Caroline Fairhurst
Senior Research Fellow (Statistician)

Profile

Biography

Caroline joined the York Trials Unit in 2012 and currently supports a number of trials at the unit in the fields of health, education and the social sciences as a Senior Statistician

Qualifications

• MMath in Mathematics, University of York (2010)
• MSc in Statistics with Medical Applications, University of Sheffield (2014)

Departmental roles

• Lead for Graduate Teaching Assistants, Department of Health Sciences

Research

Overview

Caroline's main research interests lie in randomised controlled trials, cluster RCTs, statistics and trial methodology.

Projects

• ABRA - Abracadabra an RCT of an online literacy programme for Year 1 pupils
• AMICABLE
• BASIL/BASIL+ - An RCT of the BASIL programme, a psychological intervention, for mitigating depression and loneliness during the Covid-19 pandemic in older people with long-term health conditions
• BATH-OUT 2 - An RCT of the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of bathing adaptations in the homes of older adults on health, safety and quality of life
• BioDriveAFS - an RCT investigating the impact of a biomarker driven Antifungal Stewardship strategy on antifungal drug use and health related quality of life for patients with acute leukaemia
• BreatheMOR-HF - Morphine for the relief of breathlessness in stable chronic heart failure
• BRIGHT - Brushing reminder for good oral health
• CALM - An RCT of a guided self-help cognitive behavioural therapy to reduce dental anxiety in children attending primary dental care
• CASCADE - Case finding for depression in primary care: a regression discontinuity design
• E-PLAYS - Evaluating ‘Enhancing Pragmatic LAnguage skills for Young children with Social communication disorder’
• FARSTER - Feasibilty study of early outpatient review and early cardiac rehabilitation after coronary artery bypass grafting
• FARSTER-Care - An RCT investigating whether, following cardiac surgery with full median sternotomy, an accelerated cardiac rehabilitation pathway will lead to improved patient outcomes and is cost effective compared to the usual timing of cardiac rehabilitation.
• FIREFLI - Safe and well visits by the Fire and Resue Service to prevent falls and improve quality of life in elderly population
• Gentle Years Yoga - Individually randomised controlled, two arm, pragmatic, multi-centre trial to determine the clinical and cost-effectiveness of an adapted yoga programme for older adults with multimorbidity
• KReBS - A randomised controlled trial of the effect of a two-layer compression bandage system on knee function following total knee arthroplasty
• LEXIA - A computer-based independent learning system (ILS), was originally developed in the US to help pupils with dyslexia
• Maths Champions - The effectiveness of Maths Champions on the mathematical development and skills of children aged 3 & 4 years
• Maths Champions II - Independant evaluation of Maths Champions in nursery settings to devlop children's early numeracy
• MCLASS II - Muslim Communities Learning About Second-hand Smoke in Bangladesh
• MODS - Managing Multiple Health Conditions in Older Adults
• OSTRICH - Orthotics for Treatment of Symptomatic Flat Feet in Children
• OTIS - Occupational therapist intervention study
• QIST - Scaling up quality improvement for surgical teams trial

• RAPSODI - An RCT assessing whether reverse total shoulder replacement is superior to an anatomical total shoulder replacement for the treatment of painful osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint in patients over 60 years old.

• ReflectED - Evaluate the effectiveness of ReflectED on maths and reading outcomes for pupils in both KS1 and KS2
• SCIMITAR+ - Smoking cessation for people with severe mental illness
• SCI-napse - The impact of a game-based approach to whole-class teaching

• SHED SSc – Sharp debridement of digital ulcers in Systemic Sclerosis: a multi-centre randomised controlled feasibility study

• SSHeW - Does slip resistant footwear reduce slips among healthcare workers? A randomised controlled trial
• SWHSI - Open surgical wounds
• SWHSI 2 - A pragmatic, multicentre, randomised controlled trial of negative pressure wound therapy for open surgical wounds
• SWIFFT - Scaphiod waist internal fixation for fractures
• TDTS – Thinking, Doing, Talking Science: An effectiveness trial of a professional development programme designed to improve year 5 science outcomes
• TEEMUP – A professional development programme to develop early numeracy in Reception and Year 1 pupils: a cluster randomised controlled trial
• Tutor Trust - Affordable primary tuition

Research group(s)

• Trials and Statistics

Supervision

Caroline is keen to supervise Masters students who would like to focus their dissertation topic in the areas of trials or statistics.

Publications

Full publications list

• Caroline Fairhurst's publications

External activities

Memberships

Caroline is a member of the following trial oversight committees (Trial Steering Committee / Data Monitoring and Ethics Committee):

• Bracing Adolescent Idiopathic ScoliosIS (BASIS) Study – night-time versus full-time bracing in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.
• Clinical and cost-effectiveness of an in-home personalised health promotion intervention enabling independence in older people with mild frailty (‘HomeHealth’): A Randomised Controlled Trial
• Care Coordinator Delivered Method of Levels Therapy to Improve Engagement and other Outcomes in Early Psychosis (CAMEO): Feasibility Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial
• Clinical-effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of surgery with medial opening wedge high tibial osteotomy (HTO) compared with non-surgical treatment in the management of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee in patients younger than 60 years (MOTION Trial)
• PROTECT-HF: - Physiological vs Right ventricular pacing Outcome Trial Evaluated for bradyCardia Treatment
• uSing rolE-substitutioN In care-homes to improve ORal health (SENIOR)
• A randomised controlled trial of a group CBT intervention for young people with parental depression treatment optimisation – Skills for adolescent WELLbeing (SWELL)
• CO-produced Psychosocial INtervention delivered by GPs to young people after self-harm (COPING) feasibility study
• A randomised controlled trial of SHORT duration antibiotic thERapy for critically ill patients with sepsis (SHORTER)
• Secondary intention wound healing following excision of keratinocyte cancers on the lower leg (HEALS2 RCT)