News 2022
A selection of news from the Usher Institute in 2022.
Annual Recognition Awards

The Usher Institute is delighted to recognise the contribution of staff and students in our Annual Recognition Awards.
EAVE II shortlisted in HDR UK Annual Awards

The EAVE II project has been shortlisted for Health Data Research UK's Team of the Year Award.
COPS study finds no increased miscarriage risk due to COVID-19 vaccines

There is no evidence of higher risk of miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy following vaccination against Covid-19 or infection with the disease, according to a new study.
Launch of community for data-driven innovation in health and social care

The Usher Innovation Community will put data at the centre of responses to health and social care system challenges.
Annual Lecture success
We were delighted to host Dr Fiona Godlee for this year's Usher Institute Annual Lecture.
Being Human Festival
The Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society is hosting a series of events as part of the UK Being Human Festival in November.
Vouchers help to quit smoking in pregnancy

High street voucher scheme helps double the number of women who stop smoking during pregnancy in a UK-wide study.
Life science industry leader appointed Director of Health and Social Care Data-Driven Innovation programme

Dr Marcus Harrison, formerly Chief Operating Officer at the Medicines Discovery Catapult, will lead the Health and Social Care Data-Driven Innovation (HSCDDI) programme at the University of Edinburgh as it seeks to drive advances in health and social care through the application of data science.
Molecular Epidemiology Group Meeting Comes to Edinburgh

Monday 28 November 2022 | ABSTRACT DEADLINE EXTENDED 30 SEPTEMBER
Congratulations Professors!

Congratulations to new Professors Miguel Bernabeu, Jonine Figueroa and Sarah Stock
CO-CONNECT showcases value of PPI
CO-CONNECT, a project working with Usher Institute researchers, recently published two videos highlighting the importance and value of Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in health data research.
Novel algorithm facilitates insights into diverse types of problems, from healthcare to finance

A new feature-selection algorithm can be applied to any dataset, yielding faster data analysis.
Substantial and persistent reduction in asthma attacks during COVID-19 pandemic

A study of a national primary care database of nearly 10 million patients across England has found that rates of asthma attacks were up to 63% lower in 2020-21 than the previous 4 years.
AI better at spotting heart failure than current tests

Artificial intelligence can help diagnose acute heart failure with more accuracy than current blood tests alone, research suggests.
New Usher building celebrates topping out milestone

Construction of the new Usher building at Edinburgh BioQuarter has reached its highest point.
14th International Cleft Congress

11-15 July 2022, Edinburgh
Hebridean study to explore disease and genes link
People with at least two grandparents from the Hebrides in Scotland are being asked to take part in a major genetic study.
Birthday Honours Congratulations

Professor Sir Aziz Sheikh OBE, Professor Harry Campbell MBE and Dr Ruth McQuillan MBE among this year's Birthday Honours list.
Health Data Science CPD course achieves FEDIP accreditation

Our application for accreditation, from the Federation for Informatics Professionals in Health and Social Care (FEDIP), was approved. Students will now have the FEDIP logo and new text added onto their certificate of completion.
Usher Institute REF 2021 impact case studies

A summary of our key impact case studies from the Usher Insitute as submitted to REF 2021
Professors Bruce Guthrie and Cathie Sudlow - Fellows of Academy of Medical Sciences

Professors Cathie Sudlow and Bruce Guthrie becomes Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences.
MSc Epidemiology nominations for the 2022 student-led Teaching Awards
In 2021, the MSc Epidemiology programme was successfully launched. It has been an outstanding achievement for the meaningful connections the team have already made with their students, and this has been further evidenced by the nomination they received in the 2022 student-led Teaching Awards, in the “Outstanding Innovation in Digital Teaching” category.
Most care homes in SE Scotland still use paper-based management systems

Researchers call for digital route map to prevent sector being left behind
New tech spin-out to boost drug discovery with streamlined analysis of genomic data

Omecu Ltd was developed following an MRC Confidence in Concept project, part-funded by the Usher Institute Health and Social Care Data-Driven Innovation Hub.
Collaboration with Public Health Scotland brings awards
The EAVE II team, led by Professor Aziz Sheikh, Usher Institute Director, is a close collaboration with Public Health Scotland - publishing important contributions to help our understanding of COVID-19.
Professors Gillian Mead and John Norrie - Fellows of Royal Society of Edinburgh

Professors Gillian Mead and John Norrie from the Usher Institute become Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
A new model of pathogen transmission in developing urban landscapes

A new study sheds light on how structures within developing cities can be exploited by new diseases
Genetic study gives insights into severe Covid-19
The world’s largest study of the genetics of critical Covid-19, involving more than 57,000 people, has revealed fresh details about some of the biological mechanisms behind the severe form of the disease.
Lockdown boost for kids’ vaccination rates in Scotland

Childhood vaccination rates significantly increased in Scotland during the first lockdown compared with the year before the pandemic, according to new research.
Two studies independently find only small increased risk of blots clots in the veins of the brain following COVID-19 vaccination

Two large studies carried out independently in the UK both found a slight increase in risk of intracranial thromboses in some populations after the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr Ahmar Shah - Director of Innovation

Dr Ahmar Shah succeeds Dr Kathrin Cresswell as the Director of Innovation for the Usher Institute.
Usher Masters Alumni network
New network for alumni of the Usher Institute launched
Proteins could be key to long and healthy life

Two blood proteins have been shown by scientists to influence how long and healthy a life we live, research suggests.
Covid-19 linked to complications during pregnancy

Women who have Covid-19 towards the end of their pregnancy are vulnerable to birth-related complications. They are more likely to have complications than those who get Covid-19 in the earlier stages of pregnancy or who haven’t had Covid-19 at all.