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Biography

I am a consultant sports and exercise medicine physician and clinical academic with dual clinical and academic appointments. I work on a 0.2FTE contract for TCD, in the department of physiology as an assistant professor. I am a Fellow of the Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine, RCSI and on IMC Higher Specialist Register in Sports and Exercise Medicine. Clinically, I work for Voluntary Health Ireland (Vhi) where I am in a senior leadership position as the healthcare strategy lead, leading population health modelling and working with a senior leadership team planning future healthcare approaches to support 1.2 million people living in Ireland. I also work directly in clinical practice in integrated care supporting the management of chronic disease. Prior to working for Vhi I worked for the HSE supporting the COVID response and I dropped to 0.2 FTE contract with TCD and have continued on that since 2020. During covid I worked clinically in Beaumont Hospital. In the first waves of COVID I worked as a consultant in the Emergency department and then I moved to managing a 24 bed rehabilitation ward. My research and clinical practice spans population health to personalised precision medicine delivering in area of primary and secondary disease prevention and rehabilitation. Common threads to my research include developing and testing risk stratification tools which expand on ideal cardiovascular health scores and adopt applied physiological metrics including physical function and exercise measures (exercise testing, orthostatic challenge, physical testing, walking speed, grip strength). I use risk stratification tools in combination with heart health and brain health metrics which include imaging and self-reported measures to understand phenotypes at risk of early ageing and physiological decline. I also plan, implement and evaluate interventions to support early intervention. Intervention work includes health promotion, lifestyle medicine and physical activity interventions. I developed my experience in population health and health promotion working for the MRC Obesity and Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge. During this time I secured my first Wellcome fellowship to deliver a national health and science communication program. I then moved to the University of Oxford to work for the British Heart Foundation, Health promotion research group where I developed my expertise in systemic review and evidence assimilation and lead regional falls prevention programs. I secured a clinical academic training fellowship with the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) to complete this work. I then moved to work in preventive cardiology and applied physiology with the Radcliffe Department of Medicine and Cardiovascular Clinical Research Facility. I secured further Wellcome Trust funding with competitive award of a Clinical Research Training Fellowship to understand young adult cardiovascular risk phenotypes and response to exercise. I developed expertise in cardiac and brain MRI analysis completing graduate training at FMRIB and the Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging. I was awarded a DPhil in Cardiovascular Medicine from University of Oxford focusing on health brain health in young adults. I continue my research in heart-brain health working with Professor Kenny and the research team from the TILDA study. Working as the healthcare strategy lead in VHI I have a unique opportunity in the Irish ecosystem to improve implementation and evaluation of preventive programs. Success to date includes planning and launch of 4 clinical services in the Vhi carrickmines 360 centre: health coaching, women"s health, successful ageing and applied physiology. The objective now is to create collaborative partnerships to establish centres of excellence in the coming years to support continued healthcare innovation, translation of evidences base practice and drive value based care.

Research Tags

Age related diseases Ageing, memory and other cognitive processes Ageing, stroke, dementia Clinical research, trials Epidemiology Health attitudes and behaviour Health outcomes Imaging Techniques

Research Projects

Project Title

Trial of Exercise to Prevent Hypertension in young Adults (TEPHRA

From

2016

2020

Summary

Background Hypertension prevalence in young adults has increased and is associated with increased incidence of cerebrovascular events in middle age. However, there is significant debate regards how to effectively manage young adult hypertension with recommendation to target lifestyle intervention. Surprisingly, no trials have investigated whether lifestyle advice developed for blood pressure control in older adults is effective in these younger populations. Methods/Design TEPHRA is an open label, parallel arm, randomised control trial in young adults with high normal and elevated blood pressure. The study will compare a supervised physical activity intervention consisting of 16 weeks structured exercise, physical activity self-monitoring and motivational coaching with a control group receiving usual care/minimal intervention. 200 young adults aged 18-35 years, including a subgroup of preterm born participants will be recruited through open recruitment and direct invitation. Participants will be randomised in a ratio of 1:1 to either the exercise intervention group or control group. Primary outcome will be ambulatory blood pressure monitoring at 16 weeks with measure of sustained effect at 12 months. Study measures include multimodal cardiovascular assessments; peripheral vascular measures, blood sampling, microvascular assessment, echocardiography, objective physical activity monitoring and a subgroup will complete multi-organ magnetic resonance imaging. Discussion The results of this trial will deliver a novel, randomised control trial that reports the effect of physical activity intervention on blood pressure integrated with detailed cardiovascular phenotyping in young adults. The results will support the development of future research and expand the evidence-based for management of blood pressure in young adult populations. Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov registration number NCT02723552, registered on 30 March, 2016. Keywords: Young Adult, Blood Pressure, Hypertension, Prehypertension, Preterm Birth, Randomised Trial, Exercise, Cardiac Imaging, Cardiac Remodelling, Cerebrovascular Health

Funding Agency

Wellcome Trust and British Heart Foundation

Project Type

Clinical Trial

Representations

Details	Date
I sit on the Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine - Education and Exercise Medicine Committees I support the evolution of FSEM contribution in the area of Physical Activity and Exercise Medicine at a national professional level	Since 2020
Council Member Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine
I am the national lead for exercise medicine on the Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine, sitting on the national council and educational committee.	2019

Languages

Language	Skill Reading	Skill Writing	Skill Speaking
English	Fluent	Fluent	Fluent

Memberships

Membership of Professional Institutions, Associations, Societies

Details	Date From	Date To
FELLOW FACULTY OF SPORTS AND EXERCISE MEDICINE
REGISTERED IRISH MEDICAL COUNCIL - CONSULTANT SPORTS AND EXERCISE MEDICINE

Publications and other Research Outputs

Lapidaire Wino, Forkert Nils D, Williamson Wilb, Huckstep Odar, Tan Cheryl M, Alsharqi Marya, Mohamed Afifa, Kitt Jami, Burchert Holge, Mouches Paulin, Dawes Hele, Foster Charli, Okell Thomas W, Lewandowski Adam J, Leeson Pau, Aerobic exercise increases brain vessel lumen size and blood flow in young adults with elevated blood pressure. Secondary analysis of the TEPHRA randomized clinical trial, NeuroImage: Clinical, 37, 2023, p103337-, Journal Article, PUBLISHED DOI URL

Burchert, Holger and Lapidaire, Winok and Williamson, Wilby and McCourt, Annabelle and Dockerill, Cameron and Woodward, William and Tan, Cheryl M. J. and Bertagnolli, Mariane and Mohamed, Afifah and Alsharqi, Maryam and Hanssen, Henner and Huckstep, Odaro J. and Leeson, Paul and Lewandowski, Adam J., Aerobic Exercise Training Response in Preterm-Born Young Adults with Elevated Blood Pressure and Stage 1 Hypertension: A Randomized Clinical Trial, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 207, (9), 2023, p1227-1236 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED DOI

Williamson W, Lewandowski AJ, Huckstep OJ, Lapidaire W, Ooms A, Tan C, Mohamed A, Alsharqi M, Bertagnolli M, Woodward W, Dockerill C, McCourt A, Kenworthy Y, Burchert H, Doherty A, Newton J, Hanssen H, Cruickshank JK, McManus R, Holmes J, Ji C, Love S, Frangou E, Everett C, Hillsdon M, Dawes H, Foster C, Leeson P., Effect of moderate to high intensity aerobic exercise on blood pressure in young adults: The TEPHRA open, two-arm, parallel superiority randomized clinical trial., EClinicalMedicine, 48, 2022, p101445 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED DOI

Céline De Looze, PhD, Wilby Williamson, PhD, Naiara Demnitz, PhD, Deirdre O'Connor, MPH, Belinda Hernández, PhD, Rose Anne Kenny, MD, Physical Function, An Adjunct to Brain Health Score for Phenotyping Cognitive Function Trajectories in Older Age: Findings From The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), The Journals of Gerontology: Series A Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 2022, Journal Article, PUBLISHED DOI

Reid Hamis, Smith Ralp, Williamson Wilb, Baldock Jame, Caterson Jessic, Kluzek Stefa, Jones Natash, Copeland Rober, Use of the behaviour change wheel to improve everyday person-centred conversations on physical activity across healthcare, BMC Public Health, 22, (1), 2022, p1784-, Journal Article, PUBLISHED DOI URL

Caoilfhionn Ní Leidhin, Jason McMorrow, DanielCarey, LouiseNewman, Wilby Williamson, Andrew J.Fagan, Michael A.Chappell, Rose Anne Kenny, James F. Meaney, Silvin P. Knight, Age-related normative changes in cerebral perfusion: data from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), NeuroImage, 229, (117741), 2021, Journal Article, PUBLISHED TARA - Full Text DOI URL

Silvin P Knight, Eamon Laird, Wilby Williamson, John O'Connor, Louise Newman, Daniel Carey, Celine De Looze, Andrew J Fagan, Michael A Chappell, James F Meaney, Rose Anne Kenny, Obesity is associated with reduced cerebral blood flow-modified by physical activity, Neurobiology of Aging, 105, 2021, p35-47 , Notes: [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2021.04.008], Journal Article, PUBLISHED

Adam J Lewandowski, Betty Raman, Mariane Bertagnolli, Afifah Mohamed, Wilby Williamson, Joana Leal Pelado, Angus McCance, Winok Lapidaire, Stefan Neubauer, Paul Leeson, Association of preterm birth with myocardial fibrosis and diastolic dysfunction in young adulthood, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2021, 683-692 , Notes: [https://www.jacc.org/doi/abs/10.1016/j.jacc.2021.05.053], Journal Article, PUBLISHED

Cheryl MJ Tan, Adam J Lewandowski, Wilby Williamson, Odaro J Huckstep, Grace Z Yu, Roman Fischer, Jillian N Simon, Maryam Alsharqi, Afifah Mohamed, Paul Leeson, Mariane Bertagnolli, Proteomic Signature of Dysfunctional Circulating Endothelial Colony‐Forming Cells of Young Adults, Journal of the American Heart Association, 2021, Notes: [https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/JAHA.121.021119], Journal Article, PUBLISHED

Maryam Alsharqi, Odaro J Huckstep, Winok Lapidaire, Wilby Williamson, Afifah Mohamed, Cheryl MJ Tan, Jamie Kitt, Holger Burchert, Fernando Telles, Helen Dawes, Charlie Foster, Adam J Lewandowski, Paul Leeson, Left atrial strain predicts cardiovascular response to exercise in young adults with suboptimal blood pressure, Echocardiography, 2021, Notes: [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/echo.15149], Journal Article, PUBLISHED URL

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Awards and Honours

Award	Date
Senior Fellow Global Brain Health Institute	2020
Atlantic Fellow Global Brain Health Institute	2019

Research Interests

Description Of Research Interests

I work across the spectrum of population health to personalised medicine with focus on physical activity, ideal cardiovascular health, heart health and brain health. At population level I apply risk stratification tools to understand health trajectory and support population needs assessments, risk assessment and audience segmentation. At the individual level I use the same metrics to understanding physiological phenotypes and heart-brain remodelling in response to optimal and sub-optimal ideal cardiovascular health parameters. I then plan, implement and evaluate interventions looking at process efficiency, efficacy and effectiveness.

Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin

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Dr. Wilby Williamson