Professor Nicky Welton
B.Sc.(Sheff.), M.Sc.(U.C.Lond.), Ph.D.(Bristol)
Expertise
Nicky is a statistician and health economist working on methods to combine evidence from different research studies to evaluate if new healthcare treatments are effective and represent good value for money.
Current positions
Professor in Statistical and Health Economic Modelling
Bristol Medical School (PHS)
Contact
Press and media
Many of our academics speak to the media as experts in their field of research. If you are a journalist, please contact the University’s Media and PR Team:
Research interests
Nicky's research interests concern methodology for evidence synthesis, and use of evidence in decision modelling. This includes methods for synthesis of studies informing Markov model parameters, synthesis of evidence on components of complex interventions, bias adjustment in pairwise and network meta-analysis, allowing for uncertainty due to missing data, extrapolation of survival curves, and combining evidence with heterogeneously reported (but related) outcomes. She has also worked on methods and applications of Value of Information calculations that can be used to prioritise and design new research by comparing the expected benefit in the reduction of uncertainty in the optimal policy decision with the cost of a proposed new study. Nicky leads the Multi-Parameter Evidence Synthesis research group, is Director of the NICE Guidelines Technical Support Unit, Co-Director of the Bristol Technology Assessment Group, Associate Editor for the journal Medical Decision Making, a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society, and a member of the NICE Technology Appraisals Committee.
Projects and supervisions
Research projects
NICE Guidelines Technical Support Unit (2023-2026)
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
Bristol Medical School (PHS)Dates
01/04/2023 to 31/03/2026
NIHR Evidence Synthesis Group
Principal Investigator
Role
Co-Investigator
Description
Bristol Evidence Synthesis Group (ESG) is one of nine, UK-based, research groups commissioned by the National Institute for Health and Care Research Evidence Synthesis Programme to identify, appraise, and combine…Managing organisational unit
Bristol Medical School (PHS)Dates
01/04/2023 to 31/03/2028
Bristol TAG
Role
Co-Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
Bristol Medical School (PHS)Dates
01/04/2022 to 31/03/2027
Real-world treatment effectiveness in people with type 2 diabetes: Maximising the applicability of clinical trials
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
Bristol Medical School (PHS)Dates
03/02/2020 to 31/05/2024
8071 MRC via York - HOD1: Inferring relative treatment effects from combined randomised and oberservational data
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
Bristol Medical School (PHS)Dates
01/01/2019 to 30/06/2022
Thesis supervisions
Publications
Recent publications
03/02/2025Age and sex differences in efficacy of treatments for type 2 diabetes
JAMA
Effect modification and non-collapsibility together may lead to conflicting treatment decisions
Research Synthesis Methods
Exploring the moderating effect of control group type on intervention effectiveness in school-based anxiety and depression prevention
Prevention Science
QbTest for ADHD assessment and medication management: a mixed methods systematic review of impact on clinical outcomes and patient, carer, and clinician experiences
BMJ Open
Quantitative bias analysis for unmeasured confounding in unanchored population-adjusted indirect comparisons
Research Synthesis Methods