James Prior

Biography

James joined the School of Medicine at Keele University in 2008 working on a new cohort study to examine the impact of cardiovascular disease comorbidity on the health of patients with osteoarthritis, during this role he had the opportunity to undertake a PhD in Epidemiology. Upon completion of this, James moved into the School’s Inflammatory Condition Research Group, focusing on epidemiological research of several rheumatological conditions, including axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and gout in both primary and secondary care settings. James is also involved in internal and external teaching of research methods, the latter to staff at the Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust where he has an honorary post.

Research and scholarship

James' research focuses on the epidemiology of inflammatory conditions, around two main areas, comorbidities, and improving time to diagnosis. Previous research into comorbidities in patients with inflammatory conditions has examined the prevalence of anxiety and depression in patients with gout, cardiovascular disease in patients with axSpA and psoriatic arthritis, and whether patients with inflammatory conditions are more likely to self-harm than other comparable patients in primary care.

Research into the time to diagnosis includes several systematic reviews to determine the extent to which the diagnosis of inflammatory conditions is delayed, including axSpA. Of two currently ongoing studies, one is looking to improve the referral process from primary care into Rheumatology departments for patients with suspected axSpA (IDEAL study); the second is testing a new online method of helping people with axSpA identifying when they’re experiencing a flare of their condition (FASTER study).

Further information

James sits on the University senate, as a representative for the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, and externally, he sits on the Scientific Foundation Board for the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP). He is also a member of the British Society of Rheumatology (BSR) and the British Society of Spondyloarthritis (BritSpA).