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Contact information


john.kellas@nds.ox.ac.uk

DPhil start date 

April 2024

PROJECT TITLE                         

Integral Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement in the Development of Health AI  

SUPERVISORS

Dr Regent Lee, Associate Professor of Vascular Surgery  
Dr Paul Hewitson, Senior Research Officer in the Applied Health Research Unit (AHRU)  

John Kellas

BA (Hons), MSc

DPhil student

  • NetZero AICT Stakeholder Engagement Lead

I am a first-year DPhil student within the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences. I am developing PPIE and AI-focused research and leading stakeholder engagement for NetZero AICT, an international transdisciplinary consortium led by Regent Lee and the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences. NetZero AICT is developing AI that digitally enhances CT scans to improve diagnostics and, in doing so, improves healthcare delivery, patient journeys, and planetary health. I co-lead the Trustworthiness workstream, supporting stakeholder engagement and managing the project interface with patients and the public.  

My preliminary academic research focuses on understanding current and emerging approaches to public involvement in the development of health AI, specifically medical imaging AI.  

With a first class degree in Education, Culture, and Society and an MSc in Community Education, I bring a mixed social science background to my DPhil application in Surgical Sciences. My seven-year experience as a community learning and development worker specialising in Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) for AI and analytics includes leading projects like AI, data, and digital health training and co-producing local and national public engagement events. For the past two years, I have been the PPIE co-lead for OpenSAFELY and Convalescence, a Long Covid National Core Study.  

My interdisciplinary approach is enhanced by my experience in digital transformation within the NHS and private sector. Highlights of my work portfolio include establishing a ‘Digital Changemakers’ community at a local NHS Trust, designing and delivering an ‘Our Data’ programme of engagement events for a local council, and producing numerous visualisation tools such as national Covid research data visualisations and a digital PPIE evaluation tool. I am committed to open science, improving health outcomes, and advancing social equality.