Nicholas Latimer
Research Fellow
Address:
HEDS, ScHARR
The University of Sheffield
Regent Court, 30 Regent Street
Sheffield S1 4DA
Tel: (+44) (0)114 222 0821
Fax: (+44) (0)114 272 4095
E-mail: n.latimer@sheffield.ac.uk
Room 2029
Biography
I joined ScHARR in June 2008. Before this I graduated with a degree in economics from the University of Nottingham in 2003 and an MSc in Health Economics from the University of York in 2004. I have experience in both the public and the private sectors. I have previously worked as a Research Officer and Analyst at NERA Economic Consulting, a Health Economics Fellow at Queen Mary, University of London (QMUL), and a Health Economist at Roche Products Ltd. While at QMUL I was the principal health economist on the NICE clinical guideline for osteoarthritis.
Since joining ScHARR I have worked on several clinical trials, NICE Public Health guidelines, and consultancy projects. Much of my work focuses on the incorporation of survival analysis in economic evaluations and in 2009 I was awarded an NIHR Doctoral Research Fellowship on this topic. I am the principle investigator on a project funded by the Pharmaceutical Oncology Initiative to assess statistical methods for adjusting survival estimates in the presence of treatment crossover, and I am part of a team made up of researchers from the Universities of Sheffield, York, Leicester and the MRC Biostatistics Unit investigating methods for extrapolating RCT evidence for use in economic models. In 2011 I authored the NICE Decision Support Unit technical support document on survival analysis for use in economic evaluations.
Research interests
My research interests focus on economic evaluation methodology, with a particular emphasis on the incorporation of survival analysis within economic models. My doctoral research fellowship is focused primarily on methods for adjusting survival estimates in the presence of treatment crossover- that is, when patients in the control group of a clinical trial switch onto the experimental treatment, thus confounding estimates of the treatment effect (where the relevant question for an economic analysis is what would have happened if control group patients did not receive this experimental treatment).
Teaching Interests
My teaching interests lie in the field of health economics, economic evaluation and survival analysis. I currently teach Survival Analysis in the Health Services Research Methods module for Economics and Health Economics MSc students, and on the Modelling module for International Health Technology Assessment MSc students. I have completed the Certificate in Learning and Teaching, the University Of Sheffield's professional development course in learning and teaching in higher education.
Professional Activities
I am currently undertaking an NIHR Doctoral Research Fellowship. I am developing a methodological and applied study of the role and value of alternative methods for incorporating survival analysis into economic evaluations of metastic oncology treatments to inform clinical policy and resource allocation decisions.
I am a member of the Yorkshire and Humber Research for Patient benefit Programme Regional Advisory committee.
I am a member of the Health Economists Study Group.
Current Projects
- NIHR Personal Award Scheme Fellowship on methods for incorporating survival analysis in economic evaluations (Award Holder). £265,000 (2009-2012)
- POI project on treatment crossover methods (Principle Investigator) (2011-2012)
- MRC funded project on methods for extrapolating RCT evidence for use in economic models (2011-2012)
- Health Economics input on the Exercise BOOSTER trial
- Trial planning and economic analysis of HIP HOP cushioned flooring trial, collaborating with the University of Portsmouth
- Trial planning and economic analysis of the CACTUS trial of computer-based therapy for people with Aphasia
Key Publications
- Latimer N, NICE DSU Technical Support Document 14: Survival analysis for economic evaluations alongside clinical trials- extrapolation with patient-level data, Report by the Decision Support Unit, June 2011, www.nicedsu.org.uk/NICE%20DSU%20TSD%20Survival%20analysis_finalv2.pdf
- Latimer N, Lord J, Grant RL, O'Mahony R, Dickson J, Conaghan PG. Value of Information in the Osteoarthritis Setting: Cost-Effectiveness of COX-2 Selective Inhibitors, Traditional NSAAIDs and Proton Pump Inhibitors. Pharmacoeconomics 2011 Mar 1;29(3):225-37
- Morden JP, Lambert PC, Latimer N, Abrams KR, Wailoo AJ. Assessing statistical methods for dealing with treatment switching in randomised controlled trials: A simulation study. BMC Methodology 2011;11(4)
- Latimer N, Lord J, Grant RL, O'Mahony R, Dickson J, Conaghan PG. Cost effectiveness of COX 2 selective inhibitors and traditional NSAIDs alone or in combination with a proton pump inhibitor for people with osteoarthritis. BMJ 2009 Jul 14;339:b2538
- Latimer N. NICE guideline on osteoarthritis: is it fair to acupuncture? Yes. Acupuncture in Medicine 2009;27(2):72-75