I am a Senior Lecturer in Health Sciences Research at Bangor University (BU), and an Associate Director of the Health and Care Research Wales Evidence Centre, where I lead the evidence synthesis work programme and the methodology sub-group. I am also a Senior Research Fellow with PRIME Centre Wales) where I lead the methodology infrastructure activity.

I have a sustained research output in peer-reviewed journals of international standing (including 3* outputs) and won over 18.8M (3.7M to BU) in grant income, which includes over 7.8M as PI or co-PI. This incorporates a recent successful funding application of £6,930,000 for the Health and Care research Wales Evidence Centre, for which I was co-PI (this includes £440,604 to BU for staff working as part of the core team). I have been invited to peer review grant applications and technology appraisals for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding bodies. I am an Honorary Senior Research fellow at Cardiff University and a Fellow of Advance Higher Education. I was awarded an NIHR Doctoral fellowship in 2011. I’m a member of the Health Technology Wales (HTW) Assessment Group, which quality assures the work of HTW and provides independent expert input. I also represent PRIME Centre Wales on the HTW Stakeholder Group.

I have extensive experience in the methodology and conduct of systematic reviews. I have been responsible for developing and leading the evidence review projects for a range of funders including the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Welsh Government, Department of Health (England), Cancer research UK, Wales Cancer research, and Public Health Wales. I have led reviews that have directly informed NICE guidance and national cancer guidelines. More recently I have led on the evidence synthesis work programme for the Wales COVID-19 Evidence Centre (2021-2023) and the newly established Health and Care Research Wales Evidence Centre (2023-2028). Evidence reviews conducted by the Wales COVID-19 Evidence Centre have directly informed Welsh Government decision making and assisted important policy and legislative decisions on outcome measures, societal restrictions, school safety measures, and reducing inequalities in the population.

As a systematic review methodologist for over 25 years, my main research expertise is in the methodology and application of systematic reviews and evidence synthesis. My research work covers a wide range of disciplines including primary care, palliative care, health services research, health technologies, population screening, public health, social care, environment, and education. My work includes methodological development in evaluating large bodies of evidence, the assessment of treatment sequences, synthesising evidence from diverse study designs, and the development of a rapid evidence review programme to inform decision making. I have extensive experience in a variety of review types covering a wide range of methods, including intervention studies, diagnostic studies, prognostic research, behavioural research, service delivery research, decision analytic modelling, economic evaluations, and clinical audits. This includes synthesising both qualitative and quantitative studies and performing pairwise and network meta-analysis within both frequentist and Bayesian frameworks.

Prior to working as a systematic review methodologist, I have worked as both a State Registered Chiropodist and a Clinical Audit and Effectiveness Facilitator within the UK National Health Service. My PhD in Health economics (on quantitative evidence synthesis methods for the assessment of the effectiveness of treatment sequences for clinical and economic decision making) and MSc in Information Science provides me with the full spectrum of skills and expertise needed for systematic reviews and health technology assessment. I completed my PhD in mid rather than early career when I had accumulated essential expertise in the methodology of health technology assessment. In particular, the methodology and application of systematic reviews in the context of decision analytic modelling. More recently my role as the lead for the evidence synthesis work programme of the Wales COVID-19 Evidence Centre and Associate Director of the Health and Care Research Wales has involved extending my knowledge and skills in stakeholder involvement, needs assessment and question prioritisation, and knowledge mobilisation.

Ruth welcomes the opportunity to supervise PhD work in the methodology and application of systematic review and evidence synthesis methods.