Professor Sam Leary
B.Sc.(Sheff.), M.Sc.(R'dg), Ph.D.(Soton.), PGCHE (Bristol)
Expertise
Applied statistician with over 25 years' experience in a variety of research areas including medical and oral health, with a particular interest in improving statistical literacy for non-statisticians.
Current positions
Professor of Applied Statistics
Bristol Dental School
Contact
Press and media
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Biography
I moved to Bristol in 2003, firstly working as a research fellow on the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, then obtaining a lectureship at the Bristol Dental School in 2007. Since then I have worked on a variety of oral health projects and was part of the NIHR-funded Nutrition Biomedical Research Unit and Nutrition Theme of the Biomedical Research Centre. I design and lead research methods courses for undergraduate and postgraduate students, and I am head of staff support and development within the School.
I have been on the steering group for the NIHR Statistics Group since 2016, and set up the career development section. I have recently established the UK Dental Statistics Teachers' Group, with the aim of improving statistics teaching for dental undergraduate students across the country.
Research interests
Research:
I work across a number of different areas, but my main research interests are (i) oral health research including cleft lip and/or palate, (ii) lifecourse determinants of health including diet and physical activity/sedentary behaviour, (iii) pilot and feasibility studies and (iv) statistical literacy.
Projects and supervisions
Research projects
Improving outcomes by addressing variation in unmet needs at transition to adult care for young people born with cleft lip and palate
Principal Investigator
Role
Co-Investigator
Description
NIHR Programme GrantManaging organisational unit
Bristol Dental SchoolDates
01/04/2024 to 30/09/2029
BRC2 - Diet and Physical Activity Theme
Principal Investigator
Role
Co-Investigator
Managing organisational unit
Bristol Medical School (PHS)Dates
01/12/2022 to 30/11/2027
Thesis supervisions
The Modified 5-Year-Olds’ Index – testing reliability and the impact of training level
Supervisors
The use of electrically assisted bicycles for promoting active transport and health
Supervisors
COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE IN PRIMARY CARE: PRACTICE, ATTITUDES AND EFFECTIVENESS.
Supervisors
Feeding and Autoimmunity in Children with Down’s Syndrome Evaluation Study (FADES)
Supervisors
Does the association between later eating rhythm and childhood adiposity differ between the UK and China?
Supervisors
Dental care pathways and parent-reported dental outcomes for 5-year-old children born with a cleft in the UK
Supervisors
Publications
Selected publications
17/06/2023Evidence-Based Practice Teaching for Undergraduate Dental Students
Teaching Biostatistics in Medicine and Allied Health Sciences
Association between overweight/obesity and dental outcomes in early childhood: Findings from an Australian cohort study
Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology
Daily Duration of Eating for Children and Adolescents
Nutrients
Recent publications
04/09/2024Association between overweight/obesity and dental outcomes in early childhood: Findings from an Australian cohort study
Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology
Associations between body mass index and episodic memory for recent eating, mindful eating, and cognitive distraction
Obesity Science & Practice
Later eating rhythm measured in children at 7 years of age in the ALSPAC cohort
Wellcome Open Research
Should left- and right-sided unilateral cleft lip and palate patients be grouped together when reporting the outcomes?
Orthodontics and Craniofacial Research
Daily Duration of Eating for Children and Adolescents
Nutrients