Dr. Kyla Thomas

Biography

Kyla H Thomas is a Professor of Public Health Medicine at the University of Bristol and Clinical Director of the NIHR Clinical Research Network for West England. She completed her MBBS with Distinction from the University of the West Indies in 2003 and obtained an MSc in Research Clinical Epidemiology and an MSc in Global Health Science with Distinction from Oxford University. In 2014, she was awarded a PhD with Commendation from the University of Bristol. Professor Thomas' research interests focus on nicotine dependence and problematic use of pharmaceutical opioids. Her previous work includes the use of pharmacoepidemiological methods to investigate the effectiveness and safety of smoking cessation medicines and e-cigarettes. She has also held an NIHR Postdoctoral fellowship that concentrated on developing interventions to prevent and reduce opioid painkiller dependence in patients with chronic non-cancer pain. Professor Thomas has received the 2019 Fred Yates Prize for Researcher of the Year from the Society for the Study of Addiction, and her work includes a focus on substance dependence and addiction, particularly related to psychiatric adverse drug reactions associated with smoking cessation medications and antidepressants. Her research seeks to inform public health guidance and improve mental health outcomes related to suicide prevention.

Research Interests