Profiles
Lieke Scheepers
Lieke Scheepers
Farrell Family Senior Research Fellow
Room Level 3, Room 363-01 , MS2
0452419867 (phone)
Dr. Lieke Scheepers is an early career researcher and has conducted epidemiological research in several disease areas, including musculoskeletal disorders, childhood obesity and hypertension. Currently she holds a Farrell Family Senior Research Fellowship and conducts research in the Musculoskeletal Health and Disease theme. Her research focuses on life course epidemiology, pharmacoepidemiology and clinical drug trials in the domain of musculoskeletal disorders.
Biography
Dr. Lieke Scheepers received her PhD in epidemiology from the Department of Rheumatology, Maastricht University in The Netherlands. The aim of her thesis was twofold: (i) to investigate the role of urate production in the association between urate and blood pressure, and (ii) to explore medication adherence among gout patients and gout management by the general practitioner. After completion, she received a Swedish fellowship to conduct her postdoctoral research at Gothenburg University.
Prior moving to Hobart in early 2020, Lieke worked as an Associate Director Epidemiology at the Medical Evidence Observational Research Department at AstraZeneca. She conducted post-hoc analyses on more than 15 randomized clinical trials (RCTs) in asthma and COPD and led the ongoing activities for the post authorisation safety study on Lesinurad in gout.
Over the years, Lieke has gained in depth-knowledge conducting epidemiological research in several disease areas and their therapies. She collaborated with different research groups, including the departments of Cardiovascular Sciences (University of Leuven, Belgium), Psychiatry and Neurochemistry (University of Gothenburg, Sweden), and Clinical Pharmacy (Maastricht University, The Netherlands).
Career summary
Qualifications
- PhD, University of Maastricht, The Netherlands, 2017. Uric acid, blood pressure and gout management: Beneath the surface
- Master of Public Health (Epidemiology), University of Maastricht, The Netherlands, 2012
- Bachelor of Engineering, The Hague University of Applied Sciences, 2010
Languages (other than English)
- Dutch (mother tongue), basic understanding of German and Swedish
Research Appointments
- Invited speaker Uric Acid and Cardiometabolic Diseases conference in Bologna (Italy) (2018)
- Invited editorial for the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2017)
Research Invitations
- Invited speaker Uric Acid and Cardiometabolic Diseases conference in Bologna (Italy) (2018)
- Invited editorial for the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2017)
View more on Dr Lieke Scheepers in WARP
Expertise
- Clinical trials in chronic diseases
- Data management and analysis of observation studies, including birth, prospective, case-control, and population-based cohorts.
- Complex health data analysis
- Systematic literature review and meta-analysis
Research Themes
Lieke’s research is strongly aligned with the University’s key theme of Better Health. Her research interest is twofold:
First, to obtain a better understanding of how early childhood affects health outcomes later in life, particularly in terms of the onset of chronic diseases. Her research focuses on elucidating the biological mechanisms that play a role in the development and prognosis of diseases, to establish this she makes use of national and international existing prospective cohorts, for example the Tasmanian T-Bone study, the Barwon Infant Study and the Copenhagen Prospective Study on Asthma in Childhood (COPSAC).
Her second research line focuses on performing clinical drug trials and the use pharmacoepidemiology methods to assess medication safety and effectiveness in chronic diseases.
While, her research profile includes publications in a variety of clinical areas, Lieke’s main area of interest is in obesity and musculoskeletal disorders, such as osteoporosis, gout, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Collaboration
Lieke has a strong network of national and international collaborators reflected by her publications which contain researchers from groups all over the world.
She currently collaborates with the Deakin University (Australia) and University of Copenhagen (Denmark). This work involves assessing the association between the intestinal microbiota at early infancy and subsequent bone health during childhood.
She collaborates with researchers from Monash University, Sydney University, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Adelaide, and the University of Western Australia for the clinical drug trials in osteoarthritis.
Awards
- 2017 PhD thesis (Dutch Heart Foundation grant: 800 AUD)
- 2016 EULAR travel award (award: 475 AUD)
- 2014 Course Vascular Biology, 2nd price scientific presentation at, Dutch Heart Foundation (award: AUD ~400)
Current projects
- Association between early life factors and body composition: data analysis from the T-Bone study.
- Association between microbiome and subsequent bone health in children: data analysis from the Barwon Infant Study (BIS) and Copenhagen Prospective Study on Asthma in Childhood (COPSAC).
- Drug continuation of Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis patients in the Australian landscape: data analysis from the PBS-data.
- KARAOKE trial: efficacy of krill oil in knee osteoarthritis.
Fields of Research
- Rheumatology and arthritis (320223)
- Cardiology (incl. cardiovascular diseases) (320101)
- Epidemiology (420299)
- Respiratory diseases (320103)
- Neurology and neuromuscular diseases (320905)
- Behavioural epidemiology (420201)
- Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics (321402)
- Orthopaedics (320216)
- Medical microbiology (320799)
- Primary health care (420319)
- Pain (320218)
- Allied health and rehabilitation science (420199)
- Neonatology (321303)
- Adolescent health (321301)
- Exercise physiology (420702)
- Infant and child health (321302)
Research Objectives
- Treatment of human diseases and conditions (200105)
- Determinants of health (200201)
- Efficacy of medications (200102)
- Clinical health (200199)
- Primary care (200310)
- Diagnosis of human diseases and conditions (200101)
- Prevention of human diseases and conditions (200104)
- Human pain management (200103)
- Neonatal and child health (200506)
- Overweight and obesity (200411)
- Health education and promotion (200203)
Publications
Total publications
12
Journal Article
(12 outputs)| Year | Citation | Altmetrics |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Dehlin M, Scheepers LEJM, Landgren AJ, Josefsson L, Svensson K, et al., 'Lifestyle factors and comorbidities in gout patients compared to the general population in Western Sweden: results from a questionnaire study', Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology, 51, (5) pp. 390-393. ISSN 1502-7732 (2022) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1080/03009742.2022.2035952 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 2Web of Science - 2 | |
| 2020 | Jauhiainen A, Scheepers LEJM, Fuhlbrigge AL, Harrison T, Zangrilli J, et al., 'Impact of season and geography on CompEx Asthma: a composite end-point for exacerbations', ERJ open research, 6, (4) pp. 1-9. ISSN 2312-0541 (2020) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1183/23120541.00246-2020 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Web of Science - 1 | |
| 2020 | Vogelmeier CF, Fuhlbrigge A, Jauhiainen A, Scheepers LEJM, Bengtsson T, et al., 'COPDCompEx: A novel composite endpoint for COPD exacerbations to enable faster clinical development', Respiratory Medicine, 173 pp. 1-16. ISSN 0954-6111 (2020) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1016/j.rmed.2020.106175 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 2Web of Science - 2 | |
| 2019 | Scheepers LEJM, Jacobsson LTH, Kern S, Johansson L, Dehlin M, et al., 'Urate and risk of Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia: A population-based study', Alzheimer's & Dementia, 15, (6) pp. 754-763. ISSN 1552-5260 (2019) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1016/j.jalz.2019.01.014 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 30Web of Science - 33 | |
| 2018 | Scheepers LEJM, Burden AM, Arts ICW, Spaetgens B, Souverein P, et al., 'Medication adherence among gout patients initiated allopurinol: a retrospective cohort study in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD)', Rheumatology, 57, (9) pp. 1641-1650. ISSN 1462-0324 (2018) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1093/rheumatology/key155 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 29Web of Science - 26 | |
| 2018 | Scheepers LEJM, van Onna M, Stehouwer CDA, Singh JA, Arts ICW, et al., 'Medication adherence among patients with gout: A systematic review and meta-analysis', Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism, 47, (5) pp. 689-702. ISSN 0049-0172 (2018) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2017.09.007 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 86Web of Science - 80 | |
| 2017 | Scheepers LEJM, 'Folic acid: the solution for treating asymptomatic hyperuricemia?', American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 105, (4) pp. 775-776. ISSN 0002-9165 (2017) [Letter or Note in Journal] DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.117.154294 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 3Web of Science - 2 | |
| 2017 | Scheepers LEJM, Boonen A, Dagnelie PC, Schram MT, van der Kallen CJH, et al., 'Uric acid and blood pressure: exploring the role of uric acid production in The Maastricht Study', Journal of Hypertension, 35, (10) pp. 1968-1975. ISSN 0263-6352 (2017) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1097/HJH.0000000000001417 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 19Web of Science - 15 | |
| 2017 | Scheepers LEJM, Boonen A, Pijnenburg W, Bierau J, Staessen JA, et al., 'Associations of plasma uric acid and purine metabolites with blood pressure in children: the KOALA Birth Cohort Study', Journal of Hypertension, 35, (5) pp. 982-993. ISSN 0263-6352 (2017) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1097/HJH.0000000000001270 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 9Web of Science - 11 | |
| 2016 | Scheepers LEJM, Wei F-F, Stolarz-Skrzypek K, Malyutina S, Tikhonoff V, et al., 'Xanthine oxidase gene variants and their association with blood pressure and incident hypertension: a population study', Journal of Hypertension, 34, (11) pp. 2147-2154. ISSN 0263-6352 (2016) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1097/HJH.0000000000001077 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 23Web of Science - 23 | |
| 2016 | Spaetgens B, Pustjens T, Scheepers LEJM, Janssens HJEM, van der Linden S, et al., 'Knowledge, illness perceptions and stated clinical practice behaviour in management of gout: a mixed methods study in general practice', Clinical Rheumatology, 35, (8) pp. 2053-2061. ISSN 0770-3198 (2016) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1007/s10067-016-3212-2 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 23Web of Science - 20 | |
| 2015 | Scheepers LEJM, Penders J, Mbakwa CA, Thijs C, Mommers M, et al., 'The intestinal microbiota composition and weight development in children: the KOALA Birth Cohort Study', International Journal of Obesity, 39, (1) pp. 16-25. ISSN 0307-0565 (2015) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1038/ijo.2014.178 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 101Web of Science - 71 |
Grants & Funding
- Drug continuation of Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis patients in the Australian landscape (2021). Amount: 121,875 AUD
- Farrell Family Senior Research Fellow (2020 – 2021).
Funding Summary
Number of grants
4
Total funding
Projects
- Description
- Limited literature search to update the existing literature review for the Hip Fracture Care and Osteoarthritis of the Knee Clinical Care Standards (that we conducted in 2020).
- Funding
- KP Health ($86,000)
- Scheme
- Consultancy
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Winzenberg TM; Aitken D; Makin JK; Scheepers EJ
- Year
- 2022
- Description
- Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have provided reassuring safety and efficacy evidence for a new targeted synthetic therapy inhibiting Janus kinase (JAK) enzymes in treating patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, drug effectiveness in real-life use can differ from results obtained through RCTs. Therefore, comparing drug continuation on JAK inhibitors to conventional and biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs within a real-life setting are needed. Drug continuation in a real-world setting may shed further light on the drug effectiveness, tolerability and safety of JAK inhibitors in RA patients.We will be answering the following objectives:-to describe drug continuation on JAK inhibitors tofacitinib and baricitinib among RA patients in the Australian landscape. This will be compared to drug continuation on conventional synthetic and biologic DMARDs.-to assess the impact of co-medication, line of use, switching between different DMARDs and glucocorticoid usage on JAK-inhibitor continuation.This study will be a retrospective, observational, non-interventional review of RA patients in the Australian Medicare Database (dating from 1 October, 2015 to 31 December, 2020), by using data from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
- Funding
- Pfizer Inc ($121,875)
- Scheme
- Grant - Inflammation ASPIRE
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Scheepers EJ; Jones G
- Year
- 2021
- Description
- Fellowship from donated funds (Farrell Family) for a post-doctoral fellow. Award to Lieke Scheepers for 2020-2021
- Funding
- The Trustee for Farrell Foundation ($250,000)
- Scheme
- Donation - Institutional
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Scheepers EJ
- Period
- 2020 - 2021
- Description
- Fellowship set up from donated funds from the Farrell Family for a postdoctoral fellow. 10/05/2016 Awarded to Benny Antony and record updated accordingly.
- Funding
- The Trustee for Farrell Foundation ($125,000)
- Scheme
- Donation - Institutional
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Scheepers EJ
- Year
- 2016
Research Supervision
- Supervised medical students during their research internship, Maastricht University, The Netherlands.
Current
1
Current
| Degree | Title | Commenced |
|---|---|---|
| PhD | Physical Activity and Osteoarthritis | 2021 |