSA and HSE)
Dr Jennifer Mindell
Centre for Applied Health Research
Prof Rosalind Raine
MRC National Survey of Health and Development
Prof Di Kuh
Psychobiology
Prof Andrew Steptoe
Whitehall II Study
Prof Sir Michael Marmot

3. Centre for Applied Health Research (CAHR)
Examining the quality of health care
Including methodological aspects of evaluation
Main areas of interest :
(i) health care inequalities
(ii) health care evaluation
(iii) clinical decision making in areas of uncertainty.
Multidisciplinary group

4. Recent Trainee Projects
Non-clinical critical care transfers (Helen Barratt)
Some ITUs transfer 1/10 patients to another unit because of a lack of beds, others transfer none
Why does this happen? What impact does it have?
Quantitative analysis of ICNARC data plus staff interviews
Successful PhD application to Wellcome Trust
Co-authoring patient transfer guidelines for UK Intensive Care Society
Time to write up and publish MSc project

5. Recent Trainee Projects
Socioeconomic inequalities in chlamydia screening and
disease in young people (Jessica Sheringham)
National evaluation of equity of uptake of screening
Methodological research into development of appropriate indicators of deprivation amongst young adults
PH training placement
PhD funding application
Currently PhD student
Chlamydia positivity by
deprivation quintile

6. Health Survey for England (Amina Aitsi-Selmi)
2% of Bangladeshi women smoke
18% chew tobacco, but
36% have cotinine levels indicating personal use. Why?
Published in J Public Health
Impact of different thresholds for the elderly on prevalence of anaemia
Published in Age & Ageing
Report chapter authors / editor
National Diet and Nutrition Survey (Ayesha Ali)
What factors affect parents’ willingness to allow blood samples to be taken from their children for research?
I'm moving into the second phase of analysis and enjoying playing with the data.

7. The Marmot Review Team Secondary research
Health workforce and social determinants of health
Opportunity to meet/observe policy makers DH
London Assembly
Ministerial advisers
Opportunity to help change policy
Health Inequalities
Fuel Poverty
Opportunity to take research to the next step
Implementation

8. What will you get out of a placement?
High quality publishable work
Teaching experience
Transferable skills
Different slant on the world of public health
FPH Competency Framework – Area 9

9. What do you need? Adequate time to undertake placement
Established project (or at least an idea!)
Colorectal cancer screening data
Systematic review: inequalities in use of secondary care
Commitment and desire to see project through
Supervisor you can work with
Environment where you feel supported
Self-motivation

10. www.ucl.ac.uk/epidemiology Contact Details
Placement opportunities with CAHR:
Prof Rosalind Raine
Other opportunities with UCL Dept Epi & PH
Dr Jenny Mindell
Trainee perspective:
Amina Aitsi-Selmi