Ivonne Solis-Trapala

About Me

I work with clinicians, researchers and health organisations to make clinical studies clearer, stronger and more meaningful. Whether the question involves kidney disease, cancer care, mental health or health services research, I help ensure that evidence is scientifically rigorous and relevant to the realities of care.

I support teams across disciplines and career stages to develop high-quality studies and build research and methodological capacity so that findings can genuinely improve health outcomes.

I also mentor clinicians, health professionals and methodologists, supporting them to develop strong study designs and the analytical skills needed for rigorous, impactful research.

My Story

I grew up in Mexico with a strong interest in mathematics and an early curiosity about medicine. During my master’s studies at the Centre for Research in Mathematics, I was taught by Professor David A. Sprott, whose influence shaped my understanding of statistical foundations and scientific reasoning. A scholarship then brought me to the United Kingdom, where I completed a PhD in Statistics at the University of Cambridge under the supervision of Professor Vern Farewell.

An MRC Career Development Fellowship later allowed me to develop my expertise in graphical modelling and its applications to clinical and population health research. These experiences shaped the collaborative, multidisciplinary approach that continues to guide my work.

Research and Leadership

My research focuses on developing statistical methods for clinical and population health research, with particular expertise in graphical and multistate approaches for understanding complex care pathways and improving how findings are interpreted and used in practice. I work across areas such as health services research, psycho-oncology, renal medicine and global mental health.

Clinical and Policy Impact

My applied work has contributed to more equitable and patient-centred care across several clinical areas:

• Renal medicine: Methodological developments identifying how service organisation and patient factors influence access to home dialysis across England.
• Heart failure: Analysis of a national registry to understand which comorbidities most affect quality of life, informing later policy recommendations.
• Psycho-oncology: Trials of communication skills training for healthcare professionals, now used internationally to support more effective patient–clinician conversations.
• Global health: Contributions to WHO’s Global Scales for Early Development, supporting robust international measurement of early childhood development.

Leadership Roles

As Director of Keele Clinical Trials Unit, I provide strategic and research leadership for a multidisciplinary team delivering clinical trials and cohort studies across diverse clinical areas. As Co-Director of a NIHR Research Support Service Hub, I help ensure that researchers across England have access to high-quality methodological expertise.

I also serve on NIHR funding committees and multiple Trial Steering and Data Monitoring Committees, providing independent methodological oversight and helping strengthen the national evidence base.

My Statistical Approach

I focus on methods that reflect how data arise in practice and how people experience care. Understanding the mechanisms that generate data leads to clearer insights and more reliable conclusions.

This includes work in graphical modelling, multistate modelling and the design and interpretation of complex clinical trials, always grounded in the people and contexts the research aims to serve.

Why This Work Matters

High-quality evidence underpins progress in healthcare. When studies are designed and analysed well, they can improve diagnosis, treatment choices, service organisation and long-term health outcomes.

For example, in kidney care, understanding how patient characteristics and service organisation influence transitions between dialysis treatments helps services design fairer pathways so that more patients can access therapies that support independence and quality of life.

My work aims to ensure that research produces findings that clinicians, policymakers and health services can trust and apply, leading to better decisions and better health for patients and communities.

Selected Publications

Kidney replacement therapy and health disparities
Potts, J. et al. (2025).
Health disparities in transitions between kidney replacement therapy modalities and mortality in England: A multistate model using UK Renal Registry data.
Preprint on SSRN; under review at PLOS Medicine.
https://doi.org/10.2139/SSRN.5263139

Home dialysis uptake and centre practices
Potts, J. et al. (2025).
Patient and center factors in home dialysis therapy uptake.
In press, American Journal of Kidney Diseases.
https://doi.org/10.1053/j.ajkd.2025.08.012

Communication of GEP test results in oncology
Fallowfield, L. et al. (2025).
Improving patient understanding of GEP test results (IMPARTER4): an RCT.
BMJ Oncology, 4(1), e000689.
https://doi.org/10.1136/BMJONC-2024-0006

Communication training for BRCA testing
Fallowfield, L. et al. (2022).
TRUSTING: Educational programme for healthcare professionals about BRCA1 and BRCA2 testing.
British Journal of Cancer, 127, 1116–1122.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41416-022-01871-x

Comorbidity pathways in heart failure
Lawson, C. A. et al. (2018).
Comorbidity health pathways in heart failure patients.
PLOS Medicine, 15(3), e1002540.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002540

Profiles and Contact

Best contact:
i.solis-trapala@keele.ac.uk