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Peter Elwood

Professor of Epidemiology at Cardiff University, Wales MD, DSc, FRCP, FFPHM and two honorary doctorates

Main Details:

Peter is a medical epidemiologist, who worked with Archie Cochrane for many years and succeeded him as Director of the MRC Unit in Wales.

Peter reached his retirement date some over a decade ago and was granted an honorary Professorship in Cardiff University. This enables him to continue working on issues in nutrition and health, on factors relevant to heart disease and stroke prevention, and on factors predictive of dementia. He continues to work for the University five days a week (no pay) just for the love of the job.

In 50 years of research Peter has published over 300 papers, covering a wide range of epidemiological topics (see additional information below). His apogee was the publication by his team of the first randomised trial aspirin and mortality after myocardial infarction. His interest in aspirin prophylaxis has continued, and he is first author on a recent paper on Aspirin, Salicylates and Cancer published in the Lancet. The contribution of milk and dairy foods to health and to survival has been another major interest of Elwood for the past ten and more years.

Peter has a major concern over the communication of research findings to the general public and the promotion of informed debate. Together with colleagues he organised a citizens’ Jury: "My Health, whose responsibility?”. For the past eight years he has also organised monthly Science in Health public lectures on topics of concern in health care.

Peter set up the Science in Health lecture public series in 2002. This is a highly successful series of evening lectures that were originally held in the School of Medicine Building but now held in the University’s Main Building. The Community Engagement Team has supported Peter with this activity for the past three years although Peter arranges all the speakers and also chairs all the talks.

Additional Information:

Peter has published over 300 journals in referreed journals, the main areas of work are as follows:

1.	Diet, lifestyle, biochemical and haematological factors in heart disease. Stroke and cognitive decline.

2.	Platelets, asprin and cardiovascular disease.

3.	The clinical evaluation of iron deficiency anaemia

4.	Nutritional and other determinants of child growth

5.	Blood lead and environmental lead

6.	Chest disease and byssinosis in flax and in cotton workers.

•	Qualifications

o	DSc, MD, FRCP, FFPHM, DUniv

•	Honors/Awards o	Honorary Professor: University of Wales College of Medicine

o	Visiting Professor, University of Bristol, Dept of Social Medicine

o	Visiting Professor, University of Ulster, Dept of Biomedical Sciences

•	Previous Posts/Roles

o	Director, MRC Epidemiology Unit, Cardiff, 1974 – 1995

o	Member MRC Epidemiology Unit, Cardiff, 1963 – 1994 (with Archie Cochrane)

o	Lecturer in Dept of Social Medicine, Queen’s University Belfast, 1959–1963

o	General Practitioner in Northern Ireland, 1957–1959

o	House Jobs, Liverpool Hospitals 1954 – 1957