Alex Wright-Hughes

Profile

I am a Principal Statistician within the Complex Interventions Division at the Clinical Trials Research Unit (CTRU), Leeds Institute of Clinical Trials Research (LICTR), University of Leeds.

After joining the CTRU as a Medical Statistician in 2010, I was appointed as Principal Statistician in 2020 and currently provide statistical leadership for an expanding a portfolio of research evaluating complex interventions addressing poor mental health, and psychological illness alongside long-term physical conditions. I provide a key role in the strategy of the portfolio, development of grant applications, statistical oversight of trials, and mentorship and development of trial statisticians.

Prior to joining CTRU, I obtained a BSc (Hons) in Mathematics, Operational Research and Statistics from Cardiff University with a year’s industrial placement at GlaxoSmithKline, and obtained an MSc in Statistics with Applications in Medicine from the University of Sheffield.

Research interests

I am interested in the design, conduct, analysis and reporting of clinical trials of complex interventions and have contributed to research across diverse clinical areas, settings, trial designs and interventions. My methodological interests are in the use of routine administrative data to support the design and conduct of clinical trials; novel trial design including fractional factorial designs; individual patient data meta-analysis; and the evaluation of therapist effects, intervention delivery and fidelity.

In addition to grants held below, I support a number of NIHR funded studies including a fractional factorial screening trial aiming to optimise the outputs of National Clinical Audits (ENACT); an RCT of amitriptyline for IBS in primary care (ATLANTIS); and a multi-arm multi-stage (MAMS) RCT for management of diarrhoea in patients with stable ulcerative colitis (MODULATE).

Grants

• 2020 – 2025: The self-harm, assessment, formulation, engagement trial of Psychodynamic Interpersonal Therapy (SAFE-PIT). Supervising statistician and Co-Investigator with PI Else Guthrie (NIHR HTA).
• 2019 - 2020: Reducing self-harm in adolescents: Individual patient data meta-analysis. Study statistician and Co-Investigator with PI David Cottrell (NIHR HTA).
• 2019 - 2023: Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a needs assessment tool in primary care for people with active cancer with regard to unmet patient and caregiver need. Supervising statistician and Co-Investigator with PI Miriam Johnson (Yorkshire Cancer Research).
• 2018 - 2024: Function REplacement in repeated Self-Harm: Standardising Therapeutic Assessment and the Related Therapy: FReSH START. Supervising statistician and Co-Investigator with PI Allan House / Else Guthrie (NIHR PGfAR)
• 2016 - 2017: Reducing inequalities in care for people with cancer and palliative care needs: a programme of work for cancer patients and caregivers in the community based in Yorkshire (Feasibility study). Co-Investigator with PI Miriam Johnson (Yorkshire Cancer Research).
• 2016 - 2017: Long Term Follow-up of SHIFT Trial Participants. Study statistician and Co-Investigator with PI David Cottrell (NIHR HTA).

Additional roles

• Contributor to the MRC-NIHR TMRP Health Informatics Working Group
• Independent statistician on various data monitoring and trial steering committees
• Expert reviewer for the NIHR funding body and statistical referee for leading medical journals

Qualifications

• 2010 MSc Statistics with Applications in Medicine, Distinction, University of Sheffield
• 2009 BSc Mathematics, Statistics & Operational Research, 1st Class, Cardiff University

Student education

I presently teach on EPIB3036 - Introduction to Clinical Trials

Research groups and institutes

• Leeds Institute of Clinical Trials Research