Leading data research role for University kidney specialist

Dr Samira Bell has been named Associate Director of the new Kidney Data Science Catalyst which will enable researchers to securely access, link and analyse existing UK health data to speed up the search for better kidney and cardiovascular disease prevention, treatments and care.

The catalyst is a  partnership between the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Data Science Centre at Health Data Research UK (HDR UK), Kidney Research UK, and the BHF.

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) has been identified as a strong risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease in patients, which in turn is the leading cause of adverse outcomes, including death, among people with CKD.

Dr Bell is a Clinical Reader in the Division of Population Health and Genomics at the University and an Honorary Consultant Nephrologist at NHS Tayside. Her research interests lie in the use of routinely collected healthcare data to improve care and outcomes of people with kidney disease. She is currently Chair of the Scottish Renal Registry at Public Health Scotland and Co-chair of the UK Renal Health Data Network.   

Dr Bell said, “Chronic Kidney Disease currently affects around 1 in 10 people with a strong association with cardiovascular disease. I am therefore very excited to be joining the BHF Data Science Centre to lead data driven work which will improve care and outcomes of people with kidney disease.”

Patients and members of the public affected by kidney disease will be involved at all stages of the research and the catalyst will prioritise studies with the most potential impact for patients, families and carers.

Welcoming Dr Bell’s appointment, Professor Rory McCrimmon, Dean of the University of Dundee School of Medicine, said, “I was delighted to hear about Samira’s appointment. Samira has been conducting outstanding research into the use of health data to improve the care and management of people with kidney disease and this appointment is testament to her growing reputation in this field.”

Professor Cathie Sudlow, Director of the BHF Data Science Centre and Chief Scientist of Health Data Research UK, and Professor Steffen Petersen, Deputy Director of the BHF Data Science Centre said, “We are delighted to have appointed Dr Samira Bell to lead the Kidney Data Science Catalyst. This area of work will accelerate research at the interface of kidney and cardiovascular diseases, influencing health policy, clinical practice and patient care.

“By applying advanced analysis methods to the UK’s vast health data resources, researchers will uncover new clues to the causes and consequences of kidney disease – ultimately improving the lives of patients with kidney disease and those who care for them.”

Dr Aisling McMahon, Executive Director of Research at Kidney Research UK, said, “The need to find new approaches to prevent, diagnose and manage Chronic Kidney Disease has never been more urgent. Using patient data within this new secure environment will provide new ways to meet this challenge.

“We are delighted with the appointment of Dr Samira Bell as Associate Director and are confident that this new partnership will further enable us to accelerate our research for patients and their families.”