Staff Profile

I am a member of the population health sciences institute and work in the information and methodologies application theme. I joined the Evidence Synthesis Group in 2019 and contribute to a variety of evidence synthesis and health data science projects. I have an interest in progressing information retrieval methodologies through the use of innovative technologies. 

Qualifications

• MSc Public Health and Health Services Research with Distinction, 2021, Newcastle University
• MSc Bioinformatics with Distinction, 2018, Newcastle University
• BSc (Hons) Biomedical Genetics, 2017, Newcastle University

Previous work

Ageing research, Camps for ageing and vitality, Newcastle University, 2018-2019:

• Building an agent based model to demonstrate the development of breast cancer
• Building an agent based model to demonstrate the development of senescent cells in skin ageing
• Building web resources for school students which give information, provide worksheets, display the agent based models and connect to a well established modelling database to retrieve data

Mitochondrial research projects, BSc and MSc dissertations 2017-18:

• Computational mitochondrial genomics research
• Identifying the presence of human pathogenic variants in non-human species and possible masking variants 
• Exploration of Complex I genes and tRNA genes
• Research relates to the diagnostic inequalities and lack of "common" pathogenic mutations in mitochondrial disease patients with non-European haplogroups

Fertility research, Centre for Life, Newcastle University, 2015-2016:

• Human stem cell research for pronuclear transfer techniques
• Cryosectioning and immunohistochemistry of murine tissues
• Gamete research from murine models
• Laboratory technician duties

I am an Information Specialist within the Information Research Team, embedded at the junction of the Evidence Synthesis Group and the NIHR Innovation Observatory. 

I have a keen interest in the use of pre-existing data, as researchers we have access to a wealth of data through databases and other sharing platforms. I am interested in how this data can be mined for new discoveries and what we can learn by re-examining data from different view points. Evidence syntheses are a way to collect and analyse pre-existing data for many different questions and allow us to identify knowledge gaps. To complement this, I am interested in the advancement of information specialist methodologies through novel methodologies and innovative technologies. Other medical research interests of mine include mitochondrial genetics, infertility and post-mortem care. 

• Jarvis H, O'Keefe H, Craig D, Stow D, Hanratty B, Anstee QM. Does moderate alcohol consumption accelerate the progression of liver disease in NAFLD? A systematic review and narrative synthesis. BMJ Open 2022, 12(1), e049767.
• Klink GV, O'Keefe H, Gogna A, Bazykin GA, Elson JL. A broad comparative genomics approach to understanding the pathogenicity of Complex I mutations. Scientific Reports 2021, 11, 19578.
• Oyewole AO, Barrass L, Robertson EG, Woltmann J, O'Keefe H, Sarpal H, Dangova K, Richmond C, Craig D. COVID-19 Impact on Diagnostic Innovations: Emerging Trends and Implications. Diagnostics 2021, 11(2), 182.
• Jarvis H, O'Keefe H, Craig D, Stow D, Anstee Q, Hanratty B. People with NAFLD also drink alcohol - how should we advise and manage this expanding group in primary care? A systematic review. In: Society for Academic Primary Care (SAPC) Annual Scientific Meeting 2020. 2020, University of Leeds: Society for Academic Primary Care (SAPC).
• O'Keefe H, Queen R, Lord P, Elson JL. What can a comparative genomics approach tell us about the pathogenicity of mtDNA mutations in human populations?. Evolutionary Applications 2020, 12(10), 1912-1930.
• O'Keefe H, Queen RA, Meldau S, Lord P, Elson JL. Haplogroup Context is Less Important in the Penetrance of Mitochondrial DNA Complex I Mutations Compared to mt-tRNA Mutations. Journal of Molecular Evolution 2018, 86(6), 395-403.
• Hyslop LA, Blakeley P, Craven L, Richardson J, Fogarty NME, Fragouli E, Lamb M, Wamaitha SE, Prathalingam N, Zhang Q, O'Keefe H, Takeda Y, Arizzi L, Alfarawati S, Tuppen H, Irving L, Kalleas D, Choudhary M, Wells D, Murdoch AP, Turnbull DM, Niakan KK, Herbert M. Towards clinical application of pronuclear transfer to prevent mitochondrial DNA disease. Nature 2016, 534(7607), 383-386.