Dr Rob Andrews

About Me
My role is equally divided between the University of Exeter and Somerset Foundation Trust. At Somerset Foundation Trust, I serve as an Honorary Consultant in Diabetes and Obesity, where I conduct diabetes and obesity clinics. I am also the lead for the Diabetes and Obesity research team at the Trust, overseeing a team of nine. Additionally, I run specialist sports clinics for adults, adolescents, and paediatric patients, providing expert advice to sportsmen, sportswomen, and children with Type 1 diabetes. At the University, my primary research interest is exercise and Type 1 diabetes, although I also undertake research in the areas of Type 2 diabetes, lifestyle, and obesity.

Areas of Research

Type 1 Diabetes and Exercise
Research in this area encompasses four specific domains:

1. Improving Healthcare Professional (HCP) Knowledge:Developing educational programmes and tools to enhance HCP knowledge, enabling them to support individuals with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) in exercising safely.
2. Developing Educational Programmes and Tools for Patients with T1D: Creating educational resources and initiatives that empower individuals with T1D to initiate and maintain exercise throughout their lifespan.
3. Conducting Clinical Studies (Laboratory, Cross-sectional, Cohort, and RCTs): Undertaking studies to understand the effects of exercise and to evaluate different exercise regimens.
4. Enhancing Support for Individuals with Type 1 Diabetes:Collaborating with sporting foundations, schools, and universities to ensure that individuals with T1D are not disadvantaged when exercising or competing.

Type 2 Diabetes and Exercise
Research in this area focuses on two specific domains:

1. Development of Lifestyle Programmes: Designing programmes to encourage individuals with Type 2 diabetes to adopt healthy lifestyles and better manage their condition in both the UK and Sub-Saharan Africa.
2. Conducting Clinical Studies (Laboratory, Cross-sectional, Cohort, and RCTs): Performing studies to understand the effects of exercise and to evaluate different exercise regimens.

Obesity
Research in this area is divided into two specific domains:

1. Data Collection: Evaluating various systems to determine the optimal method for collecting data on clinical outcomes in secondary care obesity clinics.
2. Conducting Clinical Studies (Laboratory, Cross-sectional, Cohort, and RCTs): Undertaking studies to identify the most effective strategies for supporting weight loss in individuals with obesity

Qualifications:

• 1991 MB ChB, University of Birmingham
• 1995 MRCP UK
• 2002 CCST Diabetes, Endocrinology and General Internal Medicine
• 2004 PhD, Unversity of Edinburgh
• 2014 FRCP UK