Ruth Costello

Ruth Costello is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Dynamics within the Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Her research focuses on using electronic health record data for epidemiology and pharmacoepidemiology studies, with recent work investigating healthcare inequalities related to the pandemic and drug repurposing for COVID-19 treatment.

• Current affiliation: London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
• Department: Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Dynamics
• Faculty: Epidemiology and Population Health
• Previous institution: University of Manchester

Dr. Costello's research primarily centers on epidemiological studies using large-scale electronic health records. Her work spans several critical areas including pandemic-related healthcare disruptions, health inequalities, rheumatology, and digital health data applications. She has made significant contributions to understanding the indirect impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on various health conditions and populations, with particular attention to vulnerable groups and healthcare disparities.

Her publication record demonstrates a strong focus on utilizing the OpenSAFELY platform for large-scale health data analysis, with numerous high-impact studies published in leading medical journals. The research trends indicate a consistent emphasis on health equity, methodological rigor in health data analysis, and practical applications of epidemiological findings to improve healthcare delivery during public health emergencies.

• Best Paedatric abstract (2022)
• Medical Research Data Scientific Review Committee (2024)

As an educator, Dr. Costello serves as co-course organizer for the 'Introduction to Pharmacovigilance' module in the Pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacovigilance short course and teaches on the extended epidemiology module at LSHTM. Her previous work at the University of Manchester involved using CPRD data for rheumatology studies, where she completed a PhD by publication consisting of seven studies focused on digital data applications for rheumatoid arthritis management.