Meet the Team

Meet the Team

CHIEF INVESTIGATORS

Dr Sarah Mackie, University of Leeds, Chief Investigator

I am co-chief investigator (CI) for STERLING-PMR, an international study that is investigating better treatment options for patients with PMR etc…… We want to know whether disease modifying drugs or DMARDs are better at helping to manage the challenging symptoms PMR patients face everyday and reduce their need to take steroids for many years to manage these symptoms. This trial is being run with the help of a multi-disciplined team, who have a diverse set of skills and include consultant rheumatologists, research nurses, patient and public involvement experts who themselves have been diagnosed with PMR, GPs, clinical trials researchers, statisticians to name a few.

Professor Philip Conaghan, Co-chief Investigator

I am the Director of the NIHR Leeds Biomedical Research Centre at Chapel Allerton Hospital, Leeds.
As co-CI I am responsible for the design of the trial, and ensuring it is run according to ethical standards, and on time. [options personal opinion about being excited about taking part in an important research study??]
For more information on Philip Conaghan see [link to LIRMM page]

CLINICAL COLLABORATORS

[names of co-apps]?

PATIENT AND PUBLIC REPRESENTATIVES

PMR-GCA UK & SCOTLAND

We are working closely with members of the PMR-GCA charity which was set up to meet the needs of people with the debilitating conditions polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and giant cell arteritis (GCA). For more information and to understand more about these conditions please go to their website at https://pmrgca.org.uk/

Ms Lorna Neill, PMR- GCA Scotland

[personal statement about involvement in STERLING]

THE CENTRAL COORDINATING TEAM

[headshots of team next to names role?]

Leeds Institute of Clinical Trials Research,
University of Leeds

[Claire Davies (Senior Trial Manager), Stephanie Kuunal (Trial Coordinator), Sima Lowery (Trial Coordinator), Howard Collier (Senior Data Manager), Sarah Brown (Principal Statistician), Colin Everett (Trial Statistician)]

Hello and thanks for visiting the STERLING-PMR trial page. We are based at the Clinical Trials Research Unit (CTRU) at the University of Leeds and are responsible for the central management and monitoring of the trial, and we will analyse the data at the end of the trial.

We work with the Chief investigators, Rheumatology departments in hospitals, GPs and patients to implement and deliver the STERLING-PMR trial.

Our responsibilities include ensuring that the trial is delivered in accordance with ethical and regulatory regulations, participants receive their trial medication, and high-quality data is recorded to answer the research questions. We monitor trial performance in accordance with key milestones and try to ensure the trial is delivered to time and target, and on budget.

Through our research, we are committed to helping to improve the quality of patients’ lives living with PMR and hope it will help to improve clinical guidelines in the future.