Prof Ana M Valdes

Professor, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences

Ana M. Valdes received her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley, USA, where she specialised in Genetic Epidemiology. She is Professor of Molecular and Genetic Epidemiology at the School of Medicine. Her research is focused on deciphering on molecular mechanisms linked to complex age-related diseases such as osteoarthritis and cardiovascular disease and on the role of gut microbiome composition on human health. Ana was the co-Chief Investigator of the Pandemic Tracking of Healthcare Workers (www.pantherstudy.org.uk) tracking seropositivity and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in healthcare workers.

Her work also focusses on Inflammation, nutrition, metabolic syndrome and the gut microbiome. In collaboration with the Dept of Twin Research Ana has carried extensive work on the metabolomic profiles of obesity and visceral fat, the metabolomic signatures of weight loss and the role of the gut microbiome on weight loss and visceral fat. She has also investigated nutritional contributions to the gut microbiome. This work received considerable media attention. Ana is also a consultant for Industry partners seeking to develop personalised approaches to nutrition based on gut microbiome characteristics.

Ana is the Research Area Lead within the Nottingham NIHR BRC musculoskeletal theme and a Co-I in the Versus Arthritis Pain Centre. She has recently published GWAS, biomarkers genetic association studies on the molecular basis of OA pain and neuropathic pain post total joint replacement, in addition to several biomarker related studies on OA.

Last but not the least, Ana has co-authored several papers in the area of the molecular basis of ageing and cardiovascular disease including several articles on biomarkers of cardiovascular disease in the top Cardiology journals.

Dr Amrita Vijay

Research Fellow, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences

Dr Amrita Vijay is a Research Associate focussing on Gut Microbiome and Metabolic Health at the University of Nottingham. She completed her PhD at King’s College London, where she specialised in salivary and mucosal biology. She then pursued her postdoctoral research with at the TwinsUK, Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London before moving to Nottingham where she currently works with Professor Ana Valdes, leading dietary intervention studies focussing on gut microbiome and metabolic health both in the UK as well as in India. She is currently the lead scientific advisor for a gut health company and has collaborations with food companies that are focussed on advancing research in the field of gut health and nutrition. Her work has been featured in media news outlets including BBC radio.

 

Dr Afroditi Kouraki

Research Fellow, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences

Dr Afroditi Kouraki is a Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham. She obtained her PhD in August 2022 from The University of Nottingham, where her research focused on a biopsychological approach to understanding the contributors to chronic pain. This project utilised both advanced statistical analysis and clinical-based research to identify how psychological, social and biological (including genetics and the gut microbiome) factors interact in their contribution to chronic pain. Currently, she is conducting postdoctoral research with Professor Ana Valdes, investigating the effects of diet and exercise on improving pain outcomes in individuals with osteoarthritis using multi-omics and machine learning approaches. Dr Kouraki has a keen interest in ageing related research and the potential of lifestyle interventions for improving health.

Dr Tony Kelly

Research Nurse, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences

Tony is a science graduate and registered nurse specialising in mental health. He has an MSc in research methods, a PhD focussing on the care needs of older adults and has undertaken the learning and teaching component of the post graduate certificate in higher education. Tony undertook his pre-registration training in Nottingham across various teaching hospitals before qualifying and working as a staff nurse at the Queens Medical Centre. Tony has been integral in supporting various musculoskeletal, and other research projects focussing on inflammatory conditions, including Covid-19 at the University of Nottingham. This has allowed him to draw on the practical skills that he developed as a nurse, caring for participants and working with them to obtain the research data and samples required for studies. He has extensive experience of invasive and non-invasive clinical procedures and the safe collection, processing, and storage of samples.

 

Academic Orthopaedics,
C floor West Block,
University of Nottingham,
Queens Medical Centre,
Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UHk

Academic Rheumatology Clinical Sciences Building
Nottingham City Hospital
Hucknall Road,
Nottingham, NG5 1PB