Thomas Downes
I am a GP and a clinical fellow on the Multimorbidity PhD programme for Health Professionals at the University of Glasgow. I am fascinated by the complexity of multimorbidity and polypharmacy and am passionate about researching novel ways of assessing the safety of medicines in this population who are at greater risk of harm. My PhD will draw on the strengths of randomised controlled trial data and routine healthcare data to understand the extent and consequences of polypharmacy in people with type 2 diabetes.
I graduated from medical school with distinction at Keele University in 2016 along with an intercalated MPhil degree. During my Academic Foundation programme in the West Midlands, I continued research at Keele University and completed a postgraduate certificate in medical education. I moved to the South-East of Scotland in 2018 for core medical training and later undertook general practice speciality training, during which time I consented and randomised people to treatment as part of the international RECOVERY trial for COVID-19 treatments. Since qualifying as a GP in 2023, I have gained diverse clinical experience working across daytime practices, GP out-of-hours and remote and rural settings and continue practice as a part-time honorary GP in Penicuik, Midlothian. During two consecutive years as an Academic Fellow in General Practice, and most recently as an Honorary Fellow (Research), at the University of Dundee, I developed a research interest in multimorbidity, polypharmacy and clinical trial applicability. I am excited to continue researching these important topics as part of this PhD programme.
Project: Analysing polypharmacy and adverse drug reactions in type 2 diabetes combining randomized controlled trials and real-world data.
Primary Supervisor: Prof David McAllister (University of Glasgow)
Secondary Supervisors: Dr Peter Hanlon (University of Glasgow), Prof Daniel Morales (University of Edinburgh)
