Dr Alice Sitch PhD, MSc, BSc (Hons), PCAP, CStat, FHEA

Dr Alice Sitch

Department of Applied Health Sciences
Senior Lecturer in Biostatistics

Contact details

Telephone
+44 (0)121 414 4428
Email
a.j.sitch@bham.ac.uk
Twitter
@alicesitch
View my research portal
Address
Public Health Building
Institute of Applied Health Research
College of Medical and Dental Sciences
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Alice Sitch is a Senior Lecturer working in the Institute of Applied Health Research and a member of the Biostatistics, Evidence Synthesis and Test Evaluation (BESaTE) research group.

Since joining the University in 2009, Alice has become involved in many exciting projects allowing her to collaborate with others in the BESaTE team and many other researchers at the University of Birmingham and beyond.

Alice’s main research interests are in the area of designing and evaluating monitoring tests and studies of biological variability. Alice is the deputy lead for the cross-cutting diagnostics and biomarkers theme of the Birmingham NIHR Biomedical Research Centre.

Qualifications

  • PhD in Medical Statistics, University of Birmingham, 2019
  • Post-graduate certificate in Academic Practice, University of Birmingham, 2017
  • MSc in Statistics, University of Sheffield, 2009
  • BSc (Hons) in Mathematics, University of Sheffield, 2008
  • Royal Statistical Society Chartered Statistician
  • Fellow of Higher Education Academy

Biography

Alice began working with the Biostatistics and Test Evaluation Research Group (TERG) within the Institute of Applied Health Research (IAHR) at the University of Birmingham as a Research Fellow in October 2009 and later became a Lecturer and then an Associate Professor.  

Alice's work is diverse, covering methodological problems, test research and a variety of public health issues.  The focus of her research is test evaluation, specifically the use of tests to monitor progressive and recurrent disease and studies of biological variability. Alice is the deputy theme lead for the Diagnostics and Biomarkers theme of the NIHR Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre (BRC).

Alice is the joint Head of Education for IAHR and biostatistics team teaching lead. She is involved with teaching and delivering programmes to both undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Teaching

Postgraduate supervision

Test evaluation, specifically the estimation of test variability and the appropriate use of tests for monitoring.

Research

The focus of Alice’s research is the use of repeated testing to monitor disease progression or recurrence and the use of biological variability studies to provide evidence to guide the use of monitoring tests.

Her work in the area of monitoring stems from her involvement in the methodology work stream of the NIHR programme grant Evaluating the benefits for patients and the NHS of new and existing biological fluid biomarkers in liver and renal disease. Alice is also involved in a primary study (eGFR-C) looking at estimation using creatinine and cystatin C for monitoring disease progression in patients with stage 3 chronic kidney disease; and a study funded by the Scar Free Foundation evaluating the variability of tests measuring scarring. Alice supervises PhD Students conducting research in related areas, particularly through her work with the NIHR Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre (BRC).

In other test evaluation work, Alice was the study statistician for the NIHR HTA study Prognostic Value of Interferon Gamma Release Assays in predicting active tuberculosis among individuals with, or at risk of, latent tuberculosis infection (PREDICT); the EURINE-ACT study which was a large prospective test evaluation study in adrenal carcinoma; the Wellcome Trust Innovation Challenge Fund supported study Real-time Adaptive Predictive Indicator of Deterioration (RAPID) which used Formula One technology to monitor children in intensive care in real time; and, two NIHR Research for Patient Benefit funded pilot studies that investigated home monitoring of cystic fibrosis and an alert system for the early detection of acute kidney injury. 

Through collaboration with other academics and clinicians, Alice has been part of many research projects.  These include the NIHR global project in COPD Breathe Well, the NIHR Programme Grant Birmingham Lung Improvement StudieS, and NIHR PHR funded projects ABA and FUEL.

Alice is a West Midlands NIHR Research for Patient Benefit funding panel member. Alice is an associate editor for the Journals Trials and the European Journal of Endocrinology.

Publications

Recent publications

Article

CHAPTER Group, Hodgetts Morton, V, Man, R, Perry, R, Hughes, T, Tohill, S, MacArthur, C, Magill, L & Morris, RK 2024, 'Childbirth Acquired Perineal Trauma study (CHAPTER): a UK prospective cohort study protocol', BMJ open, vol. 14, no. 5, e086724. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-086724

Patel, K, Pye, A, Edgar, R, Beadle, H, Ellis, P, Sitch, A, Dickens, A & Turner, A 2024, 'Cluster randomised controlled trial of specialist led integrated COPD care (INTEGR COPD)', Thorax. https://doi.org/10.1136/thorax-2023-220435

D'Elia, A, Jordan, RE, Cheng, KK, Chi, C, Correia de Sousa, J, Dickens, AP, Enocson, A, Farley, A, Gale, N, Jolly, K, Jowett, S, Maglakelidze , M, Maghlakelidze, T, Martins, SM, Pan, Z, Sitch, A, Stavrikj, K, Turner, A, Williams, S & Adab, P 2024, 'COPD burden and healthcare management across four middle income countries within the Breathe Well research programme: a descriptive study', Global Health Research.

Mehanna, H, Rapozo, D, Zeidler, SVV, Harrington, K, Winter, S, Hartley, A, Nankivell, P, Schache, A, Sloan, P, Odell, E, Thavaraj, S, Hunter, K, Shah, K, Thomas, G, Long, A, Amel-Kashipaz, R, Brown, R, Conn, B, Hall, G, Matthews, P, Weir, J, Yeo, Y, Pring, M, West, C, McCaul, J, Golusinski, P, Sitch, A, Spruce, R, Batis, N, Bryant, J, Brooks, J, Jones, TM, Buffa, F, Haider, S & Robinson, M 2024, 'Developing and validating a multivariable prognostic-predictive classifier for treatment escalation of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: the PREDICTR-OPC study', Clinical Cancer Research, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 356–367. https://doi.org/10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-23-1013

Dickens, AP, Gale, N, Adab, P, Cheng, KK, Chi, C, Correia de Sousa, J, Enocson, A, Farley, A, Jolly, K, Jowett, S, Maglakelidze , M, Maglakelidze, T, Martins, S, Pan, Z, Sitch, A, Stavrikj, K, Turner, A, Williams, S & Jordan, RE 2024, 'Development and application of a rapid research prioritisation process for identifying health research priorities in low- and middle-income countries: the RAPID-RP stakeholder analysis', Global Health Research, pp. 1-26. https://doi.org/10.3310/CTHF1385

Brettschneider, J, Morrison, B, Jenkinson, D, Freeman, K, Walton, J, Sitch, A, Hudson, S, Kearins, O, Mansbridge, A, Pinder, SE, Given-Wilson, R, Wilkinson, L, Wallis, MG, Cheung, S & Taylor-Phillips, S 2024, 'Development and quality appraisal of a new English breast screening linked data set as part of the age, test threshold, and frequency of mammography screening (ATHENA-M) study', British Journal of Radiology, vol. 97, no. 1153, pp. 98–112. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjr/tqad023

Williams, FR, Quinlan, J, Freer, A, Morrison, B, Sitch, A, Hockey, F, Klas, N, Towey, J, Perera, TPR, Rajoriya, N, Lord, JM & Armstrong, MJ 2024, 'Duke Activity Status Index and Liver Frailty Index predict mortality in ambulatory patients with advanced chronic liver disease: A prospective, observational study', Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, vol. 59, no. 4, pp. 547-557. https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17834

Fernandes, G, Williams, S, Adab, P, Gale, N, de Jong, C, Correia-de-Sousa, J, Cheng, KK, Chi, C, Cooper, BG, Dickens, AP, Enocson, A, Farley, A, Jolly, K, Jowett, S, Maglakelidze, M, Maghlakelidze, T, Martins, S, Sitch, A, Stamenova, A, Stavrikj, K, Stelmach, R, Turner, A, Pan, Z, Pang, H, Zhang, J & Jordan, RE 2024, 'Engaging stakeholders to level up COPD care in LMICs: lessons learned from the "Breathe Well" programme in Brazil, China, Georgia, and North Macedonia', BMC Health Services Research, vol. 24, no. 1, 66. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-10525-4

Equi-Injury Group 2024, 'Equitable access to qualacity injury care; Equi-Injury project protocol for prioritizing interventions in four Low- or Middle-Income Countries: a mixed method study', BMC Health Services Research, vol. 24, 429. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-024-10668-y

Harris, IM, Dennis, N, Ward, DJ, Sitch, AJ, Parry, J & Greenfield, S 2024, 'Experiences as a clinical teaching fellow: interviews with clinical teaching fellows in the West Midlands', BMC Medical Education, vol. 24, 1015. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05958-2

Equi-Injury Group, Davies, J, Ignatowicz, A, Sitch, A & Ghalichi, L 2024, 'Health System Governance for Injury Care in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: a survey of policymakers and policy implementors', BMJ Global Health.

Martins, SM, Adams, R, Rodrigues, EM, Stelmach, R, Adab, P, Chi, C, Cheng, KK, Cooper, BG, Correia-de-Sousa, J, Dickens, AP, Enocson, A, Farley, A, Gale, N, Jolly, K, Jordan, RE, Jowett, S, Maglakelidze, M, Maghlakelidze, T, Sitch, A, Stavrikj, K, Turner, AM, Williams, S & Nascimento, VB 2024, 'Living with COPD and its psychological effects on participating in community-based physical activity in Brazil: a qualitative study. Findings from the Breathe Well group', NPJ Primary Care Respiratory Medicine, vol. 34, 33. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41533-024-00386-7

Pallan, M, Murphy, M, Morrison, B, Sitch, A, Adamson, A, Bartington, S, Dobell, A, Duff, R, Frew, E, Griffin, T, Hurley, K, Lancashire, E, McLeman, L, Passmore, S, Pokhilenko, I, Rowland, M, Ravaghi, V, Spence, S & Adab, P 2024, 'National school food standards in England: a cross-sectional study to explore compliance in secondary schools and impact on pupil nutritional intake', The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, vol. 21, 123. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-024-01672-w

Sitch, A, Dinnes, J, Hewison, J, Gregory, W, Parkes, J & Deeks, J 2024, 'Optimising research investment by simulating and evaluating monitoring strategies to inform a trial: a simulation of liver fibrosis monitoring', BMC Medical Research Methodology.

Pallan, M, Murphy, M, Morrison, B, Pokhilenko, I, Sitch, A, Frew, E, Rawdin, C, Adams, R, Adamson, A, Bartington, S, Dobell, A, Duff, R, Griffin, T, Hurley, K, Lancashire, E, McLeman, L, Passmore, S, Ravaghi, V, Spence, S & Adab, P 2024, 'School food policy in secondary schools in England and its impact on adolescents’ diets and dental health: the FUEL multiple-methods study', Public Health Research, vol. 12, no. 12, pp. 1-167. https://doi.org/10.3310/TTPL8570

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