Overview

Anna has been a member of the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trusts research team since 2002. She trained as a nurse in Exeter and has previously worked in both cardiology and diabetes (Ward Sister). Anna gained a PhD in 2013 – her work focused on a monogenic form of hyperglycaemia. This hyperglycaemia is caused by a mutation in the glucokinase gene.

Anna is a Senior Nurse in the NIHR Exeter Clinical Research Facility (CRF, at the RD&E) and continues has a keen interest in those with diabetes.  Anna also helps to set-up and co-ordinate many studies in the CRF including those which investigate respiratory conditions, addictive behaviours and dementia.

Broad research specialisms

• Early phase research studies
• Experimental medicine research studies
• Supporting academic research

Qualifications

• RGN in adult health
• PhD in Medical Sciences
• MSc in Health
• BSc in Health and Social Care

Awards

• Awards: Marjorie Simpson New Researcher Award from the Royal College of Nursing, 2009

Links

• NIHR Exeter Website
• Diabetes Genes Website

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Research

Research interests

Anna’s research interests include:

• Monogenic diabetes/MODY
• Type 2 diabetes
• Type 1 diabetes 
• Early phase projects
• Experimental medicine

Research projects

• EXTEND (Exeter 10,000)
• IMPACT (type 1 diabetes)
• Deep and Frequent phenotyping (DFP)
• NUT-3 (liver disease)
• Euglycaemic and hypoglycaemic clamp studies

Anna supports all projects in the NIHR Exeter Clinical Research Facility

Grants and funding

• Diabetes UK project grant, £152,178
• NIHR RDA funding for PhD, £228,636, 2007
• Novonordisk UK Diabetes Fund £805, 2006
• RCN Trevor Clay Scholarship £2000, 2004
• Novornordisk UK Diabetes Fund £500, 2004
• The Florence Nightingale Foundation/ The Band Trust £340, 2004
• RCN/Johnson & Johnson/Ethicon Nurse Education Trust Fund £500, 2003

Publications

• Galloway TS, Lee BP, Buric I, Steele AM, BPA Schools Study Consortium, Kocur AL, Pandeth G, Harries LW:  Plastics Additives and Human Health: A case study of Bisphenol A.  Issues in Enviornmental science and Technogloy, Nov 2018, 47, 131-155
• Galloway TS, Baglin N, Lee BP, Kocur AL, Shepherd MS, Steele AM, Harries LW.  An engaged research study to assess the effect of a ‘real-world’ dietary intervention on urinary bisphenol A (BPA) levels in teenagers. BMJ Open, Feb 2018
• Steele AM, Shields BM, Wensly KJ, Colclough K, Ellard S, Hattersley AT.  Prevalence of Vascular Complications among patients with glucokinase mutations and prolonged, mild hyperglycaemia.  JAMA, 311(279-286) 2014 (with Editorial by Jose Florrez)
• Steele AM, Wensley KJ, Ellard S, Murphy R, Shepherd M, Colclough K, Hattersley AT, Shields BM.  Use of HbA1c in the identification of patients with hyperglycaemia caused by a GCK mutation: observational case control studies.  PLOS ONE, 8:6, 2013
• Steele AM, Wensley KJ, Brewer E, Shields BM, Hattersley AT, McDonald TJ.  Preanalytical sample handling of venous blood: how to ensure your glucose measurement is accurate and reliable.  Practical Diabetes, 30:3, 2013
• Beer NL, Osbak KK, van de Bunt M, Tribble ND, Steele AM,  Wensley KJ, Edghill EL, Colcough K,  Barrett A, Valentínová L, Rundle JK, Raimondo A, Grimsby J, Ellard E, Gloyn AL.  Insights into the pathogenicity of rare missense GCK variants from the identification and functional characterisation of compound heterozygous and double mutations inherited in cis.  Diabetes Care, 2012
• Winney B, Boumertit A, DayT, Davison D, Echeta C, Evseeva I, Hutnik K, LeslieS, Nicodemus K, Royrvik EC, n Tonks S, Yang X, Cheshire J, Longley P, Mateos P, Groom A, Relton C, Bishop T, Black K, Northwood E, Parkinson L, Frayling TM, Steele AM, Sampson JR, King T, Dixon R, Middleton D, Jenning B, Bowden R, Donnelly P and Bodmer W.  People of the British Isles: preliminary analysis of genotypes and surnames in a UK-control population.  European Journal of Human Genetics, 2012, 20: 203-210
• Steele AM, Tribble ND, Caswell R, Wensley KJ, Hattersley AT, Gloyn AL, Ellard S.  The rare GCK missense substitution T342P is not a pathogenic mutation.  Diabetologia, May 2011, 54:2202–2205
• Steele AM, Shields BM, Shepherd M, Ellard S, Hattersley AT, Pearson ER.  Increased all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in monogenic diabetes as a result of mutations in the HNF1A gene.  Diabetic Medicine. 2010 (27), 157 -161
• CJ Greaves, A Middlebrooke, L O'Loughlin, S Holland, J Piper, A Steele, T Gale, F Hammerton, M Daly. Motivational interviewing for modifying diabetes risk: A Randomised controlled trial. The British Journal of General Practice.  Aug 2008, 535-541
• W Harries L, Locke JM, Shields B, Hanley NA, Piper Hanley K, Steele A, Njølstad PR, Ellard S, Hattersley AT. The diabetic phenotype in HNF4A mutation carriers is moderated by the expression of HNF4A isoforms from the P1 promoter during fetal development.  Diabetes. 2008 Mar 20
• De Silva NM, Steele A, Shields B, Knight B, Parnell K, Weedon MN, Hattersley AT, Frayling TM.The transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) gene is associated with Type 2 diabetes in UK community-based cases, but the risk allele frequency is reduced compared with UK cases selected for genetic studies.Diabet Med. 2007 Oct;24(10):1067-72. Epub 2007 Aug 24
• Anna M Steele, Ewan R Pearson, Sylvia F. Boj, Timothy Barrett, Karen Stals, Julian P Shield, Sian Ellard, Jorge Ferrer, Andrew T Hattersley 2007.  Macrosomia and hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycaemia in patients with heterozygous mutations in the HNF-4A gene.  PLoS Medicine, 7 (4), e118, 1-10
• Freathy RM, Lonnen KF, AM Steele, Minton JAL, Frayling TM, AT Hattersley and KM Macleod 2006.  The Impact of Angiotensin-converting enzyme insertion/deletion polymorphism on severe hypoglycaemia in Type 2 diabetes.  The Review of Diabetic Studies.  3:76-81
• Gloyn AL, Odili S, Zelent D, Buettger C, Castleden HAJ, Steele AM, Stride A, Shiota C, Magnuson MA, Lorini R, d’Annunzio G, Stanley CA, Kwagh J, van Schaftingen E, Veiga-da-Cunha M, Barbetti F, Dunten P, Han Y, Grimsby J, Taub R, Ellard S, Hattersley AT and Matschinsky FM 2005.  Insights into the structure and Regulation of Glucokinase from a Novel Mutation (V62M), which causes Maturity-onset Diabetes of the young.  The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 280: 14, 14105-14113
• Steele AM, Shields BM, Knight B, Pearson ER 2005. Waist circumference: a predictive tool for insulin resistance.  Journal of Diabetes Nursing.  9 (10) 389-393

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External Engagement and Impact

Awards

2016 Shortlisted for Nursing Times Clinical Research Team of the Year (BPA project)

2015 Winner of the NIHR Directors Poster Award (Men in White)

2009 Winner of the Marjorie Simpson New Researcher Award (awarded by the RCN)

2005 Member of team winning the Queens Anniversary Award

2005 Member of team winning academic team of the year

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