James Prior

Biography

Biography

James joined the School of Medicine at Keele University in 2008 working on a new cohort study to examine the impact of cardiovascular disease comorbidity on the health of patients with osteoarthritis, during this role he had the opportunity to undertake a PhD in Epidemiology. Upon completion of this, James moved into the School’s Inflammatory Condition Research Group, focusing on epidemiological research of several rheumatological conditions, including axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and gout in both primary and secondary care settings. James is also involved in internal and external teaching of research methods, the latter to staff at the Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust where he has an honorary post.

Research and scholarship

Research and scholarship

James' research focuses on the epidemiology of inflammatory conditions, around two main areas, comorbidities, and diagnostic delay. Previous research into comorbidities in patients with inflammatory conditions has examined the prevalence of anxiety and depression in patients with gout, cardiovascular disease in patients with axSpA and psoriatic arthritis, and whether patients with inflammatory conditions are more likely to self-harm than other comparable patients in primary care. Research into diagnostic delay includes several systematic reviews to determine the extent to which the diagnosis of inflammatory conditions is delayed, including axSpA. Most recently, newly funded projects will be looking to improve the referral process from primary care into Rheumatology departments for patients with suspected axSpA (IDEAL study); another will test new online methods of identifying when patients with axSpA are experiencing a flare of their condition to facilitate prompt care (FASTER study).

Further information

Further information

James sits on the University senate, as a representative for the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Externally, he sits on the Scientific Foundation Board for the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), reviewing funding applications. He is also on the Research and Registers committee for the British Society of Rheumatology (BSR) and a member of the British Society of Spondyloarthritis (BritSpA). Finally, he is an external examiner for the Middlesex University’s MSc in Public Health.

Publications

Publications