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Loren Kock

Research Fellow

University College London

Biography

I am a researcher in epidemiology and behavioural Science, working within the University College London Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group (UTARG). My research as part of the SPECTRUM research consortium involves two key objectives:

1) To expand an existing informative data source in England – the Smoking and Alcohol Toolkit Study (www.smokinginengland.info and www.alcoholinengland.info) – to other nations in Great Britain using new participatory methods to refine data collection in response to evolving policymaker needs and public interest; and

2) To develop and apply new methods from applied statistics and economics for integrating data and forecasting new trends, and build towards a microsimulation model of smoking and quitting in Great Britain to identify emergent effects from divergent policy scenarios.

Funding: SPECTRUM research consortium https://www.ed.ac.uk/spectrum/our-research

Interests

  • Global Health
  • Smoking cessation
  • Health Inequalities
  • Open science

Education

  • PhD in Epidemiology and Behavioural Science, 2017-2020

    UCL

  • MSc in Global Health, 2016

    UCL

  • BSc in Biomedical Sciences, 2015

    University of Edinburgh

Experience

 
 
 
 
 

Research Fellow Epidemiology and Behavioural Science

University College London

Sep 2017 – Aug 2020 London, UK
Responsibilities include:

  • Modelling population-level trends related to smoking and alcohol use using data from the Smoking and Alcohol Toolkit Studies
  • Developing and applying new methods from applied statistics and economics for integrating data and forecasting new trends. *Building towards a microsimulation model of smoking and quitting in Great Britain to identify emergent effects from divergent policy scenarios.
  • Co-leading a randomised controlled trial comparing the effectiveness towards smoking cessation of e-cigarettes in addition to varenicline and behavioural support vs varenicline and behavioural support alone.
 
 
 
 
 

Cancer Research UK PhD Candidate

University College London

Sep 2017 – Aug 2020 London, UK
Responsibilities included:

  • Modelling population-level trends on smoking and e-cigarette use using data from the Smoking Toolkit Study
  • Co-leading a randomised controlled trial comparing the effectiveness towards smoking cessation of e-cigarettes in addition to varenicline and behavioural support vs varenicline and behavioural support alone.
  • Using a smart e-cigarette to examine patterns of e-cigarette usage among smokers during a quit attempt.
 
 
 
 
 

Analyst

My Clinical Outcomes

Sep 2016 – Sep 2017 London, UK
Created and managed the MCO reporting and analysis framework using tableau data visualisation software.

Recent Blog Posts

E-cigarettes – a tool to reduce inequalities in smoking?

An evidence update from the smoking toolkit study.
Last updated on Dec 4, 2019 4 min read

Tailoring cessation support for disadvantaged smokers – is it working?

The latest evidence from a review of global studies.
Last updated on Dec 6, 2019 4 min read

Recent Publications

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Individual-level behavioural smoking cessation interventions tailored for disadvantaged socioeconomic position - a systematic review and meta-regression

We found evidence that individual-level interventions can assist disadvantaged smokers with quitting, but there were no large …
PDF Dataset Slides DOI

Association of Socioeconomic Position With e-Cigarette Use Among Individuals Who Quit Smoking in England, 2014 to 2019

In this study, lower socioeconomic position was associated with higher rates of e-cigarette use among those who quit smoking after …
Slides DOI

Equity positive impact of English Stop Smoking Services underlines need for comprehensive approach to public health interventions

An ambitious public health agenda should not place individual and population‐based approaches in false competition, but should …
Slides DOI

Expenditure on smoking and alternative nicotine delivery products - a population survey in England

In England, expenditure among e‐cigarette and nicotine replacement therapy users is approximately one‐third of the expenditure of …
PDF Dataset Slides DOI

E‐cigarette use in England 2014–17 as a function of socio‐economic profile

From 2014 to 2017 in England, e‐cigarette use was greater among smokers from higher compared with lower socio‐economic status (SES) …
PDF Dataset Slides DOI

Awards

Cancer Research UK PhD Studenthship

UCL Sep 2017
Funded PhD in Epidemiology and Public health. Working within the UCL Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group whose aims are to advance and integrate population and individual approaches to smoking cessation.

Chadwick Trust Travelling Fellowship

UCL Jun 2016
Awarded to students in the study of public health in relation to water, sanitation, engineering, poverty and/or local environmental conditions, these having been primary areas of concern of the work of Sir Edwin Chadwick.

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