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Peter Tennant

Peter Tennant

  • Position: University Academic Fellow in Health Data Science
  • Areas of expertise: Health Data Science; Epidemiology; Biostatistics; Causal Inference; Causal Diagrams; Directed Acyclic Graphs; Real World Data; Maternal and Child Health; Pregnancy; Obesity; Diabetes
  • Email: P.W.G.Tennant@leeds.ac.uk
  • Location: Leeds Institute for Data Analytics, Level 11 Worsley Building, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9NL
  • Website: Turing Institute | Twitter | Googlescholar

Profile

I am a Health Data Scientist, focussed on adapting and translating new and emerging analytic methods into health and social science research

CONTENTS

CURRENT ROLES

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RESEARCH INTERESTS

  • Causal inference
  • Reproductive Epidemiology
  • Longitudinal Epidemiology
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PUBLICATIONS

TOP FIVE MOST-CITED PUBLICATONS

  • Stothard KJ, Tennant PWG, Bell R, Rankin J. Maternal Overweight & Obesity & the Risk of Congenital Anomalies: A Systematic Review & Meta-analysis. JAMA, 2009; 301(6):636-650.
  • Tennant PWG, Pearce MS, Bythell M, Rankin J. 20-year survival of children born with congenital anomalies: a population-based study. Lancet, 2010; 375(9715):649-656.
  • Tennant PWG, Rankin J, Bell R. Maternal obesity & the risk of fetal and infant death; a cohort study from the North of England. Hum Reprod, 2011; 26(6):1501-1511.
  • Bell R, Glinianaia S, Tennant PWG, Bilous R, Rankin J. Peri-conception hyperglycaemia & nephropathy are associated with risk of congenital anomaly in women with pre-existing diabetes: a population-based cohort study. Diabetologia, 2012; 55(4):936-947.
  • Rankin J, Tennant PWG, Stothard KJ, Bythell M, Summerbell CD, Bell R. Maternal body mass index & congenital anomaly risk: a cohort study. Int J Obesity, 2010; 34(9):1371-1380.
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OTHER PUBLICATIONS

  • Berrie L, Ellison GTH, Norman PD, Baxter PD, Feltbower RG, Tennant PWG, Gilthorpe MS. Authors’ Response: Re: Childhood Leukemia and Population Mixing [letter]. Epidemiology. In press.
  • Stacey T, Tennant PWG, McCowan LME, Mitchell EA, Budd J, Li M, Thompson JMD, Martin B, Roberts D, Heazell AEP. Gestational diabetes and the risk of late stillbirth: a case–control study from England, UK. BJOG, 2019 March 19. doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.15659. [Epub ahead of print]
  • Berrie L, Ellison GT, Norman PD, Baxter PD, Feltbower RG, Tennant PWG, Gilthorpe MS. The association between childhood leukaemia and population mixing: an artefact of focusing on clusters? Epidemiology. 2018 Sep 21. doi: 10.1097/EDE.0000000000000921. [Epub ahead of print]
  • KF Arnold, GTH Ellison, SC Gadd, J Textor, PWG Tennant, A Heppenstall, MS Gilthorpe. Adjustment for time-invariant and time-varying confounders in ‘unexplained residuals’ (UR) models for longitudinal data within a causal framework, and associated challenges. Stat Methods Med Res 2018. DOI: 10.1177/0962280218756158.
  • Best KE, Tennant PWG, Rankin J. Survival, by Birth Weight and Gestational Age, in Individuals With Congenital Heart Disease: A Population-Based Study. J Am Heart Assoc 2017; 6(7):e005213.
  • Glinianaia SV, Tennant PWG, Rankin J. Risk estimates of recurrent congenital anomalies in the UK: a population-based register study. BMC Medicine 2017;15(1):20.
  • Horridge K, Tennant PWG, Balu R, Rankin J. Variation in health care for children and young people with cerebral palsies: a retrospective multicentre audit study. Dev Med Child Neurol 2015;57(9):844-51.
  • Salotti JA, Tennant PWG, Windebank K, Rankin J. Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis in Children with Congenital Anomalies: a population-based record linkage study. Birth Defects Res A Clin Mol Teratol 2015;103(2):157-60.
  • Tennant PWG, Bilous RW, Prathapan S, Bell R. Risk and recurrence of serious adverse outcomes in the first and second pregnancies of women with pre-existing diabetes. Diabetes Care 2015;38(4):610-9.
  • Tennant PWG, Glinianaia SV, Wellesley D, Draper ES, Kurinczuk JJ, Tonks AM, Tucker DF, Wreyford B, Rankin J. Epidemiology of Partial Urorectal Septum Malformation Sequence (or 'persistent cloaca'): a population-based study in seven regions of England and Wales, 1985-2010. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed 2014, 99(5):F413-8.
  • Glinianaia SV, Tennant PWG, Crowder D, Nayar R, Bell R. Fifteen-year trends and predictors of preparation for pregnancy in women with pre-conception Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes: a population-based cohort study. Diabetic Med 2014, 31(9):1104-13
  • Tennant PWG, Glinianaia SV, Bilous RW, Rankin J, Bell R. Should women with diabetic nephropathy considering pregnancy continue ACE inhibitor or angiotensin II receptor blocker therapy until pregnancy is confirmed? Reply to Lewis G and Maxwell AP [letter]. Diabetologia 2014, 57(5):1084-1085.
  • Tennant PWG, Glinianaia SV, Bilous RW, Rankin J, Bell R. Pre-existing diabetes, maternal glycated haemoglobin, and the risks of fetal and infant death: a population-based study. Diabetologia 2014, 57(2):285-294.
  • Newham JJ, Glinianaia SV, Tennant PWG, Rankin J, Bell R. Improved antenatal detection of congenital anomalies in women with pre-gestational diabetes: population-based cohort study. Diabetic Med 2013, 30(12):1442-1448
  • Bell R, Tennant PWG, McParlin C, Pearce MS, Adamson AJ, Rankin J, Robson SC. Measuring physical activity in pregnancy: a comparison of accelerometry and self-completion questionnaires in overweight and obese women. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 2013, 170(1):90–95.
  • Tennant PWG, Parker L, Thomas LE, Craft WG, Pearce MS. Childhood infectious disease and premature death from cancer: a prospective cohort study. Eur J Epidemiol 2013, 28(3):257-265.
  • Hannon T, Tennant PWG, Rankin J, Robson SC. Epidemiology, natural history, progression and postnatal outcome of severe fetal ventriculomegaly. Obstet Gyneco 2012, 120(6):1345-1353.
  • Glinianaia SV, Tennant PWG, Bilous RW, Rankin J, Bell R. HbA1c and birthweight in women with pre-conception type 1 and type 2 diabetes: a population-based cohort study. Diabetologia 2012, 55(12):3193-3203.
  • Best KE, Tennant PWG, Bell R, Rankin J. Impact of maternal body mass index on the antenatal detection of congenital anomalies. BJOG 2012, 119(12):1503-1511.
  • Rankin J, Tennant PWG, Bythell M, Pearce MS. Predictors of survival in children born with Down syndrome; a registry based study. Pediatrics 2012, 129(6):e1373-e1381.
  • Best KE, Tennant PWG, Addor MC, et al. Epidemiology of small intestinal atresia in Europe: a register-based study. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed 2012, 97(5):F353-F358.
  • Pearce MS, Tennant PWG, Mann KD, et al. Lifecourse predictors of mammographic density: The Newcastle Thousand Families cohort Study. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2012, 131(1):187-95.
  • Kinnunen TI, Tennant PWG, McParlin C, Poston L, Robson SC, Bell R. Agreement between pedometer and accelerometer in measuring physical activity in overweight and obese pregnant women. BMC Public Health 2011, 11(1), 501.
  • Mann KD, Tennant PWG, Parker L, Unwin NC, Pearce MS. The relatively small contribution of birth weight to blood pressure at age 49-51 years in the Newcastle Thousand Families Study. J Hypertens 2011, 29(6), 1077-1084.
  • Sethna F, Tennant PWG, Rankin J, Robson SC. Prevalence, natural history, and clinical outcome of mild-moderate ventriculomegaly: a population-based study. Obstet Gyneco 2011, 117(4), 867-876.
  • McParlin C, Robson SC, Tennant PWG, et al. Objectively measured physical activity in pregnancy: a study in obese and overweight women. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2010, 10(1), 76.
  • Pearce MS, Ahmed A, Tennant PWG, Parker L, Unwin NC. Lifecourse Predictors of Adult Fibrinogen Levels: The Newcastle Thousand Families Study. Int J Cardiol 2010, 155(2), 206-11.
  • Tennant PWG, Gibson GJ, Parker L, Pearce MS. Childhood Respiratory Illness and Lung Function at Ages 14 and 50 Years. Chest 2010, 137(1), 146-155.
  • Tennant PWG, Gibson GJ, Pearce MS. Lifecourse predictors of adult respiratory function: Results from the Newcastle Thousand Families Study. Thorax 2008, 63(9), 823-830.
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FUNDING AWARDS

RESEARCH AWARDS

  • Tomova G (Student), Gilthorpe MS, Harrison W, Tennant PWG (Lead Supervisor). (2019) Doctoral Scholarship: Evaluating the use of anthropometric composite variables for prediction and causal inference in cardio-metabolic research. The Alan Turing Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.
  • Tennant PWG. (2018) Turing Fellowship: Improving the use and understanding of causal statistics in social science research. The Alan Turing Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.
  • Salotti J, Tennant PWG, Windebank K, Rankin J. (2012) Histiocytic disorders in children with congenital anomalies; a population-based record linkage study. Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children, £14,899
  • Tennant PWG, Glinianaia SV, Rankin J. (2011) Investigating the epidemiology of partial urorectal septum malformation sequence: a population-based study using data from the British Isles Network of Congenital Anomaly Registers (BINOCAR). Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children, £14,956
  • Pearce MS, Gibson GJ, Tennant PWG. (2008) Lifecourse predictors of respiratory function and the link to systemic inflammation: a follow-up at age 61 years. British Lung Foundation (North), £24,761
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OTHER FUNDING AWARDS

  • Gilthorpe MS, Tennant PWG. (2017) Bursaries funding for 2017 LIDA Summer School in Advanced Modelling Strategies for Robust Causal Inference with Observational Data. Society for Social Medicine, £3,441
  • Tennant PWG, Pearce A, Bhopal R, Mckee M, Lacey R, Leyland A, Clarke, A (2017) Funding for SSM one-day event on Health and Brexit. Health Foundation, £4,300
  • Bhala N, Goodman A, Tennant PWG (2012) Funding for inaugural SSM one-day pre-conference workshop for early career researchers. Medical Research Council, £3,500
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ESTEEM INDICATORS

PANEL & COMMITTEE POSITIONS

  • Alan Turing Institute, UK:                             
    • Causal Inference in Health and Social Science Research Interest Group (2019-: Lead)
  • Cancer Research UK, UK
    •  Epidemiology Expert Review Panel (2019-2021: Member)
  • Society for Epidemiological Research, USA
    • Education Committee (Member) (2019-: Member)
  • Society for Social Medicine and Population Health, UK and Ireland
    • Health & Brexit One-day Event Organising Committee (2016-2017: Member)
    • Executive Officers Committee (2016-2019: Honorary Secretary)
    • Main Committee (2012: Member, 2015-2019; Honorary Secretary)
    • Early Career Research Subcommittee (2012: Chair; 2011,2013: Member)
  • UK Reproducibility Network, UK:
    • University of Leeds Network Lead (2019-)
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DOCTORAL EVALUATION AND EXAMINATION

  • Sørbye LM. PhD thesis (2019). Maternal weight, weight change and perinatal outcomes: Can physical activity and gestational weight gain modify the risk? University of Bergan, Norway. First opponent.
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INVITED PRESENTATIONS

  • 'Analyses of change: a causal inference perspective' at 'RSS Medical Section Session: 'Solutions to Causal Inference', University of Leeds, Leeds, UK (May 2019). Invited by RSS Medical Section, UK.
  • 'Causal inference in Epidemiology', Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK (March 2019). Invited by Dr Sarah Floud. (University of Oxford, Oxford, UK) 
  • 'Causal inference' at 'ESRC White Rose: Advanced Quantitative Methods Taster Day', University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK (January 2018). Invited by Dr Gwilym Pryce. (University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK)
  • 'Analytical Challenges with N-of-1 Data' at UK Society for Behavioural Medicine Pre-Conference Workshop on 'Working Together to Advance Personalised Behavioural Medicine using N-of-1 Methods', University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK (December 2017). Invited by Dr Nicki O'Brien (Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK)
  • 'Using N-of-1 data to inform design of personalised interventions: what can we learn from causal inference methods?' at 'How Can N-of-1 Methods Contribute to Health Psychology Research and Practice? Developing and Advancing Methods for Personalised Behaviour Change', Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK (October 2017). Invited by Dr Suzanne McDonald (Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK).
  • 'Intention-to-tweet: Taking statistics to social media' at Burwalls Annual Meeting for Medical Statistics Lecturers, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK (June 2017). Invited by Dr Matthew Grainge (University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK).
  • 'Introduction to Directed Acyclic Graphs' at Research Unit of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark (May 2017). Invited by Prof Ellen Nohr (University of Southern Denmark, Denmark, UK).
  • 'Obesity and diabetes in pregnancy and the risk of congenital anomalies' at Leeds Institute for Genetics, Health, and Technology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK (January 2014). Invited by Dr Richard Feltbower (University of Leeds, Leeds, UK).
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INVITED SESSION CHAIR

  • Chair of 'Lifecourse early life' parallel session at Society for Social Medicine 61st Annual Scientific Meeting, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK (September 2017)
  • Chair of 'Lifecourse adult health' parallel session at Society for Social Medicine 61st Annual Scientific Meeting, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK (September 2017)
  • Chair of 'Trade Policy and Law' parallel session at Society for Social Medicine Health and Brexit one-day event, Wellcome Collection, London, UK (May 2017)
  • Chair of 'Robust Methods for Causal Inference with Observational Data' at Leeds Institute for Data Analytics Research Symposium, University of Leeds, UK (March 2017)
  • Chair of 'Pemberton' plenary session at Society for Social Medicine 60th Annual Scientific Meeting, University of York, York, UK (September 2016)
  • Chair of 'Maternal and Child Health' parallel session at Society for Social Medicine 60th Annual Scientific Meeting, University of York, York, UK (September 2016)
  • Chair of afternoon session at Institute for Health and Society Annual Research Day, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK (July 2013)
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EVENTS AND WORKSHOPS

  • Alan Turing Institute / Leeds Institute for Data Analytics / Society for Social Medicine five-day course on ''Causal Inference with Observational Data: Challenges, Pitfalls, and Solutions". Leeds Institute for Data Analytics, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK. (08-12 July 2019).
  • Leeds Institute for Data Analytics five-day course on ''Causal Inference with Observational Data: Challenges, Pitfalls, and Solutions". Leeds Institute for Data Analytics, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK. (09-13 July 2018).
  • Leeds Institute for Data Analytics / Society for Social Medicine four-day course on 'Advanced Modelling Strategies for Robust Causal Inference with Observational Data'. Leeds Institute for Data Analytics, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK. (16-20 July 2017).
  • Society for Social Medicine one-day event on, 'Health and Brexit'. Wellcome Trust Collection, London, UK. (18 May 2017).
  • Society for Social Medicine three-hour workshop on, 'Making an Impact with Your Research: Publish or Perish'. University of Sussex, Brighton, UK. (12 September 2013).
  • Society for Social Medicine one-day event entitled 'Early Career Researchers in Social Medicine'. London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK. (11 September 2012)
  • Society for Social Medicine three-hour workshop entitled 'ECR showcase and networking'. Warwick University, Coventry, UK. (15 September 2011).
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PRIZES

  • Best Poster Presentation (Runner-up) at Society for Social Medicine 57th Annual Scientific Meeting (2013)
  • Highest Scoring Abstract (Shortlisted) at the Society for Social Medicine 56th Annual Scientific Meeting (2012)
  • Early career researcher bursary award to attend the Medical Research Council Population Health Methods and Challenges Conference (2012)
  • Young Investigator Award (Winner) for Best Poster Presentation at 19th International Epidemiology Association World Congress of Epidemiology (2011)
  • Young Investigator Award (Shortlisted) for Best Oral Presentation at 19th International Epidemiology Association (IEA) World Congress of Epidemiology (2011)
  • Best Oral Presentation (Runner-up) at Newcastle University Institute of Health & Society / Institute of Neuroscience Research Day (2011)
  • Highest Scoring Abstract (Winner) at the Society for Social Medicine 54th Annual Scientific Meeting (2010)
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STUDENT SUPERVISION

RESEARCH POSTGRADUATE SUPERVISION

  • Tomova G, lead supervisor. Evaluating the use of anthropometric composite variables for prediction and causal inference in cardio-metabolic research. PhD (Leeds Institute for Data Analytics) at University of Leeds and Alan Turing Institute. From October 2019.
  • Gadd S, secondary supervisor. Development and application of statistical methods for addressing the heterogeneity of data collection intervals common in longitudinal datasets. PhD (School of Geography) at University of Leeds. Current.
  • Alghamdi A, secondary supervisor. The Associations between Poor Sleep in Pregnancy and Obstetric, Perinatal and Neonatal Outcomes. PhD (School of Medicine) at University of Leeds. Graduated 2018.
  • Alfawaz R, secondary supervisor. Exploring the relationship between metabolic syndrome and sleep among adults in the UK. PhD (School of Medicine) at University of Leeds. Graduated 2017.
  • Al Afif N, secondary supervisor. Social, health, and lifestyle predictors of sleep during pregnancy. PhD (School of Medicine) at University of Leeds. Graduated 2017.
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TAUGHT POSTGRADUATE SUPERVISION

  • Philips R, secondary supervisor. Determining blood pressure treatment from frailty: A question of post-diction? MSc in Medical Statistics. Current.
  • Tomova G, lead supervisor. To what extent has routine adjustment for total energy intake biased the apparent effect of individual dietary components on health outcomes? MSc in Health Data Analytics at University of Leeds. Current.
  • Craig Z, lead supervisor. Is the association between gestational weight gain and pregnancy complications an artefact of mathematical coupling? MSc in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at University of Leeds. Graduated 2018.
  • Eversfield C, secondary supervisor. Latent class modelling for stratification on mediators. MSc in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at University of Leeds. Graduated 2018.
  • Hamoni R, lead supervisor. Could ‘collider-bias’ explain ethnic-specific differences in the risk of diabetes for a given body size? MSc in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at University of Leeds. Graduated 2018.
  • Rosca A, lead supervisor. Birth by Caesarean section and the risk of asthma and eczema. MSc in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at University of Leeds. Graduated 2018.
  • Celebi S, lead supervisor. Is the joint effect of ethnicity and Body Mass Index on the risk of type II diabetes an artefact of composite variable confounding? MSc in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at University of Leeds. Graduated 2017.
  • Illingworth L, secondary supervisor. A Randomised Controlled Crossover Trial of a Commercial Sleep Application (Sleep Cycle) using: an unmasked control and a sham application. MSc in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at University of Leeds. Graduated 2017.
  • Raza F, secondary supervisor. Maternal age and the risk of structural congenital anomalies. MSc in Public Health and Health Services Research at Newcastle University. Graduated 2009.
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STUDENT EDUCATION

PROGRAMME LEADERSHIP

  • Deputy Programme Leader, MSc Health Data Analytics, University of Leeds (2018-2019)
  • Deputy Programme Leader, MSc Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of Leeds (2017-2019)
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MODULE LEADERSHIP

  • Introduction to Health Data Science, School of Medicine, University of Leeds (2018-2019)
  • Modelling Strategies for Causal Inference with Observational Data, University of Leeds (2018-2019)
  • Core Epidemiology, School of Dentistry, University of Leeds (2018-2019)
  • Core Epidemiology, School of Medicine, University of Leeds (2017-2018)
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LECTURES, SEMINARS, AND ASSESSMENT

  • MSc Health Data Analytics, MSc Epidemiology & Biostatistics, MSc Medical Statistics, University of Leeds (2018-2019)
    • Introduction to Health Data Science
    • Modelling Strategies for Causal Inference with Observational Data
    • Research Project
  • MSc Epidemiology and Biostatistics & MSc in Medical Statistics (University of Leeds, 2017-2018)
    • Core Epidemiology
    • Advanced Modelling Strategies
    • Research Project
  • MSc Health Informatics (University of Leeds, 2017-2018)
    • Clinical Knowledge Management and Decision Support Systems
  • MSc Dental Public Health, MSc Doctor of Dentistry (University of Leeds, 2017-2018)
    • Core Epidemiology
  • MSc Public Health and Health Services Research (Newcastle University, 2011-2014)
    •  Systematic Reviews 
  • MRes Medical and Molecular Biosciences (Newcastle University, 2008-2011)
    •  Epidemiology
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ENGAGEMENT AND MEDIA ACTIVITIES

PRESS CONTRIBUTIONS

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BLOG CONTRIBUTIONS

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YOUTUBE PRESENTATIONS

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TWITTER PROFILE

  • @PWGTennant (4500+ followers)
    • Named on 100+ lists with titles including, 'Epidemiology', 'Population health', 'Methodology', 'Higher Education', and 'Science communication'.
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PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

  • 'Eight Minutes of Avoidance'. Stand Comedy Club, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. 26 November, 2013.
    • Stand-up comedy set delivered as part of 'Bright Club' public engagement event to ≈150 paying members of the public at a popular comedy club. The YouTube recording has over 500 views.
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<h4>Postgraduate research opportunities</h4> <p>We welcome enquiries from motivated and qualified applicants from all around the world who are interested in PhD study. Our <a href="https://medicinehealth.leeds.ac.uk/research-opportunities">research opportunities</a> allow you to search for projects and scholarships.</p>