Dr Beatriz Goulao

Dr Beatriz Goulao
Dr Beatriz Goulao
Dr Beatriz Goulao

BSc (Hons), MSc, PhD

Advanced Research Fellow

Accepting PhDs

About
Email Address
beatriz.goulao@abdn.ac.uk
Telephone Number
+44 (0)1224 438097
Office Address

Health Services Research Unit

Health Sciences Building

University of Aberdeen

Foresterhill

Aberdeen AB25 2ZD

 

School/Department
School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition

Biography

I am a health services researcher, statistician and MRC New Investigator leading a programme of research to improve the relevance and communication of data to support health decision making. 

I lead the patient and public involvement in numerical aspects of trials (PoINT) research programme (visual abstract below from our priority setting) including MRC-funded PINpoINT - Patient and public INvolvement In target differeNces in Trials. We use participatory methods to improve involvement of patients, and the public in discussions related to data and statistics, making their collection, analysis and interpretation more relevant to them. 

I am the Chief Investigator in participatory projects to improve the communication and translation of data in oral health settings. This includes an NHS Education for Scotland funded cluster randomised trial using data to support dentist's antibiotic prescriptions; and a Citizen Science project to improve the communication and implementation of oral health evidence [video below]. I am TRiaDS (Translating Research into a Dental Setting) lead statistician and methodology research fellow. More information about the projects can be found here.

As part of our portfolio of clinical trials evaluating complex interventions, I lead the statistical design of multiple NIHR funded national trials including in oral health (SCRIPT, PIP) and surgical interventions (VUE, OPEN).

I joined the Health Services Research Unit in 2014. I finished my PhD part-time focusing on complex designs to improve oral health research (2020). I have an MSc in Biostatistics (2013) and an MSc in Metabolic Diseases with a focus on nutrition epidemiology (2013). I have worked as a researcher in the Epidemiology Unit of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon and as a registered dietitian in the Portuguese National Health System.

Qualifications

  • BSc (Hons) Dietetic and Nutrition 
    2010 - Lisbon's Health Technology School  
  • MSc Metabolic Disease and Food Behaviour 
    2013 - Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon 
  • MSc Biostatistics 
    2013 - Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon 
  • PhD Applied Health Sciences 
    2020 - University of Aberdeen 
    "Statistical and methodological aspects of complex randomised controlled trials in oral health"

Memberships and Affiliations

Internal Memberships

Elected Senate Member for the University of Aberdeen (2022-)

Member of the Open Science University Network (2021-)

Member of the CLSM Ethics Review Board (2018-2021)

External Memberships

Panel member for the Health Services and Delivery NIHR programme 

Independent statistician in several Data Monitoring and Trial Steering Committees for national NIHR funded trials

Associate editor for the Clinical Trials journal

Associate editor for the Implementation Science section of the Frontiers of Health Services (2020-22)

Member of the Audit and Feedback International Metalab International Trainee Network

Member of the Informed Health Choices International Network

Core member of the MRC-NIHR Trials Methodology Research Partnership Statistical Analysis Working Group

Member of the NIHR Improving Statistics Literacy group

Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society (FSS)

Registered Dietitian (Portuguese Nutrition Professionals Council)           

Prizes and Awards

2018 Principal’s Prizes for Public Engagement with Research 

2018 Engage Researchers’ Academy member (National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement)

2017 Santander Mobility Award

2014 Best oral communication, Challenges 2020: Congress of the Portuguese Dietetic Association, Lisbon

2012 Best Oral Communication in Nutrition, 16th Portuguese Obesity Congress, Lisbon

Research

Research Overview

Trials methodology; Statistics; Participatory methods; Communication of data and evidence; Complex interventions; Implementation Science; Oral health and dental healthcare; Surgical interventions; Patient and public involvement; Mixed-methods

Research Areas

Accepting PhDs

I am currently accepting PhDs in Applied Health Sciences.


Please get in touch if you would like to discuss your research ideas further.

Email Me

Applied Health Sciences

Supervising
Accepting PhDs

Research Specialisms

  • Healthcare Science
  • Applied Science
  • Applied Statistics
  • Medical Statistics

Our research specialisms are based on the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS) which is HESA open data, published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.

Current Research

My programme of research focuses on improving the relevance and communication of data to support health decision making. 

The programme includes:

  • Patient and Public Involvement in Numerical Aspects of Trials (PoINT) including:
    • Patient and public INvolvement In target differeNces in Trials (The PINpoINT Study) 
    • The original Patient and public Involvement in Numerical aspects of Trials (PoINT) project. The results of our priority setting meeting to identify the top numerical aspects to involve patients and the public have been published [video presenting the project below]

PoINT_video.png

I am lead supervisor for two PhD students developing work in patient and public involvement in numerical aspects of trials: Sophie Greenwood, and Vitri Darlene. I work with public partners and researchers nationally and internationally to improve the translation of statistics to patients and the public, and to improve patient and public involvement in research.

  • Improving the communication of evidence and data to support decision making in oral health and dental settings, including

I am chief investigator of the following projects:

  • TiPTAP tests the use of data with or without training in-practice to support dentist's decision making when it comes to antibiotic prescribing
  • GUIDE: Working with citizen scientists to improve GUideline Implementation in DEntistry

I am also TRiaDS lead statistician and methodology research fellow.

I am a statistician with expertise in the evaluation of complex interventions. As part of that role, my work focuses on:

  • Leading the statistical work packages in national dental trials

Currently, I lead the statistical analysis work package of two large National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funded dental trials: SCRIPT and PIP.

As part of the NIHR-funded IQuaD and INTERVAL dental trials, I have led the following methodological work:

 

  • Leading the statistical work packages in national surgical trials

These include leading the statistical design and analysis of the OPEN and VUE clinical trials.

Other methodological work

I have developed methodological work around cluster and factorial randomised trials and, in particular, multi-level cluster factorial trials

Past Research

I was responsible for the statistical analysis and reporting of the following projects:
 
  • REFLECT: a randomised trial focusing on caries treatment prevention using fluoride toothpaste
  • RAPiD Long-term follow-up: a randomised controlled trial testing different strategies of delivery of audit and feedback to decrease antibiotic prescribing in dentistry
  • Game of Stones: a randomised trial of text messages and financial incentives to treat obesity in men 
  • EDNA: a longitudinal diagnostic study and prediction model to help identify and predict age related macular degeneration
  • IQuaD: a randomised trial focusing on routine scale and polish and personalised oral hygiene advice in primary care dentistry
  • INTERVAL: a randomised trial focusing on routine check-ups in primary care dentistry

Knowledge Exchange

I have led or been involved in several public engagement projects with the aim of improving critical thinking skills when looking at evidence, including numerical skills, and disseminating clinical trials. I have received several awards for my science communication work including the Principal’s Prize for Public Engagement with Research 2018, Outstanding Achievement: Early Career Category.

Working with the local community radio and their youth media group, we have developed podcasts discussing concepts related to clinical trials.

IMG_20211211_115716592.jpg

The Trial of the LukcyTattie podcast team - listen here.

A podcast about COVID-19 trials presented at the international conference, Public Communication of Science and Technology 2020.

Collaborations

Member of the Audit and Feedback International Metalab International Trainee Network

Member of the Informed Health Choices International Network

Core member of the MRC-NIHR Trials Methodology Research Partnership Statistical Analysis Working Group

Member of the NIHR Improving Statistics Literacy group

I was awarded the Santader Mobility Award in 2017 to work on the efficient collection of dental outcomes in trials at the University of Munster. 

I am a collaborator of the Unit of Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon (learn more here) in the project PEN-3S - Nutritional status of Portuguese elders: national prevalence study and development of an electronic surveillance system.

Supervision

My current supervision areas are: Applied Health Sciences.

Ongoing PhD supervision:

Vitri Darlene [lead supervisor]. EPPIC: Experiences of Patient and Public Involvement in target differences in Clinical trials. University of Aberdeen, 2023-

Sophie Greenwood [lead supervisor]. Eliciting and incorporating patient’s opinions about missing data in randomised controlled trials. University of Aberdeen, 2022-

Frank You [co-supervisor]. Changing behaviour to enable design and delivery of low carbon trials. University of Aberdeen, 2023-

Plamena Tsankova [co-supervisor]. Choosing Wisely in Dentistry: to dis-invest or re-invest? University of Dundee, 2023-

Alice Hamilton [co-supervisor]. Beliefs, behaviour, attitudes and knowledge of dental professionals and patients to Selective Caries Removal techniques in deep carious lesions affecting posterior permanent teeth. University of Dundee, 2021-

Completed PhD supervision:

Patrick Fee [co-supervisor]. Root caries: evidence in support of a minimal intervention approach. University of Dundee, 2017-2022.

Master's degree supervision:

I supervise Master projects in applied health sciences and I have been the lead supervisor for several projects related to patient and public involvement and engagement in trials and their numerical aspects. 

Funding and Grants

Research funding

Patient and public INvolvement In target differeNces in Trials (The PINpoINT Study) [£534,210.50]. 2023-26. Principal Investigator: Beatriz Goulao. Funding body: Medical Research Council.

INITIAL: Involving patients and the public In sTatistIcal Analysis pLans [£9,492.09]. 2021-22. Principal Investigator: Beatriz Goulao. Funding body: Medical Research Council-National Institute for Health Research

Ensuring academic trials answer the questions of interest: Implementation of the estimand framework [£8,775]. 2021-22. Co-applicant. Principal Investigators: Suzie Cro, Brennan Kahan. Funding body: Medical Research Council-National Institute for Health Research

GUIDE: Working with citizen scientists to improve GUideline Implementation in DEntistry [£10,000].  2021-22. Principal Investigator: Beatriz Goulao. Funding body: Wellcome Trust – Institutional Strategic Support Fund at the University of Aberdeen.

The PIP trial - Pulpotomy for the Management of Irreversible Pulpitis (PIP) [£1,996,749.96]. 2020-2023. Co-applicant and lead statistician. Principal Investigators: Craig Ramsay and Jan Clarkson. Funding body: National Institute for Health Research.

Can co-design enhance national quality improvement interventions? [£33,617]. Jan-Nov 2020. Co-applicant. Principal Investigators: Laura Beaton and Jan Clarkson. Funding body: Chief Scientist Office Catalytic Research Grants.

Patient and public Involvement in Numerical aspects of Trials (PoINT) [£36,280]. 2019-2020. Principal Investigator: Beatriz Goulao. Funding body: Wellcome Trust – Institutional Strategic Support Fund at the University of Aberdeen.

Reporting results of diagnostic accuracy studies to patients and the public [£1,500]. 2019. Principal Investigator: Beatriz Goulao. Funding body: Medical Research Scotland.

Personal award: Engage Researchers’ Academy member [£970]. 2018. Funding body: UK Research and Innovation.

Personal award: Engage Researchers’ Academy attendee support [£870]. 2018. Funding body: Wellcome Trust – Institutional Strategic Support Fund at the University of Aberdeen.

Personal award: Santander Mobility awards to travel and collaborate with a research team at Munster University [£800]. 2017. Funding body: Santander.

Beatriz Goulao, Clare Robertson. Public engagement award to develop a Treasure Hunt activity and disseminate the evidence synthesis process [£300]. 2017. Funder: Public Engagement with Research Unit, University of Aberdeen.

Teaching

Teaching Responsibilities

I have been involved in the design and implementation, as a tutor and assessor, of both HSRU online courses:

  • Real World Trials online course: where I deliver the factorial trials lesson and have co-designed the PPI module
  • Patient and Public Involvement in Health Research online course: where I have co-designed and delivered live sessions with a particular interest in patient and public involvement in methodological projects

I am also an assessor for the Evidence Based Health module since 2019.