My research concentrates on the epidemiology and treatment of kidney disease – acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease and end-stage kidney disease.

Much of my research over the years has involved registries, indeed this was why I chose to undertake my renal training in Bristol, home of the UK Renal Registry. I have been very fortunate to be medical director of UKRR from October 2013 - January 2019 and continue to work closely with colleagues there on ongoing projects, most notably:

• Why do children with severe chronic kidney disease present late to specialist services? A mixed-methods observational study. (A doctoral research fellowship funded by NIHR for Dr Lucy Plumb.)
• The European Quality Study (EQUAL), an international prospective cohort study looking at the optimal time to start dialysis in people over 65 years of age (www.equal-study.org). (Funded by the ERA-EDTA.)
• Erythropoietin therapy for treating anaemia among haemodialysis patients: associations with survival and comparison of treatment strategies. (A post-doctoral fellowship funded by the MRC for Dr Kate Birnie.)
• The Prepare for Kidney Care Study – a randomised controlled trial comparing preparation for responsive management with preparation for renal dialysis in multi-morbid, frail older people with end-stage kidney disease (www.bristol.ac.uk/population-health-sciences/projects/prepare-kc-trial/). (Funded by the NIHR HTA Programme.)
• The High-volume Haemodiafiltration vs High-flux Haemodialysis Registry Trial (H4RT) – a randomised controlled trial using the UKRR and linkage to other healthcare databases to provide efficient follow up (see www.bristol.ac.uk/population-health-sciences/projects/h4rt-trial/). (Funded by the NIHR HTA Programme.)

The UK Renal Registry collects data on all patients in the UK with end-stage kidney disease (on dialysis or with a kidney transplant) and follows them automatically through electronic data capture. In recent years its remit has been broadened to cover:

• Acute kidney injury occurring in primary or secondary care
• Pre-dialysis chronic kidney disease managed in secondary care
• Dialysis for acute kidney injury
• Patient-reported outcomes.

For more information about the work of the Registry, please visit www.renalreg.org.