Dr Ray Lowry
Senior Lecturer
- Email: r.j.lowry@ncl.ac.uk
- Telephone: 01912228393
- Fax: 0191 222 5928
- Address: Child Dental Health
School of Dental Sciences
Newcastle University
Newcastle on Tyne
NE2 4BW
RESEARCH WEBSITE
Dr Ray Lowry was educated at Birmingham University where he qualified as a dental surgeon (BDS) in 1972, winning the Arthur Youngson prize for dental prosthetics; then at Leicester University where he qualified as a medical practitioner (MB ChB) in 1982. In the intervening years he practised dentistry as a general dental practitioner, a community dental officer and a hospital dental surgeon. He continued his professional training in general medicine, psychiatry, obstetrics and gynaecology and general medical practice. He then completed his formal training in public health and became an NHS consultant in 1990. He is a senior lecturer in
Research Interests
Social marketing
Oral Cancer
Health Promotion
Fluoridation
Epidemiology
Communication skills
Lifestyle surveys
Public opinion polls
Science and the media
Breast feeding
Other Expertise
Writer and broadcaster
Honorary consultant in public health medicine and dental public health adviser in the National Health Service
Research into improving advocacy in public health and medicine
Training Programme Director Northern Region NHS Scheme
Current Work
Novel case finding intervention in oral cancer for Cancer Research UK. Working up many social marketing projects mainly in the NHS.
NHS public health training scheme increasing in size.
Selected Publications
- Lagiou P, Georgila C, Minaki P, Ahrens W, Pohlabeln H, Benhamou S, Bouchardy C, Slamova A, Schejbalova M, Merletti F, Richiardi L, Kjaerheim K, Agudo A, Castellsague X, Macfarlane TV, Macfarlane GJ, Talamini R, Barzan L, Canova C, Simonato L, Lowry R, Conway DI, McKinney PA, Znaor A, McCartan BE, Healy C, Nelis M, Metspalu A, Marron M, Hashibe M, Brennan PJ. Alcohol-related cancers and genetic susceptibility in Europe: the ARCAGE project: study samples and data collection. European Journal of Cancer Prevention 2009, 18, 76-84.
- Lagiou P; Talamini R; Samoli E; Lagiou A; Ahrens W; Pohlabeln H; Benhamou S; Bouchardy C; Slamova A; Schejbalova M; Merletti F; Richiardi L; Kjaerheim K; Agudo A; Castellsague X; Macfarlane TV; Macfarlane GJ; Biggs AM; Barzan L; Canova C; Simonato L; Lowry RJ; Conway DI; McKinney PA; Znaor A; McCartan BE; Healy CM; Marron M; Hashibe M; Brennan P. Diet and upper-aerodigestive tract cancer in Europe: The ARCAGE study. International Journal of Cancer 2009, 124(11), 2671-2676.
- Hung RJ; Rudnai P; Fabianova E; Mates D; Bencko V; Foretova L; Janout V; Chen C; Goodman G; Field JK; Liloglou T; McKay JD; Xinarianos G; Cassidy A; McLaughlin J; Liu G; Narod S; Krokan HE; Skorpen F; Elvestad MB; Hveem K; Vatten L; Gaborieau V; Linseisen J; Clavel-Chapelon F; Vineis P; Bueno-De-Mesquita HB; Lund E; Martinez C; Bingham S; Rasmuson T; Hainaut P; Riboli E; Boffetta P; Ahrens W; Benhamou S; Lagiou P; Trichopoulos D; Holcatova I; Merletti F; Kjaerheim K; Agudo A; MacFarlane G; Talamini R; Hashibe M; Simonato L; Lowry R; Conway DI; Znaor A; Healy C; Zelenika D; Boland A; Delepine M; Foglio M; Lechner D; Zaridze D; Matsuda F; Blanche H; Gut I; Heath S; Lathrop M; Brennan P; Mukeria A; Szeszenia-Dabrowska N; Lissowska J. A susceptibility locus for lung cancer maps to nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit genes on 15q25. Nature 2008, 452(7187), 633-637.
- Hashibe M; Eluf-Neto J; Levi JE; Matos E; Lagiou P; Lagiou A; Benhamou S; Bouchardy C; Szeszenia-Dabrowska N; Menezes A; Dall'Agnol MM; McKay JD; Merletti F; Richiardi L; Fernandez L; Lence J; Talamini R; Barzan L; Mates D; Mates IN; Kjaerheim K; MacFarlane GJ; Curado MP; MacFarlane TV; Simonato L; Canova C; Holcátová I; Agudo A; Castellsagué X; Lowry RJ; Janout V; Kollarova H; Conway DI; Oliveira JC; McKinney PA; Znaor A; Fabianova E; Bencko V; Lissowska J; Chabrier A; Hung RJ; Gaborieau V; Boffetta P; Brennan P; Koifman S; Koifman R; Zaridze D; Shangina O; Wünsch-Filho V. Multiple ADH genes are associated with upper aerodigestive cancers. Nature Genetics 2008, 40(6), 707-709.
- Lowry R J, Maunder P, Steele JG, Colligan J , Beard C A, Harvey J, Erdos G. Hearts and mouths: perceptions of oral hygiene by at-risk heart surgery patients. British Dental Journal 2005, 199 (7), 449 - 451.
- Lowry R, Adams G. Attitudes to water fluoridation in general dental practice in the North East of England. BDJ 2004, 196, 423 – 424.
Future Research
Oral cancer case-finding intervention
Major social marketing intervention in health promotion in the North East of England
Research Roles
Lead researcher/principal investigator
Collaborator
Obtaining funding
Devising novel interventions
Publishing results and dissemination
Esteem Indicators
Fellow of the faculty of Public Health
Programme director, public health training North East
Funding
Eu, NHS, CRUK
Industrial Relevance
Some developments may result in industrial applications
Some social marketing interventions are exploring technology that may be commercially exploitable
Background
Born in Birmingham in 1950, and after winning a flying scholarship from the Royal Air Force, Ray Lowry was educated at Birmingham University where he qualified as a dental surgeon (BDS) in 1972, winning the Arthur Youngson prize for dental prosthetics (and gaining his PSV licence enabling him to drive double-decker busses in the holidays); then at Leicester University where he qualified as a medical practitioner (MB ChB) in 1982. In the intervening years he practised dentistry as a general dental practitioner, a community dental officer and a hospital dental surgeon. He continued his professional training in general medicine, psychiatry, obstetrics and gynaecology and general medical practice. He then completed his formal training in public health and became an NHS consultant in 1990. He has also been a senior lecturer in dental public health at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. He is on the specialist registers for medical and dental public health and holds the DRCOG and the MFPHM (Postgraduate qualifications in obstetrics/gynaecology and public health medicine respectively). He has published over 40 articles in the learned press and has conducted quantitative and qualitative research in both medical and dental public health issues including waiting lists, water fluoridation, oral cancer, general medical services, social marketing and communication skills training for health professionals. He has taught medical and dental undergraduates and postgraduates and lectured at national and international conferences. A past first-prize winner of the Northern and Yorkshire competition for the best publication in a refereed journal and he has broadcast on health issues on television and radio.
Roles and Responsibilities
Teach and research dental public health
Teach and research medical public health, epidemiology, communications skills and the media
Social marketing in the health care setting
Qualifications
BDS, MB ChB, DRCOG, MFPHM, FPHM
Previous Positions
NHS consultant in Public Health Medicine,Northern Region NHS
Medical and dental practitioner in the community, hospital and general practice.
Memberships
Council member British Fluoridation Society Director Percy Hedley foundation, director Social Marketing Foundation
Member BMA, BDA, SSM
Honours and Awards
CPD prize best publication in the professional press 2000
Informal Interests
Comedy, writing, performing, after dinner speaking, walking, reading
Undergraduate Teaching
Year three, four and five dental undergraduates dental public health - major revision of curriculum being undertaken
medical undergraduates communication skills
Dental undergraduate communication skills
Postgraduate Teaching
Epidemiology to post-graduate dentists
Social marketing and epidemiology to medical and public health postgraduates
Training programme for part B MFPH proferssional public health examination
