Respiratory Disease Data Science

The Respiratory Disease Data Science research group is led by Ting Shi. Their research covers the use of quantitative methods to investigate disease patterns and provide precision medicine, working closely with public health agencies, epidemiologists, clinicians, statisticians, modellers, the public and patients.

Summary

Our group undertakes research to address fundamental questions that are critical for international population health efforts, which will support to develop a pathway for evidence based clinical services and vaccination policy. Specifically, we have established a unique research profile using national linked health data, advanced statistical modelling, and systematic evidence synthesis to generate high quality and high impact epidemiological insights. Our work demonstrates a strong commitment to the role of scientific evidence in informing policy and improving population health.  

Key areas of interest for the group include:

  1. evaluating effectiveness and impact of the maternal respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine on short and long-term outcomes
  2. characterising the risk profiles of common respiratory infections and predict how they affect the NHS winter pressure
  3. investigating the role of environmental factors on winter respiratory disease risk in adults in Scotland
  4. health economic analysis of targeted vaccination strategies against influenza in Scotland
  5. investigating the association between early life exposure to viral respiratory infection and childhood recurrent wheeze and asthma development
  6. exploring the epidemiology of bacterial co-infection and antimicrobial use in influenza or SARS-CoV-2 associated admissions
  7. developing novel data-driven tools and methodologies to understand inequalities in maternity vaccination uptake in Scotland. 

Primary Contact

Ting Shi

Contact details

People

NameRole
Ting ShiPrincipal Investigator

Emily Ball 

Postdoc researcher 

Daira Trusinska 

PhD student 

Ruonan Pei 

PhD student 

Rhona Kiernan 

PhD student 

Milly Young 

PhD student 

Harrison Bott 

PhD student (based at University of Glasgow) 

Immie Call 

PhD student 

Constantinos Mavrommatis 

PhD student 

Ghassan Iskandrani 

PhD student

Projects

[Current key project details to follow]

Publications

Publications from this research group can be found on Ting's Edinburgh Research Explorer pages.

 

1.     Trusinska D, Lee B, Ferdous S, …Shi T. Real-world evidence on RSV vaccine uptake, effectiveness, and safety in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Reg Health Eur 2026; 64: 101623. 

2.     Lee B, Trusinska D, Ferdous S, … Shi T. Effectiveness and safety of nirsevimab, RSV maternal vaccine, and RSV vaccines for older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of real-world evidence. Thorax 2025. doi:10.1136/thorax-2025-223376. 

3.     Gordon B, Nyiro JU, Nair H, … Shi T. External validation of paediatric pneumonia and bronchiolitis risk scores to predict mortality in children hospitalised in Kenya: a retrospective cohort study. J Infect Dis 2025. doi:10.1093/infdis/jiaf377. 

4.     de Lusignan S, Shi T, Fowler T, et al. Sleeper frameworks for Pathogen X: surveillance, risk stratification, and the effectiveness and safety of therapeutic interventions. Lancet Infect Dis 2024; 24(7): e417-e8. 

5.     Bedston S, Almaghrabi F, Patterson L, … Sheikh A§, Shi T§. Risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes after autumn 2022 COVID-19 booster vaccinations: a pooled analysis of national prospective cohort studies on 7.4 million adults in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Lancet Reg Health – Eur 2024; 37: 100816. (§co-senior author)   

6.     Shi T*, Millington T*, Robertson C*, et al. Risk of winter hospitalisation and death from acute respiratory infections in Scotland: national retrospective cohort study. J R Soc Med 2024:  1410768231223584. (*co-first author) 

7.     Shi T*, Pan J*, Vasileiou E, et al. Risk of serious COVID-19 outcomes among adults with asthma in Scotland: a national incident cohort study. Lancet Respir Med 2022; 10(4): 347-54. (*co-first author) 

8.     Shi T, Pan J, Katikireddi SV, et al. Risk of COVID-19 hospital admission among children aged 5-17 years with asthma in Scotland: a national incident cohort study. Lancet Respir Med 2022; 10(2): 191-8. 

9.  Vasileiou E*, Simpson CR*, Shi T*, et al. Interim findings from first dose mass COVID-19 vaccination roll-out and COVID-19 hospitalisations in Scotland: National prospective cohort study of 5.4 million people. Lancet 2021; 397(10285): 1646-57. (*co-first author) 

10.  Shi T, McAllister DA, O’Brien KL, et al, for RSV Global Epidemiology Network. Global, regional, and national disease burden estimates of acute lower respiratory infections due to respiratory syncytial virus in young children in 2015: a systematic review and modelling study. Lancet 2017; 390(10098): 946-58. 

Themes and keywords

Scientific Themes

Respiratory disease; vaccination; health inequalities; global health; epidemiology 

Methodological Keywords

Routine data analysis; data linkage; prediction modelling; systematic review; meta-analysis 

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