Rod Middleton

Rod Middleton serves as Associate Professor of Disease Registries and Data Research within the Health Data Science department at Swansea University's Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science. Based at the Data Science Building on Singleton Campus, he leads significant research initiatives focused on patient-centered data collection and analysis in neurological conditions, particularly multiple sclerosis. His work bridges clinical practice with data science to improve understanding and management of chronic neurological diseases.

Dr. Middleton specializes in health informatics, disease registries, epidemiology, cognition assessment, and patient-reported outcome measures. His research centers on leveraging real-world data to understand multiple sclerosis progression, treatment effectiveness, and patient experiences. He has developed innovative approaches to data linkage and system architecture that enable comprehensive analysis of MS patient journeys through healthcare systems. His work emphasizes putting patients at the center of research, believing that individuals with conditions are the best narrators of their own experiences.

His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on multiple sclerosis research using data from the UK MS Register, examining topics including treatment access disparities, cognitive impacts, medication adherence challenges, and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on MS patients. His work frequently involves international collaborations and utilizes both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to generate insights that can directly inform clinical practice and healthcare policy.

As Principal Investigator of the UK MS Register, Dr. Middleton oversees a major national initiative capturing real-world data about people with multiple sclerosis. He also leads the PROMIS-3 Outcome Measures in MS project and contributes to the NeuroMS initiative. His grant funding includes substantial awards totaling over £2.3 million for these research programs, demonstrating the significance and impact of his work in the field of neurological health data science.

Dr. Middleton teaches courses on electronic health records implementation, new healthcare technologies, and project management leadership. His practical experience as a former clinical systems manager informs his approach to translating complex health data concepts into accessible educational content for students pursuing careers in health informatics and data science.