Meet the Team
Kuldeep Sohal
Programme Director
Kuldeep is the Director for the Connected Bradford programme which connects de-identified, longitudinal, near to real time data from the NHS and non-healthcare organisations for approximately 700,000 citizens across the Bradford region into a single database. The Connected Bradford database links primary, secondary care, community care, social care, education data and the wider determinants of health data which is hosted securely by Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust using the highest standards of governance and security to protect records.
Professor John Wright
Chief Investigator
John Wright is a doctor and epidemiologist with a background in hospital medicine and public health in the UK and in Africa. He established and leads the Bradford Institute for Health Research and Wolfson Centre for Applied Health Research, working to speed up translation of medical research into practice and policy. He is the Director of Research for the City of Bradford and Director of the NIHR Yorkshire and Humber Applied Research Collaboration. He is Visiting Professor in Clinical Epidemiology at the Universities of York, Leeds and Bradford and has authored of over 300 papers and three textbooks and been awarded over £150 million in research award funding, £40 million as chief investigator.
In 2007 he set up the Born in Bradford (BiB) cohort study which is following the lives of over 13,000 families as their children grow up. Evidence from BiB studies has informed local, national international policies and led to improvements in clinical practice and public health. In 2016 he set up Born in Bradford’s Better Start cohort to test new approaches to providing the best support in the crucial period of early life. In 2019 he established ActEarly to develop a whole systems City Collaboratory approach to improving the health and life chances of children from deprived communities in London and Yorkshire.
He has worked to develop sustainable public health programmes in Africa for 30 years including setting up and running an Ebola Treatment Centre for Doctors of the World in Sierra Leone during the Ebola epidemic. He was the research and scientific lead for Clinical and District Gold command during the COVID19 pandemic and set up the COVID19 Scientific Advisory group (CSAG). He has reported for the BBC on programmes covering Born in Bradford, Ebola and most recently The NHS Frontline podcast.
John Birkinshaw
Research Data Infrastructure Manager
John works as the Research Data Infrastructure Manager for the Connected Bradford eBradford Hub to link data from primary, secondary care, community care, social care and other datasets. These are used to effectively design and evaluate quality improvement projects to improve the effectiveness of healthcare delivery.
After a 30 year career in Local Government IT, wth a further 8 years in Health Research data requirements John has a wide understanding of IT issues, challenges, technology, and data design, and is applying this to the requirements of the Connected Bradford programme.
Dr Tom Lawton
Consultant Critical Care & Anaesthesia
Dr Tom Lawton is the Clinical Director of Connected Bradford, Director of Clinical Analytics at the Improvement Academy, and Head of Clinical Artificial Intelligence at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He is a former computer programmer, NHS-R fellow, and works clinically as a consultant in Critical Care and Anaesthesia.
Dr Dan Mason
Head of Research and Analytics
Dan leads the data management team for Born in Bradford, who are responsible for developing our data capture systems, managing our secure data sharing processes, tracking activity in our research biobank, and developing research analytics capability. He works on the Better Start Bradford programme, within which we are harmonising and linking data from organisations across the district to evaluate in real time the impact of 20 public health interventions. Dan also works on the Connected Bradford programme, which is linking data from across primary and secondary care, and community and social care, to evaluate and improve patient pathways in a variety of clinical areas.
Cathy Hulin
Research Support Officer
Cathy is the Research Support Officer providing support for the Connected Bradford project. She is responsible for the effective administration and maintenance of good working relationships with associated organisations involved. Cathy has worked for Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for 30 years.
Cathy has a PA background with a degree in event management and has worked as Business Manager for the Yorkshire & Humber Academic Health Science Network with responsibility for continued stakeholder engagement.
Eghe Eweka
Data Analyst
Eghe currently works as a Research Data Analyst for Connected Bradford. Her work involves linking data, data management, data analysis and effectively supporting research enabling continuous improvement in healthcare delivery. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering Degree alongside a Masters in Applied Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics.
Senator Eseosaenoma
Data Analyst
A Data Analyst with over five years experience, and an Artificial Intelligence enthusiast.
Patricia Asowo-Ayobode
Data Analyst
Patricia is currently serving as the Research Data Analyst for the Connected Yorkshire – Bradford Hub, where her primary focus is linking data from various healthcare sectors, including primary and secondary care, community care, social care, and other relevant sources. Hewr role is integral to supporting research initiatives and spearheading the design and evaluation of quality improvement projects aimed at enhancing the efficiency of healthcare delivery within the Connected Yorkshire Data Environment.
With a robust 17-year background in Education, Research, and Technology, Patricia brings a diverse skill set to the table. This extensive knowledge has been cultivated through years of navigating the intricate landscape of psychometrics and research methodologies, and has consistently adapted to the evolving realm of technology.
Having encountered and overcome numerous challenges in the intersection of technology and her respective domains, Patricia is well-equipped to contribute to the integration requirements of the Connected Yorkshire Secure Data Environment Programme. Her commitment lies in leveraging the transformative power of technology to enhance the constructive interaction between different healthcare data sources, thereby advancing the collective goal of improving healthcare outcomes.
Ramaa Thirunarayanan
Data Engineer
Ramaa brings 18 years of expertise as an IT Project Manager, specializing in data management for leading clients like Orange Communication, Staples, Lucent Technologies, Honeywell Corporation, Nissan, and Honda Motors. Her career has sharpened her ability to understand how data influences decision-making across diverse sectors.
Alongside my IT career, she has founded and led three international schools in Tokyo, offering insights into education, business operations, and the pivotal role of data in strategic planning. As a former State-level/Inter University Table Tennis Champion, she applied the same dedication to both sports and professional pursuits.
Passionate about animals, Ramaa is a proud owner of a golden retriever, a Maltese, and a Pomeranian poodle. She is eager to bring the deep understanding of data’s impact to the Connected Bradford team as a Data Engineer, contributing to meaningful projects and driving positive change.
For more information contact cBradford@bthft.nhs.uk
