Dr Thomas Wilkinson

I am a Research Fellow based in the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) based in the Leicester Diabetes Centre Leicester General Hospital. My research focuses on multiple long-term conditions and multimorbidity with a specific interest in frailty sarcopenia and kidney disease. I have a background in exercise physiology and I am interested in the role of lifestyle interventions in those living with chronic disease. I am a current member of the College of Life Sciences Mirror College Leadership Team.

I am a member of the Global Renal Exercise Group Organising Committee Member (Scientific Director) and UK ‘Exercise and Lifestyle’ CSG having recently co-authored the UKKA Exercise and lifestyle CPG in kidney disease. I am a contributor to the ‘Movement for Movement’’ resources and ‘Physical Activity: A Guide for Health Practitioners’ on kidney disease. I have been an invited presented to meetings around the world. I contribute teaching to the University of Leicester and Loughborough University and have external examined grants and postgraduate theses for UK and international institutions. I am a peer-reviewer for numerous high impact journals.

• Research design and patient-based outcome measurement science, including development/evaluation
• Lifestyle and exercise/physical activity medicine: how adjunct treatment such as lifestyle, exercise, physical activity, and nutrition can influence health and performance
• The physiological and pathological mechanisms of chronic and hypokinetic conditions
• Consequences of aberrant body composition (sarcopenia, cachexia, and obesity) on health and well-being
• Role of interventions to improve physical function, disability, and quality of life in chronic disease populations
• Incorporating a ‘bench to bedside to population’ approach to health research

h-index 32          i10-index 63          

All publications cab be found at https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=7lhuMIcAAAAJ&hl=en 

I currently supervise three PhD students and have supervised several BSc. and MSc. students to completion. I am willing to supervise prospective students with an interest in multimorbidity chronic disease lifestyle exercise and physical activity sarcopenia and frailty.

Current PhD students:

• Ashkon Ardavani, University of Leicester, PhD, 2021 – Present. Primary supervisor with Dr Ffion Curtis and Prof Kamlesh Khunti (‘Risk factor prevention for developing CKD in multi-ethnic groups living with multimorbidity’)
• Matt Lee, University of Leicester, PhD, 2021 – Present. Co-supervisor with Dr Seth O’Neil (‘The Impact of Achilles Tendinopathy and the relevance of Ultrasound Tissue Characteristics to the Elite Rugby Player’)
• Jasmine Foster, University of Leicester, PhD, 2023 – Present. Co-supervisor with Dr Luke Baker and Dr Neil Greening (‘Understanding how resolution physiology influences skeletal muscle endotype in those with multiple long-term conditions (MLTCs)’).

Completed PhD students:

• Noemi Vadaszy, University of Leicester, PhD, 2019 - Present. Co-supervisor with Prof. AC Smith (‘Home-based exercise in CKD’)

• Global Renal Exercise Group Organising Committee Member (Scientific Director)
• Society of Cachexia Sarcopenia and Wasting Disorders (Associate member #10750) UKKA (Scientist)
• British Renal Society Rehabilitation Network
• Kidney Research UK
• East Midlands Research into Ageing Network UK
• KRUK ‘Exercise and Lifestyle’ CSG
• Kidney Beam Working Group
• Midlands Sarcopenia Working Group Living Well with Kidney Disease
• SIG NIHR DART Diet and Physical Activity Assessment Toolkit Working Group

External grant reviewer: Kidney Research UK; FIN-RER- Health Research Programme of the Emilia-Romagna Bottom-up Projects-Call Abstract reviewer: UK Kidney Week conference Session chairs: UK Kidney Week

• University of Leicester Merit Award 2020 for outstanding excellence and achievement in the previous year.
• Association of Academic Physiatrists Excellence in Research Writing Award 2019 for article on “The ‘minimum clinically important difference’ in frequently reported objective physical function tests following a 12-week renal rehabilitation exercise intervention in non-dialysis chronic kidney disease.”
• Lockwood Award 2017 Renal Association 2017. For significant contribution to renal medicine research
• Travel Grant European Renal Association- European Dialysis Transplant Association Congress 2017 Madrid. Awarded as shortlisted for one of the “best abstracts presented by young authors”. 

Television: Notts TV

Podcasts: Keep It Renal (discussion around transplant research and self-management research with Katherine Memory (student) and Dr Carl May Bristol UK)

Print: Leicester Mercury

Radio: BBC Radio Leicester

Online: Various including Renal and Urology News, BBC News, Daily Mail, Health Europa, Nursing Times, News-Medical.net.

• Ph.D Clinical Exercise and Health Physiology
• Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE) Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy’
• B.Sc. (with Honours) Sport and Exercise Science