Dr Kara Stevens
Profiles

Dr Kara Stevens

Research Fellow in Medical Statistics

Peninsula Medical School (Faculty of Health)

I am a statistician within the Medical Statistics Group and a statistical advisor for the Research Design Services (RDS) Southwest. My main roles is to contribute to the design and analysis of clinical trials and observational studies, but also one of the providers for the statistical advice clinics. I teach on various undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the medical school.

Qualifications

Education

PhD Statistics - Bristol University (2013) 

MRes Statistics (Distinction) - Bristol University (2008)

MSc Statistics with Applications in Medicine (Distinction) - University of Southampton (2006)

BSc (Hons.) Mathematics and Statistics (1st Class) - University of Plymouth (2005)

Employment

2020 - present   Statistical Advisor, Research Design Services - Southwest

2016 - present   Research Fellow, School of Medicine, University of Plymouth

2015 - 2016       Research Fellow, School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln.

2013 - 2015      Heilbronn Research Fellow, School of Mathematics, University of Bristol.

2006 - 2007      Research Assistant, Epidemiology and Public Health, Medical School, University of Exeter

Professional membership

Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society

Associate Fellow of The Higher Education Academy

Roles on external bodies

Expert reviewer for NIHR

Reviewer for BMJ open

Independent statistician for study oversight committees.

Key publications

Reuben A, Appelboam A, Stevens KN, Vickery J, Ewings P, Ingram W, Jeffery AN, Body R, Hilton M & Coppell J 2021 'The Use of Tranexamic Acid to Reduce the Need for Nasal Packing in Epistaxis (NoPAC): Randomized Controlled Trial' Annals of Emergency Medicine , DOI Open access
View all publications

Teaching interests

I am part of the team who delivers the Evidence Based Practice for the BMBS degree and MCR702 Applied Quantitative Methods.

I am an internal examiner for MSc Data Science.

Research interests

I am currently working on analysing various audit data and clinical trial data.

I have a methodological interest in futility studies.

Research groups

Other research

My previous research has included

  • Time series analysis - in particular locally stationary wavelet processes.
  • Chronic ageing diseases - using longitudinal studies to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms associated type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
  • Animal behaviour - identifying environmental and behavioural characteristics associated with aggression in pigs.

Key publications

Reuben A, Appelboam A, Stevens KN, Vickery J, Ewings P, Ingram W, Jeffery AN, Body R, Hilton M & Coppell J 2021 'The Use of Tranexamic Acid to Reduce the Need for Nasal Packing in Epistaxis (NoPAC): Randomized Controlled Trial' Annals of Emergency Medicine , DOI Open access

Key publications are highlighted

Journals
Articles
Reuben A, Appelboam A, Stevens KN, Vickery J, Ewings P, Ingram W, Jeffery AN, Body R, Hilton M & Coppell J 2021 'The Use of Tranexamic Acid to Reduce the Need for Nasal Packing in Epistaxis (NoPAC): Randomized Controlled Trial' Annals of Emergency Medicine , DOI Open access
Swords CE, Wong, BA JJ, Stevens KN, Psaltis AJ, Wormald PJ & Tan NC-W 2021 'The Use of Postoperative Antibiotics Following Endoscopic Sinus Surgery for Chronic Rhinosinusitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis' American Journal of Rhinology & Allergy 194589242198914-194589242198914 , DOI Open access
Gunn H, Stevens KN, Creanor S, Andrade J, Paul L, Miller L, Green C, Ewings P, Barton A & Berrow M 2021 'Balance Right in Multiple Sclerosis (BRiMS): a feasibility randomised controlled trial of a falls prevention programme' Pilot and Feasibility Studies 7, (1) , DOI Open access
Cottey L, Roberts T, Graham B, Horner D, Stevens K, Enki D, Lyttle MD & Latour J 2020 'Need for recovery amongst emergency physicians in the UK and Ireland: a cross-sectional survey' BMJ Open 0-0 , DOI Open access
Carroll CB, Webb D, Stevens KN, Vickery J, Eyre V, Ball S, Wyse R, Webber M, Foggo A & Zajicek J 2019 'Simvastatin as a neuroprotective treatment for Parkinson’s disease (PD STAT): protocol for a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled futility study' BMJ Open 9, (10) e029740-e029740 , DOI Open access
Bhake R, Russell GM, Kershaw Y, Stevens K, Zaccardi F, Warburton VEC, Linthorst ACE & Lightman SL 2019 'Continuous Free Cortisol Profiles in Healthy Men' The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 105, (4) e1749-e1761 , DOI Open access
Bhake R, Kluckner V, Stassen H, Russell GM, Leendertz J, Stevens K, Linthorst ACE & Lightman SL 2019 'Continuous Free Cortisol Profiles – Circadian Rhythms in Healthy Men' The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism , DOI Open access
Lyndon H, Latour JM, Marsden J, Campbell S, Stevens K & Kent B 2019 'The Holistic Assessment and care Planning in Partnership Intervention Study [HAPPI]: A Protocol for a feasibility, cluster randomised controlled trial' Journal of Advanced Nursing , DOI Open access
Gunn H, Andrade J, Paul L, Miller L, Creanor E, Stevens K, Green C, Ewings P, barton A & Berrow M 2019 'A self-management programme to reduce falls and improve safe mobility in people with secondary progressive MS: the BRiMS feasibility RCT' Health Technology Assessment 23, (27) , DOI Open access
Tomlinson DR, Myles M, Stevens KN & Streeter A 2019 'Transmural unipolar electrogram change occurs within 7s at the left atrial posterior wall during pulmonary vein isolation' Pacing and Clinical Electrophysiology , DOI Open access
Mehta N, Stevens K, Smith ME, Williams RJ, Ellis M, Hardman JC & Hopkins C 2019 'National prospective observational study of inpatient management of adults with epistaxis – a National Trainee Research Collaborative delivered investigation' Rhinology journal , DOI Open access
INTEGRATE 2018 'Epistaxis and mortality' The Journal of Laryngology & Otology 132, (12) 1061-1066 , DOI
Attwood D, Stevens K, Jones L, Harris L & Roberts F 2018 'Home visits: A new screening tool for frailty? A retrospective exploratory study' J Family Med Prim Care 7, (5) 1007-1011 Author Site , DOI Open access
INTEGRATE, Chynoweth J, Jones BG & Stevens K 2017 'Epistaxis 2016: national audit of management' Journal of Laryngology and Otology 131, 1131-1141 Author Site , DOI Open access
Stevens KN, Asher L, Griffin K, Friel M, O'Connell N & Collins LM 2017 'A comparison of inferential analysis methods for multilevel studies: Implications for drawing conclusions in animal welfare science' Applied Animal Behaviour Science 197, 101-111 , DOI Open access
Nason G & Stevens K 2015 'Bayesian Wavelet Shrinkage of the Haar-Fisz Transformed Wavelet Periodogram' PLOS ONE 10, (9) e0137662-e0137662 , DOI Open access
Parahyba MI, Stevens K, Henley W, Lang IA & Melzer D 2009 'Reductions in Disability Prevalence Among the Highest Income Groups of Older Brazilians' American Journal of Public Health 99, (1) 81-86 , DOI
Melzer D, Perry JRB, Hernandez D, Corsi A-M, Stevens K, Rafferty I, Lauretani F, Murray A, Gibbs JR & Paolisso G 2008 'A Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies Protein Quantitative Trait Loci (pQTLs)' PLoS Genetics 4, (5) e1000072-e1000072 , DOI Open access
Stevens KN, Lang IA, Guralnik JM & Melzer D 2008 'Epidemiology of balance and dizziness in a national population: findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing' Age and Ageing 37, (3) 300-305 , DOI
Frayling T, Hurst A, Murray A & Melzer D 2007 'A common variant of the interleukin 6 receptor (IL-6r) gene increases IL-6r and IL-6 levels, without other inflammatory effects' Genes and Immunity 8, (7) 552-559 , DOI
Rafiq S, Stevens K, Hurst AJ, Murray A, Henley W, Weedon MN, Bandinelli S, Corsi AM, Guralnik JM & Ferruci L 2007 'Common genetic variation in the gene encoding interleukin-1-receptor antagonist (IL-1RA) is associated with altered circulating IL-1RA levels' Genes & Immunity 8, (4) 344-351 , DOI
Posters
Gunn HJ, Andrade J, Paul L, Miller L, Creanor S, Stevens K, Green C, Ewings P, barton A & Berrow M Gunn HJ, Andrade J, Paul L, Miller L, Creanor S, Stevens K, Green C, Ewings P, barton A & Berrow M 'Balance Right in Multiple Sclerosis (BRiMS): Preliminary results of a randomised controlled feasibility trial' Open access